Britain Loves its National Health? Fox Nation Doesn't Know How to Deal With That

The Olympic opening ceremonies celebrated Britain’s National Health Service as one of the country’s great achievements. Fox News, which reviles “Obamacare” as an evil Commie plot even though it’s a whole lot weaker than Britain’s universal-coverage system, found this somewhere between baffling and horrifying.

The Fox Nation reprinted a piece from the Christian Science Monitor about the sequence in the opening ceremonies that featured hospital beds spelling “NHS,” under the oh-horrors title, "Olympic Opening Ceremony Celebrates Socialized Medicine" (they tried to include the video but the International Olympic Committee has blocked it). Director Danny Boyle, who put the ceremonies together, said, “One of the reasons we put the NHS in the show is that everyone is aware of how important the NHS is to everybody in this country. One of the core values of our society is that it doesn't matter who you are, you will get treated the same in terms of health care."

But American writers have nothing comparable to the NHS in their country. “Certainly the US equivalent, which would be dancing health insurance corporate executives, was hard to imagine”, jibed the Guardian. (See here) So some were a bit confused. Some, like the CS Monitor, wondered if the hospital beds were a coded message to US viewers.

But not everyone was horrified at the glorification of socialized medicine, even on Fox Nation, and the discussion is pretty lively:

Of course there were exchanges like this one:

(Ahem! It was not the Prime Minister of Canada but the Premier of Newfoundland who came to the US for heart surgery, and that was because he, like that Saudi prince, was rich enough to afford it. Health system reform isn't about making sure the rich get health care. It's about making sure that people like you and me who can't hop private jets get health care. And though Brits and Canadians may gripe about waiting lists, would they abandon universal health care for the US model? Absolutely not.)

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Showing 11 reactions

John Richardson commented 2012-07-31 12:12:24 -0400 · Flag

I’m always flabbergasted by the ignorance and lies displayed by U.S. pundits concerning Canada’s Health Care Systems. Here’s some reality for those interested: http://behindthehedge.wordpress.com/2012/04/20/adventures-in-albertas-public-health-care-system-a-true-story/

Headly Westerfield commented 2012-07-31 09:25:59 -0400 · Flag

I lived for 35 years under the evil, Socialist, Communistic Canadian Health Care system. Never had a co-pay, never had to reach into my pocket for a penny and I never had a problem, nor did anyone I know.

Now that I am in ‘Merka I am gambling that my health doesn’t fall apart so quickly that I can’t get back across the border to the country that accepted me as a citizen.

Tommy Douglas is STILL considered one of the greatest Canadians for his introduction of Universal Health Care in 1962 as Premier of Saskatchewan, which was eventually adopted by the entire country. Canada’s economy is better off than ’Merka’s, even with this Socialized medicine. (Douglas is Keifer Sutherland’s grandpappy.)

With all my yadda, yadda, yadda…
Headly Westerfield, who continues to keep a blog at: http://notnowsilly.blogspot.com/

Don Lyons commented 2012-07-30 16:25:43 -0400 · Flag

The U.S. system may offer the most ADVANCED medical treatment, but it is not the most efficient for ALL of its citizens. It’s like our system is A BMW car that only the rich can afford—and NO other cars are available—everyone else has to walk. In other countries evryone has access top Some type of car-albeit a Chevy Nova— but at least they have access to a car. And the rich can still have a their BMWs. Good for EVERYONE!!!—That’s Universal Healthcare.

truman commented 2012-07-30 11:05:10 -0400 · Flag

Universal-coverage, single-payer healthcare will eventually become a reality in the USA much like it already is in the rest of the civilized world. Only a bunch of idiot teabaggers are now standing in the way.

Anne-claire Souza commented 2012-07-30 10:31:28 -0400 · Flag

I come from a country that has had National Healthcare for so long that I can’t remember how long.What I do remember is,that my mother would pay a small premium every month,when anyone got sick or needed Hospital care you were taken care of immediately.Doctors would come to the sick patients, not sick patients sitting, waiting for hours deathly ill in a doctors office, getting infected with God knows what.
This whole American Medical system sucks and it needs seriously to move forward into the Twentyfirst Century.The country I’m speaking of is “the Netherlands”,a modern country that takes care of its people when they need it,not a perfect place by any means ,but a good place.

Visitor 55 commented 2012-07-30 08:31:38 -0400 · Flag

See, this just displays the ignorance and stupidity of the teabagger/neocons. Like that dumbass pRick Perry who oinks that the U.S. has the best health care in the world. Nobody is saying that we don’t. The problem is that there are too many people who can’t afford the best in the world health care, or any health care for that matter. Why is that simple truth so hard for the stupid right to comprehend?

Martin O'Donnell commented 2012-07-30 02:31:33 -0400 · Flag

I was speaking to a friend of my who nows live and work in NY and she was saying how proud it made her feel at being British and the NHS is the one thing she miss .

mj - the same one commented 2012-07-30 02:24:53 -0400 · Flag

Britain Loves its National Health? Fox Nation Doesn’t Know How to Deal With That

Maybe they should ask Sarah Palin, who took advantage of Canada’s national health as a child:

“My first five years of life we spent in Skagway, Alaska, right there by Whitehorse,” she told a paid audience in Alberta, according to the Calgary Herald. “Believe it or not – this was in the ‘60s – we used to hustle on over the border for health care that we would receive in Whitehorse. I remember my brother, he burned his ankle in some little kid accident thing and my parents had to put him on a train and rush him over to Whitehorse and I think, isn’t that kind of ironic now. Zooming over the border, getting health care from Canada.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20000152-503544.html

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Kevin Michael commented 2012-07-29 19:58:46 -0400 · Flag

The Premier of Newfoundland went to the US for the treatment because the highly specialized treatment he required was not available in his province. He could have gone to Quebec or Ontario, but he chose to go to the US. His choice—no big deal. And like you said, he could afford it.

As to the UK, there are indeed people who travel from all over the world to obtain medical treatment in the UK, including foreign politicians and dignitaries. Indeed the UK equivalent of the Teabaggers have complained for decades about “bloody foreigners” being a drain on the NHS.

Aria Prescott commented 2012-07-29 18:35:20 -0400 · Flag

At least six million Americans go abroad each year, with seeking medical treatment in other countries listed as a specific reason:

http://news.health.com/2009/04/08/traveling-treatment/

In comparison, when you hear about someone coming to America to be treated, it’s always the same story:

They’re a leader or member of the country’s 1%, and they’re there to be treated by a specialist living or attending practice in the US. When they make a statement, you can always tell they want to say “We would have much rather flown them here!”