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Congratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
Bernie Sanders Went to Canada, and a Dream of 'Medicare for All' Flourished
New York TimesBURLINGTON, Vt. — In July 1987, Bernie Sanders, then the mayor of Burlington, Vt., arrived in Ottawa convinced he was about to see the future of health care.
Years earlier, as his mother’s health declined, and his family struggled to pay for medical treatment, he was spending more time attending to her than in classes at Brooklyn College, suffering through what his brother called “a wrecked year’’ leading to her death. Over time, he had come to believe that the American health care system was flawed and inherently unfair. In Canada, he wanted to observe firsthand the government-backed, universal model that he strongly suspected was better.
Amid tours of community centers and meetings with health care providers, Mr. Sanders, then 45, more than liked what he saw.
“He was thrilled,” recalled Beth Mintz, a professor of sociology at the University of Vermont and a member of a task force that accompanied Mr. Sanders. “It gave him much more confidence in the possibility of the single-payer system as a solution.”
Years earlier, as his mother’s health declined, and his family struggled to pay for medical treatment, he was spending more time attending to her than in classes at Brooklyn College, suffering through what his brother called “a wrecked year’’ leading to her death. Over time, he had come to believe that the American health care system was flawed and inherently unfair. In Canada, he wanted to observe firsthand the government-backed, universal model that he strongly suspected was better.
Amid tours of community centers and meetings with health care providers, Mr. Sanders, then 45, more than liked what he saw.
“He was thrilled,” recalled Beth Mintz, a professor of sociology at the University of Vermont and a member of a task force that accompanied Mr. Sanders. “It gave him much more confidence in the possibility of the single-payer system as a solution.”
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
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If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Undecided
that the US is a far different animal than Canada? 10 times bigger and infinitely more diverse?
Didn't he realize that the US is the leader in medical innovation and future modalities of diagnosis and treatment because of the system we have?
Surely, those who can't afford insurance premiums should be given subsidies and/or a public option but the US cannot ever become Canada.
It is sort of like a southern Arizona farmer visiting Washington state and dreaming of growing apples in Tucson because they grow so well in Spokane.
If I were to vote in a presidentialprimary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden