Since we've been talking about health care in light of the recent Canadian Supreme Court decision, here is Paul Krugman's recent column about the state of the US non-system. Harry Truman tried to create a national health insurance system. Public opinion was initially on his side: Jill Quadagno's book "One Nation, Uninsured" tells us that in 1945, 75 percent of Americans favored national health insurance. If Truman had succeeded, universal coverage for everyone, not just the elderly, would today be an accepted part of the social contract. But Truman failed. Special interests, especially the American Medical Association and Southern politicians who feared that national insurance would lead to racially integrated hospitals, triumphed. Sixty years later, the patchwork system that evolved in the absence of national health insurance is unraveling. The cost of health care is exploding, the number of uninsured is growing, and corporations that still provide employee co...
Hey ALPF, long time no link!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links, guys. I'm blogging a little later today, I'll need these.
you'll likely begin following Parliament soon (the Fall session is finally beginning). I know I'm pumped for all the yelling and screaming that is soon to come.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah! We've caught a little on the CBC, and it's already great fun. So much better than Congress.
Stop by for a refresher on the past year and where it's left Parliament, as well as (hopefully) a bit of a chuckle.
I will do, thanks!