Doesn’t it make a whole-lotta-sense, when trying to configure a problem, to kinda look around and check out what actually IS working? Precisely! Sooo, this week, when I distinctly heard The President being called a Nazi because he proposed a “socialistic” model to reform our (terminal) health care system, I took a gander at a truly top-notch successful example ~~ Israel!  Hardly the bastion of a nazi-like system, wouldn’t you say!? Socialistic?!? Perhaps! And yet, extremely advanced within every nook ‘n cranny that is touched by their form of health care.
I have also heard it bandied about, because capitalism ($$ as a reward) would be somewhat curtailed in “that kind of nazi socialistic system” (Drs. on salaries, costs kept to a nominal fee; ie.,) that nothing would ever ever again be “discovered” …you know…for money$! But, my fellow capitalists, have no fear ~~ altruism and compassion and love-of-country and all-for-one and one-for-all and “we are only as strong as the weakest among us,” is alive-and-well and prospering… in Israel!
Universal coverage does NOT have to compromise quality or research or innovation…no no, on the contrary!! Let’s take a quick peek at some of the tremendous contributions that their “system” has produced.
**Insightec is an Israeli-based company that developed, to my knowledge, the single-greatest invention EVER! Focused Ultrasound!! And now there are many versions that can accommodate all sorts of non-invasive tumor removal procedures. An example is the Ex Ablate 2000 for fibroid removal AND nary a stitch or a cut is needed. Pretty innovative, if you ask me!
**Israel is 1st in longevity and infant mortality
**Pioneer in stem cell research and therapies
**1st in medical device patents
**Spends only 10% on administrative medical costs (yikes…we spend 30%! Why that would save us $350 billion of the $500 billion spent; enough to cover the gap of the uninsured, forsooth!!)
**1st for qualified engineers
**1st in total expenditure for research and development and for groundbreaking innovations : 900 life science companies, 60 new R&D companies formed every year, most multi-nationals (ex. GE Healthcare and Phillips Medical,) hundreds of local companies (ex.Insightec) that are creating, as we “speak!”
**1st in water recycling (75% of all of their water is recycled)
**1st in recycling sea water using sea-water-reverse-osmosis
And on and on and on, honestly i could type 20 more pages and still would not have touched the surface of the marvelous and necessary contributions that this “socialistic system” has contributed, and continues to contribute for ALL of humankind.
Come on you brilliant out-of-the-box thinkers, let’s get it out of our heads “that it’s our way OR the highway!!” Others have solved the problem in a fair and equitable, cost effective, innovative-inspiring manner…so why the heck do we need to re-invent it??? The wheel is round…and you know what…it works!!