Message to Thom Hartmann and all who listened to him this morning.

[JDPriestly]

The program of universal health care (single payer I believe and sponsored ultimately by the government) was initiated by Kaiser Wilhelm in German in the 1880s. There is lie circulating that somehow it was a NAZI or post-WWII invention. Totally false.

Kaiser Wilhelm

Wilhelm II (German: Prinz Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albrecht von Preußen; English: Prince Frederick William Victor Albert of Prussia) (27 January 1859 – 4 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia (German: Deutscher Kaiser und König von Preußen), ruling both the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918.

Health Insurance Bill of 1883
The first bill that had success was the Health Insurance bill, which was passed in 1883. The program was considered the least important from Bismarck’s point of view, and the least politically troublesome. The program was established to provide health care for the largest segment of the German workers. The health service was established on a local basis, with the cost divided between employers and the employed. The employers contributed 1/3rd, while the workers contributed 2/3rds . The minimum payments for medical treatment and Sick Pay for up to 13 weeks were legally fixed. The individual local health bureaus were administered by a committee elected by the members of each bureau, and this move had the unintended effect of establishing a majority representation for the workers on account of their large financial contribution. This worked to the advantage of the Social Democrats who – through heavy Worker membership – achieved their first small foothold in public administration.<35>

Accident Insurance Bill of 1884
Bismarck’s government had to submit three draft bills before they could get one passed by the Reichstag in 1884. Bismarck had originally proposed that the Federal Government pay a portion of the Accident Insurance contribution. Bismarck’s motive was a demonstration of the willingness of the German government to lessen the hardship experienced by the German workers as a means of weaning them away from the various left-wing parties, most importantly the Social Democrats. The National Liberals took this program to be an expression of State Socialism, which they were dead set against. The Center party was afraid of the expansion of Federal Power at the expense of States Rights. As a result, the only way the program could be passed at all was for the entire expense to be underwritten by the Employers. To facilitate this, Bismarck arranged for the administration of this program to be placed in the hands of “Der Arbeitgeberverband in den beruflichen Korporationen”, which translates as “The organization of employers in occupational corporations”. This organization established central and bureaucratic insurance offices on the Federal, and in some cases the State level to perform the actual administration. The program kicked in to replace the health insurance program as of the 14th week. It paid for medical treatment and a Pension of up to 2/3rds of earned wages if the worker was fully disabled. This program was expanded in 1886 to include Agricultural workers.<35>
Old Age and Disability Insurance Bill of 1889

The Old Age Pension program, financed by a tax on workers, was designed to provide a pension annuity for workers who reached the age of 70 years. At the time, the life expectancy for the average Prussian was 45 years. Unlike the Accident Insurance and Health Insurance programs, this program covered Industrial, Agrarian, Artisans and Servants from the start. Also, unlike the other two programs, the principle that the Federal Government should contribute a portion of the underwriting cost, with the other two portions prorated accordingly, was accepted without question. The Disability Insurance program was intended to be used by those permanently disabled. This time, the State or Province supervised the programs directly.<35>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_Bismarck#Health_I...

I have a German scholar in the family who can vouch for this. This is the truth.

I investigated further.

It was originally organized through what we would understand to be trade unions for working people. Membership was mandatory, but it was for many years run by the trade organization formed to oversee it (similar to a non-profit management), then in 1933 it was taken over by the government -- Hitler's government. But it was mandatory long before Hitler came to power. Kaiser Wilhelm made membership mandatory for the tradespeople way back in 1883-1884.

I don't want to translate this but here is the link.
http://www.tk-online.de/tk/geschichte-der-tk/krankenversicherung-wird-pflicht/die-selbstverwaltung-wird-1933-aufgeloest/150056

[Ilsa]

1. I usually listen in the afternoon on Ohio Majority radio right about now... so thanks. nt

[SidneyCarton]

2. Absolutely correct.

The same with Social Security, Churchill visited Germany prior to WWI and had nothing but praise for the system.

[demigoddess]

3. how we can deny health coverage to so many people all in the name of

keeping the insurance companies rolling in money is beyond me. Even doctors cannot afford their health insurance these days. my husband's doctor told him he was paying 900 a month and that was the best deal he could get. How many people can afford 900 a month??? Seems like a rip off to me.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. Correct although Bismark rather than Wilhelm usually gets the credit.

Who the heck is saying it was Hitler? Did Hartmann allow this lie to go unchallenged?

[JDPriestly]

5. Yes. Bismarck was the brains behind Wilhelm. I am crediting the Kaiser

because I want to point out that universal health care is not a plot by leftists. To the contrary. It is a common sense way to make sure everyone gets health care. Obviously the non-profit/trade-union-managed health care system did not do well when the German economy failed. I assume that is why the government took over the trade union's role in running the system. Better to just let the government manage the system to begin with. Once you get it into a bureaucracy and out of the hands of the politicians, it will be better managed than it is today by private health insurers putting profits first.

[JDPriestly]

6. Republicans credit Hitler. Hitler took over the plan that the employee associations were managing.