THREAD on healthcare for US voters:
Republicans repeatedly claim that “socialised” medicine means taking healthcare away from people. I come from the UK, the home of socialised medicine since 1948 in the form of the NHS.
I have worked as a doctor in the NHS for over 25 years
The NHS may not be perfect, but it’s loved & respected by the UK public. It’s founding principles are universal healthcare for all, free at the point of use, regardless of the ability to pay. Every citizen gets access to care.
It’s funded by taxpayers, so the state insures us all
The remarkable thing about the #NHS is that it’s survived decades of right wing Governments, who’ve chronically underfunded it and part privatised it. Despite this, the public & NHS healthcare workers have kept fighting for it, because it forms the social fabric of our society
Currently, the NHS spends about £140bn ($180bn) to look after 65m citizens. The US Federal government spends $1.2 trillion on healthcare (330m citizens). Here is a typical value for money comparison between my hospital and a top rated US hospital. We get more bang for our buck
The US healthcare system is an example of islands of excellence in a sea of misery. It’s shocking that so many millions are uninsured or underinsured. Republicans and their billionaire funders have lied to the US public about what socialised means. Scenes like this are appalling
The only people taking healthcare away from Americans, are the Americans who believe the nonsense that the Republican Party spouts out about socialised medicine. Healthcare is a basic human right and this is the basis of socialised medicine
In fact, providing healthcare to all, regardless of the ability to pay, is one if the founding principles of a fairer and more equal society. It reflects the idea that we actually care about one another. It reflects the idea of the common good and common decency
A low tax society simply allows the rich to get richer, and wealth inequality to get worse. There is overwhelming evidence that wealth inequality drives health inequality, because poverty is bad for you health. health.org.uk/publications/r…
The Republican Party is literally making the USA sick. It is shocking and sad to see the most successful country in world history allow this to happen. I just hope the US public will save their nation on November 3rd
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