The German Press on American Health Care

The German press weighs in:

"America's mistrust of government is refreshing in some areas, but not when it comes to health care. Health coverage for the average citizen in the US against illness and its consequences is worse than in Germany, and they have to pay significantly more for it."

"Freedom as the Americans see it also includes the freedom to pay too much for health care that is inferior by comparison with other systems." - from Der Tagesspiegel.

"The entire reform debate suffers from the problematic conviction that has never been questioned, namely that health is an asset from which it's OK to make money." - from Die Tageszeitung.

Americans have heard a lot about shortcomings in the healthcare systems of both Canada and the U.K. Right-wing media outlets like The Drudge Report feature daily stories about British women delivering babies on the sidewalk, or Canadian fears that healthcare is bankrupting their country.

But why should we compare the U.S. to Canada and Britain? Yes, both are wealthy nations, but their economies are no where near the scale of the United States. Wouldn't it be more honest to analyze healthcare in the world's second-largest economy (Japan) and Germany, the third-largest economy?

As it turns out, both nations provide their citizens with excellent universal health coverage, no matter what ability you have to pay, and regardless of pre-existing conditions.

In Germany and Japan, the idea that the poor should be left to fend for themselves is considered morally unconscionable.

How ironic: Japan isn't a "Christian" nation, in fact, they're famously non-religious. Yet the Japanese believe all citizens should be covered, anywhere, anytime, for any reason. It stems from a basic belief in human dignity, and frankly, it should shame those American Christians angrily shouting during town hall meetings.Yes, please, no government in my healthcare. When it's time for my first Medicare check, I'd rather not have it. You keep it. It's much preferable to fend for yourself when you're in your late sixties."

Free healthcare will take away your freedom. It will take away your freedom to worry about losing your job because you'll also lose your health insurance. It will take away your freedom to avoid routine medical tests because you can't afford them. It will take away your fear of being turned down by your insurance company because of a "pre-existing" condition. It will take away your freedom to live out your golden years with this worry: "Can I afford to keep living? Does anyone even care?"


Conservative whites demonstrate against something that will actually benefit them, without a sniff of irony.