Randahl Fink17h ago

A lot can happen in 57 years.

In 1969 the corrupt President Nixon was president, the U.S. could not afford universal healthcare but did find the money to go to the moon while waging a war in Vietnam.

In 2026 the corrupt President Trump is president, the U.S. still cannot afford universal healthcare but does find the money to go to the moon while waging a war in Iran.

Show threadJoão Santos16h ago
@randahl In 2026 the US spends an higher percentage of the government budget in healthcare expenses than almost every single European country. If the US had universal healthcare, there would be _more_ money for bombs (or secondary things, like, say, housing), but the some plutocrats would need to forego their 5th yacht.
Show threadgoedelchen16h ago

@jmcs @randahl ... and in expenditure per capita ...

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/2025/11/health-at-a-glance-2025_a894f72e/full-report/health-expenditure-per-capita_affe6b0a.html#indicator-d1e31918-d294e8ff6a

Show threadJoão Santos
@goedelchen @randahl that was given with private healthcare. But the public health spending in the US being ~15% of the GDP vs ~5% to ~10% in most EU countries, is completely bonkers. For that level of spending, not only should healthcare be free for patients, but hospitals should feel like 5 stars hotels.
9:07amWeb
Show threadohir13h ago

@jmcs @goedelchen @randahl
> public health spending in the US

That's an oxymoron in the land of the free. "Public" in US means taxpayer money spent on healthcare owners commission.

The Europe has it all upside down. Actively preventing willing hospital and clinic owners from becoming billionaires.

https://nurse.org/news/healthcare-billionaires-us/

Top 7 Healthcare Billionaires in The U.S. - And How They Impact Your Nursing Career

Discover the top billionaires shaping the US healthcare industry, from hospital moguls to medical device giants. Learn who they are, how they built their wealth, and how their influence impacts nurses and patient care.

Nurse.org