This is entirely wrong. My household income exceeds $300,000. My wife is a physician. It takes months to get an appointment with an ENT or dermatologist. In Germany, despite not being a citizen or having travel insurance I got an appointment with a dermatologist in 1 day. The cost was around 40 euros. These are anecdotes but they are just as valid as, “you should be able to virtually walk into..” statements.
It was fear of socialism that caused the outrage at Clinton’s healthcare proposals. The fear and outrage was so great that for the first time in decades Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 1994. Look up the number of times things being labeled communism and socialism has been used to try to halt legislation.
> It takes months to get an appointment with an ENT or dermatologist
Out of curiosity, where are you? (I should have geographically qualified my statement.) In New York, the Bay Area and even western Wyoming (in a wealthy enclave), I have never waited more than a week for an appointment.
> fear and outrage was so great that for the first time in decades Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 1992
Fair enough, will further qualify by last decades.
The bracket I’m speaking of knows European healthcare. They understand it is generally high quality and much cheaper. But being able to demand an MRI or the surgeon of your choice when something goes wrong is a real perk, and the one politicians are talking about when they reference public medicine.
What you said in the previous comment might be why those in power wish to keep the status quo in terms of healthcare but I don’t think it’s why middle and lower class voters vote against universal healthcare. I believe regulatory capture is why we haven’t done away with health insurance companies in their current incarnation. I believe but don’t know that upper class Europeans can pay for private care. I think Canada was the only country to banned privately paying for healthcare but they have relaxed this in recent years.
Not the parent, but in Seattle-Tacoma area, I have waited 10 weeks for an ENT, and 12 weeks for PT availability following a car accident (in which case I ended up doing my own PT and bought bands and tools to do so until then).
I wonder if there is a resource that tabulates wait times somewhere.
Anecdotally those wait times seem crazy. The PT one especially. I have 5 different pt choices in walking distance to me that can typically get you in next day or worst case a week lead time if you want a time block that is contended (right before/after normal business hours).
It was fear of socialism that caused the outrage at Clinton’s healthcare proposals. The fear and outrage was so great that for the first time in decades Republicans took control of the House of Representatives in 1994. Look up the number of times things being labeled communism and socialism has been used to try to halt legislation.