Dec
26
If Universal health care leads to socialism/communism, why are Switzerland and Japan still capitalist?
By
Question: Just wondering. I mean, I know that Americans would never put up with the taxes that they pay in socialist nations, such as Sweden, France and Britain, but Switzerland is a capitalist nation, so is Japan, and especially Taiwan and South Korea, and they have universal health care? I don’t get it.
3 Comments
December 26th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
A country can adopt measures that are labeled “socialistic” in order to provide better care for its people without turning it’s entire socio-economic structure into what’s considered socialistic/communistic.
The US adopted social securities in the 30’s and medicare/medicaid in the 60’s, measures that opponents accused of being socialistic at the time they were proposed; yet we have remained pretty much capitalistic to this day.
What’s interesting is that almost all of the opponents to social securities in the 30’s and medicare/medicaid in the 60’s ended up applying for those benefits for their parents and then themselves when they became eligible and would not think of giving them up now!!
December 26th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
It is a matter to what degree Americans will accept social programs. Socialized medicine in America can work and be accepted by the public if it is run properly. People are simply scared of how the government will run things as their tract record is not that good. Have you ever gone to a DMV?
December 26th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
If you factor in how much an employer and/or an employee pays in health insurance premiums you actually pay more in tax + premiums than other nations. Add to it the debauchery of many HMOs and the fact if you get unemployed for any length of time and get sick you are screwed is it really worth it?
The idea that the USA is 100% capitalist is a farce. The US has welfare, unemployment insurance/compensation and medicare and old age security (all tenants of socialism). The USA along with Canada, Japan, Switzerland and others are what you call Social Capitalists.
True communism is where everyone works for the greater good of the country and all individuals share in its wealth equally. Everyone is provided for. Most communist countries are not real communists however and are typically fascist regimes where certain privileged individuals lead a higher lifestyle than the average citizen.
The major thing the US lacks that all other first world nations have is universal health care. The US is not as socialist as most other first world nations and those. I am a Canadian and speaking with many US friends I can see some huge differences that make life easier in a more socialist nation.
One example is maternity leave. In the US many states give a couple weeks. In Canada we get a year. If you loose your job due to market collapse (ie: what just happened) you can qualify for job retraining and change careers (factory worker/assembler to electrician for example). The government also helps fund education so that not just the wealthy go to college. Then comes health care. It’s all paid for and I don’t have to worry about where I am in the country or whether I have coverage. I can also go to my general practitioner when I feel sick and get looked after without having to worry about a bill.
Taxes in Canada are very similar to taxes paid in many states in the USA. Personal income tax in Canada is around 31% on average vs about 29% in the USA. Taxes are actually lower in Korea and Japan and about the same in Switzerland. So given that those countries have universal health care and the US doesn’t (and taxes are lower or about the same) when you tack on health premiums paid by your employer and or yourself you are paying through the nose.
All of the social benefits mentioned could be reasons why the life expectancy in Canada, Switzerland, Japan and other socialist nations are several years higher than in the USA.