Kevin does some digging and finds that the poor and the elderly -- the two groups that rely primarily on government-run program for their health care -- are way more satisfied than the rest of us. He finds this confusing, puzzling even. I think it's somewhat explained by an anecdote from The Choice. The authors are walking through an airport with John Breaux when an old woman runs up to him and says:
Senator, don't you dare let the government get its hands on my Medicare!
Without missing a beat, Breaux replies:
Don't worry madam, I won't.
I think that about explains it. We've so fully demonized government-run health care that we won't even believe it can work when it already is. The totality of propaganda's triumph over not just the facts, but our subjective interpretation of the facts (i.e, how satisfied we are with our health care) is truly stunning. Ugh.
In light of all this health care talk, I'll be working on a little feature this week. Every day, I'm going to profile a different country';s health care system. Not just how well it works but how it works. I constantly hear about France and Germany and Britain and Canada but, when I think about it, I really don't know much beyond the fact that they have more government involvement than we do. So I'm going to learn about their structures and report on what I find. Should be fun, if you have a really weird idea of what fun is. Anyway, France will be up later today, so check back for that.
