Posted on 05/12/2012 2:21:57 PM PDT by Olog-hai
As the United States Supreme Court considers whether requiring people to have health insurance is unconstitutional, Germans are bewildered as to why so many Americans appear to be against universal coverage.
They also question the continued portrayal of US President Barack Obama and his health reform backers as socialists and communists, noting that healthcare was introduced in Germany in the 19th century by Otto von Bismarck, who was definitely not a leftist, and is supported by conservative and pro-business politicians today.
"It's a solidarity principle," says Ann Marini, a spokesperson for the National Health Insurers Association. "Not every 'S' automatically means socialism."
Marini and others say that mandated coverage is something that is simply not questioned in Germany. Furthermore, even the most pro-market politicians wouldn't dare to dismantle the country's health insurance system.
The requirement that everyone buy health insurance is based on a simple concept, healthcare experts agree. Allowing healthy people to opt out of having health insurance destroys the insurance community and leaves insurers covering only the sick. …
But there are other reasons why Germans are confused about the US healthcare debate. The US comes across to not only Germans, but to many Europeans, as a religious country. God seems to be part of many US debates, especially ones surrounding the presidential campaign. In secular European politics, the Almighty is rarely if ever invoked.
"For me the US is a very religious country. It doesn't matter which religion I look at—love thy neighbor is a very, very important point in religion," health insurance spokesperson Marini says. For her, the apparent deep religiousness of many Americans doesn't jibe with their unwillingness to be part of a healthcare community. …
(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...
As I see it, the Germans couldn’t fathom Hitler or the Nazi’s either.
Wait until the full cost of their medical system becomes apparent. And Germany is not connected to a 3rd world continent which provides a never ending need for additional costs to the taxpayer. The Germans think Greece is hard to support. Try Latin America.
They didn’t have much of a problem with death camps either...
An Insurance Card is NOT the same as “Health Care”!
Equality of Coverage is NOT the same as “Quality Health Care”!
“Free” does NOT mean “Good”!
Not if insurers are free to refuse people with preexisting conditions.
Well ... no ... that might get you noticed. And then comes the Nacht und Nebel.
Way more Turks and Italians in Germany than Greeks.
Americans historically have had some fundamental ideas about freedom that were dismissed as nonsense in much of Europe, especially the firmly regimented Germany. Americans are not so bent on a quest for utopia that they forget to consider what jolly well actually works the best.
Let Germany have a system like Obamacare if it wants. Somebody has to keep on supporting the cornucopia of medical care capabilities, and that somebody has been the USA.
Do you notice that only government healthcare is called “healthcare”. As if this country has no healthcare at all unless its government operated.
That is a premise we should always totally reject.
Aw, c’mon Freepers! The Germans just love National Socialist Healthcare. Why shouldn’t we?
Fair enough,we can’t fathom Germany’s affection for leather shorts.
The author should familiarize herself with Bismarck’s Kulturkampf.
Marx was German. So was Hitler.
Equality of Coverage is NOT the same as “Quality Health Care”!
“Free” does NOT mean “Good”!
Right!
And controlling health cares prices is not the same thing as controlling health care costs.
Government force controls prices, market competition controls costs.
“An Insurance Card is NOT the same as “Health Care”!”
That’s how they do it from I’m from originally” canada. If you have no health card, it’s FU. The gubmint’ makes sure you pay up your monthly premiums for if not, the gubmint’ sells you out to collection agencies. It happened to my older friends and family. And this is what America wants? I moved here because I was trying to avoid socialism.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.