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Comment by cmircea | Hacker News Reader

Or how about have national healthcare? Like every other decent country on this planet?

Careful there. A lot of countries have quasi private/public systems with law-enforced mandates. For example, Switzerland.

Possibly, but you can't make that leap directly, people/industries don't move that fast. First step is move away from company provided, I am sure there would be renewed interest for it in many against it now, or some workable private and public system where prices are known, more direct.

Describe "national healthcare". I see people who like to bitch about the US throwing this term around a lot, but what do you mean by it? One single, state-organized health care provider that gets funded 100% by other taxes or a flat-fee contribution that is the same for everybody? State-set price controls? Price controls on what - costs of procedure or insurance plan? What about coverage of those plans, determined by the state?

State organized and owned healthcare. You pay for it as a taxpayer and don't have to worry about going bankrupt because of a disease that can happen to anybody. For an example, the UK's NHS.

Private healthcare is still perfectly legal and fine, as is private health insurance, if you deem the state services are not suitable for you.

Hospitals should be helping people, not ripping them off >.<

Only after we have explored every other possible solution. This is America, and no socialism is possible; unless you are a homeland security contractor.

What the hell? State provided healthcare = Socialism?! That's bullshit.

What about the police department? Or the fire department? Or the post office?

Yes, those are all socialist. That's not a bad thing.

Any government is, at its core, socialist. Rather than everyone funding their own private army, the state socialises the cost and provides national defence.

For other parts of society, it may also make sense to have everyone pay in to provide service which is to the public good. Police, fire, postal services are canonical examples.

In most countries, health care is also socialised. As is garbage collection, libraries, and road building.

The question - for most reasonable people - is where do you draw the line? Buses are socialised - what about taxis? Doctors are socialised - what about Lawyers, or accountants?

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