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This essentially means that poorer people cannot afford top-notch health care and will have to make do with bad doctors and bad help, if they can afford it at all. I prefer the Dutch system, where *everyone* can get good care, no matter what their income is.
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Everyone in the US does get state of the art healthcare, regardless of income level.
For people in poverty, they have state-run Medicaid. Their healthcare and medicine is completely paid for, and they have the same access to healthcare as privately insured individuals.
For people who are disabled or retired, we have Medicare. It pays for healthcare costs, but not prescription drugs. Those who can't afford to pay cash for their drugs can get them for free through patient assistance programs, and through applying for Medicaid prescription benefits. In April, Medicare will begin providing prescription drugs as well.
Those who slip through the cracks get free treatment through any hospital emergency room or charity hospital in the country.
Again, it doesn't matter if they need $10,000/ month in chemotherapy medicine, or a $400,000 liver transplant, the poor and the wealthy are equally entitled.
The "lack of access" argument is not true.
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Just one of many counter-examples: public transport... In the Netherlands, the train system used to be government-controlled, and it used to be very good. Now, it's run as a private business, and it's getting worse all the time. An extreme example of where it *could* go would be the UK, where the whole train system is rotten to the core.
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Well, again, with the excessive taxation and government regulation in Britain and other Western European countries, it does not suprise me that private enterprises have a tougher time running the show than when it comes to public transportation. If the government dictates how many trains must run to each area for a capped price, private industry is likely to fail. If they untie their hands an let them run it like a true business, you may have different results.