Some years ago in New York I went to hear the Taiwanese health minister describe the country’s new National Health Service. He had just been to visit George W. Bush’s first secretary of health, Tommy Thompson. I could not resist and asked, “While you were in Washington, did you explain to the Republican secretary of health that you’ve introduced a socialized health system?” He looked me squarely in the eyes and said, “You know, it completely slipped my mind!” And well it might. We have heard much tendentious information about the alleged success of Chile’s privatization of social security, but little of the unchallenged efficacy of Taiwan’s health service.
Taiwanese go to their doctors on average 12 times / year, Americans 1-2/times / year. The Taiwanese pay 6% of their gdp on healthcare the US 16.5%.

Taiwan's gem of a healthcare system is a single payer government run institution with a 72% approval rating. If you want to know what's wrong with our system read this article. The current slaves of the health giants in Congress won't let us have a system that works for everyone because they are getting 100's of $millions$ to keep things the way they are.


http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/?article=985