I'd advise people to go and read about the French system which is well regarded. It's far better than the NHS in the UK and your system in the USA.
They also spend far less than the USA in terms of GDP and with a much better outcome.Of course the problem with it is that the payment is taken out of your salary, its not classed as a tax but a health insurance.
It's not socialized in that sense, the government just regulates minimum standards, buys equipment which makes it cheaper and you have total freedom in terms of doctor etc.
key words here.
swiss system is even better.
but none of those can be even thought about before EMTALA and tort reform - nowhere in Europe anything of the stupidity of those two aspects is even close to American one.
The best way to fund the universal healthcare ( by minimal standards) is through federal sales tax - only then it will be FAIR and never ending.
But as I have said before - it can not be enacted if EMTALA is not changed and without tort reform.
Thanks for the reply, could you possibly explain what EMTALA is and Tort reform I'm not aware of these and why do they cause such problems for Americans?
tort reform means you can't sue anybody for anything - it is a plague in medicine, but corrupts the life in other domains as well.
EMTALA is a law which mandates that the hospital can not refuse treatment to anybody based on their ability to pay - and that is good, but the idiocy evolved to the bums from the street hitting doors of the ER and getting the liver transplant - which should not happen.
stabilization and necessary treatments should not mean all the luxuries of the best medicine in the world - on the taxpayer's tab.
Oh, and I would also add some provisions on the ability to sue by those who do not have any kind of medical insurance - not that they can not do it when the real medical negligence or harm because of the intentional mistreatment occurs, but all those BS lawsuits because of hurt feelings and some others.
There was a cae which describes the idiocy of the situation perfectly - in 2006 or 07 there was a case of a 17 y.o. illegal Mexican girl getting a liver transplant and having a major rejection of the organ because of the mistake in mixed blood types in blood transfusion ( liver transplant is a massive blood transfusion procedure). the girl gets second liver - everything is basically a charity from Duke - but unfortunately, dies. The family first rejects the plea for organ donation for others ( heart, lungs) and then sues Duke !!!
I don't exactly recall how it all ended, because there was a furious backlash throughout the US - not only the illegal who has never paid into the system was getting 2(!!!) transplants for free, but the family, taking other people donated organs for their daughter refused to reciprocate the favor when asked for their daughter organs and was even bold enough to sue.
this case demonstrated exactly why EMTALA and tort reform are needed ASAP - before anything else if one considers anything to be changed seriously.