Rikkitic:

 

dclegg:

 

 

 

However, they did acknowledge that their system is fundamentally broken with regards to healthcare providers having health insurers over a barrel with regards to healthcare costs, and how that causes overly inflated costs. They were also envious of our ACC system, and the way it effectively curbs the litigious culture they have over there. They just don't see how socialised healthcare could fix any of this.

 

 

Tell your American friends that socialised medicine is the same as having a police force. People collectively pay taxes to fund a service that benefits them. Even in America, not everyone is a victim of a crime every day, but most people are happy in the knowledge that there are police around in case they do become a victim. Even the militia nutters who want to carry arms everywhere in their own 'defense' are usually not anti-police as such. So what is the difference with collectively paying for medical insurance even though you hope you won't need it, but you will be glad to have it if you do? What is the difference with other kinds of insurance, for that matter? People in America all pay car insurance, unless they are breaking the law, and they seem to be able to live with that. Or would they rather come here and not pay any insurance and gamble instead that they will not cause a million dollar accident?

 

 

 

I think many Americans would take a slightly altered view there.

They view the Police as an insurance policy that they have in addition to the CCW permit they have that allows them to go to Costco wearing their Glock. Americans prefer, IME, to be responsible for themselves rather than to contract that out to others. Police are good for assaulting drug lords, your personal weapon is good for putting down housebreakers etc.

Americans are very much geared to looking after themselves. They get to keep a lot more of their earnings than we do in order to facilitate that (for example mortgage payments and property taxes are tax deductions) and that is the way they like it. They do not collectively have great interest in providing for those who fall by the wayside, seemingly accepting that as inevitable.