:: blame the extended gestation.... ::

:: Thursday, November 11, 2004 ::

Socialized Medicine... the dirty word

An interesting take on National Health Care by Sven H. Steinmo in his article American Exceptionalism Reconsidered: Culture of Institutions? The article argued that there is an institutional explanation for the country's small welfare state rather than it being a simple question of Liberal "don't tread on me" ideologies and/or values. It was an interesting read but I just wanted to pass this one blurb on:

Early in the century national health insurance (NHI), for example, was widely defended with an argument quite similar to that used to support the extension of free public education, that is, that it supported the vaunted American value of equal opportunity. The failure of the early versions of NHI had more to do with interstate competition, the medical industry's opposition, Congressional deadlock, and financial constraints, than with public preferences or values. Only after an enormous public relations campaign financed by the American Medical Association in the 1940's and 1950's, did NHI become tagged with the un-American label "socialized medicine." This massively funded public relations campaign worked. Since the late 1940's those who have labored for NHI have, in effect, been saddled with defending an "un-American" program, albeit one which is "necessary anyway" In short, free public education succeeded and became as American as apple pie, while health care became associated with an intrusive state--but not because of fundamental differences in these two types of policies. Instead, private education did not have a wealthy and powerful organized interest group that could use the checks and balances of the American political system to veto this legislation.

So we can thank the AMA for killing National Health Care.

:: Jim Nichols 11/11/2004 10:34:00 PM [+] ::
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