When comparing health care systems of various countries, we need to look at what seems, at first, to be unrelated spending. That is, defense spending. Look at the tax rates in the countries that have been cited: Canada, Netherlands, Sweeden. Virtually no military spending, so their near-confiscatory tax rates can support universal health care. If the US were to eliminate military spending, or drastically cut such spending, and then adopt the same near-confiscatory tax rates, we could afford universal health care. I'm not at all convinced that going that route would be advisable. I can't imagine any other country coming to our defense.
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