But regarding the "communist" characterization of socialized medicine, it
is absurd to equate socialized medicine of the West with communist medicine
of the East. Read "The Gulag Archipelago" by Solzhenitsyn, and see that
Stalin had more to do with the downfall of the Soviet system then any
American president. Instead of rewarding and using the innovators,
thinkers, and doers of society for the good of society, he judged them and
executed them by political litmus tests.
Norway may not pay their Doctors & engineers as well as in the US, but they
were free to do what they loved, with only modest limitations on their
practice--at least in comparison to the USSR.
Also, don't forget the principle that "the grass is greener on the other
side of the fence". We (including the Norweigen Doctors) tend to focus on
the problems of our particular situation, not the advantages. I bet that
the Norweigen doctors don't have the problem of writing off 70% of their
billings (as comrade Kenneth has), or maybe even the astronomical cost of
medical school.
So the Brits & the Norweigen's complain about their facilities, and the
Americans complain about the high costs. Is it fair to say that "you get
what you pay for"? And that medicine on a national scale is no exception?
Anyway I gotta go (so don't bother flaming me, since I won't be reading it
for 2 weeks).
Grace & peace,
Dennis Sweitzer