One of the first acts of the new Bolshevik government was to nationalize health care – again, not out of altruistic concern for the masses of Russian peasants, but to centralize control over the population and over physicians, who tended to be free thinkers and well respected by the citizens.
Historically, however, in the absence of governmental collapse (e.g. war-torn Germany or the fall of the Soviet Union), there is no nation that has ever reverted from a nationalized, government-run health service back to a free market system. Once adopted, single payer, government health care becomes the sacred cow of a nation’s legislature. They may debate funding allocations, i.e. who gets what, they may complain about shortages, wait times and cost to the state, but they never mention turning back the clock and reverting to the traditional, patient-centered, free market medicine. Once it’s over … it’s over.
Historically, however, in the absence of governmental collapse (e.g. war-torn Germany or the fall of the Soviet Union), there is no nation that has ever reverted from a nationalized, government-run health service back to a free market system. Once adopted, single payer, government health care becomes the sacred cow of a nation’s legislature. They may debate funding allocations, i.e. who gets what, they may complain about shortages, wait times and cost to the state, but they never mention turning back the clock and reverting to the traditional, patient-centered, free market medicine. Once it’s over … it’s over.
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