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In Reply to: Re: Thought-provoking quotation posted by another poster on October 01, 2003 at 21:35:12:
I lived in Switzerland, a privatized society, for 2+ yrs. They did not have a registration for any other purpose than the fact that men are in the military, solely for civil defense purposes, until age 60. Actually, that is a small price to pay for neutrality and shelters for 100% of the population in case of nuclear war. AND their hospital system is private, but if you need emergency care, any hospital will take you and treat you well.
In the U.S.A., if you have good insurance and/or lots of money, or just have minor medical needs and have ins. or govt. healthcare it is not a bother. If you have illnesses that are expensive to treat and/or cure, in some states, it is not done. ERs in my state frequently turn people away that are in severe pain, in need of treatment for infections or injuries that will not kill them at the time they check in, but they have no place else to go. That, to me is unconscionable. I see medical care as a basic human right, not a privilege. The incentives in this country, imo are wrong. People with money often get treatments they don't need and people without go without. Many people from Mexico can cross the border, not be citizens, work here and keep every penny they earn. They do not pay taxes, but have access to Medicaid and are catered to for government health care above and beyond the care citizens often get. This is because they are providing cheap labor for those that cannot afford to build sweatshops overseas.
