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> The first many years after WW2 Europe spent rebuilding itself.

The U.S chipped in quite a bit too. $15 billion, or $148 billion in today's dollars, which was almost 6% (!) of the U.S. GDP at the time. This was in addition to a previous $15 billion in aid before the Marshall Plan was enacted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan

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While indeed massive, the Marshall plan was handed out over 4 years so it was around 1.5 percent of US GDP. I dont think it made it impossible for the US to build public health care.

Indeed -- in fact at the same time as the Marshall Plan, President Truman actually was trying to pass a national health plan:

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/anniversaries/healthprogram.htm

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/127/3/399.full

and all that to impose its views, to counter communism.

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