Oslo, Norway — The Storting, the supreme legislature of Norway, today enacted sweeping health care reforms that will make the land of the midnight sun the latest industrialized nation to scrap its government-run health care systems in favor of an American-style private sector-based health care system.
“As I’ve often said, the United States enjoys the world’s finest health care,” said U.S. Rep. Michele Bachman (R-MN). “And the ultimate proof of that fact is that so many other industrialized nations with government-run health care are copying America’s proven private sector approach.”
While Bachmann and other advocates of the American health care system tout the efficiency of the United States’ private sector health insurance companies and health care providers, a 2012 analysis by the non-profit Commonwealth Fund notes that the the United States spends more on health care than 12 other industrialized countries, nearly $8,000 per person. For instance, the analysis finds that the U.S. spends 12 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care, while Japan spends just 9 percent.
Still, the march toward less government-run health care in the industrialized world continued this week. By a vote of 166-to-3, the Storting overwhelmingly approved a series of reforms to rapidly move Norway toward an American-style health care model. Within the next two years, Norway’s government-run health plan will be dismantled, and for-profit health insurance corporations will soon begin operating in Norway.
“We are demanding that Norwegian citizens have the finest health care in the world, just like the Americans,” said Sven Stum, a leader of the Norwegian Te Party, a leading advocate of the reforms. “The Americans may pay more, but they also get better access to their doctors, and better health outcomes.”
Defenders of the government-run health care systems that have been used in industrialized nations for decades claim that Americans actually don’t get more or better health care than patients in government-run health care. For instance, the United States has, on a per capita basis, the second lowest number of physicians among industrialized nations, and the second lowest number of physician consultations with patients.
The Commonwealth Fund analysis also found that, despite the much higher cost of American health care, many health outcomes in the United States are actually among the worst of any industrialized nation, such as cervical cancer survival rates, asthma-related deaths, and diabetes-related amputations.
“As a proud Norwegian American, I was glad to see that leaders in Oslo will be giving their citizens the finest health care system in the world,” said Bachmann. “Norway gets it.”
Norway joins Japan, France, and Canada as nations that have recently dismantled their government-run health care systems and changed to the American model of health care. Sweden, Germany and New Zealand are considered likely to be making a change in the next year.
“Norwegians are particularly looking forward to enjoying health insurance corporations’ bans on pre-existing conditions, lifetime benefits limits, and corporate marketing and overhead expenses, things Americans have enjoyed for decades,” noted Stum. “Before today, these were things we Norwegians could only dream of having.”
There is no “Te” party in Norway.
And like all other industrialized nations bar Canada, private healthcare has been operating in Norway for decades. In fact, private hospitals bid on surgery-batches along with public ones, and Norwegians can chose to have their surgeries at either private or puiblic hospitals, with the health care system picking up the tab.
There has also been health care insurance available in Norway for decades, although bar travel insurance, even the insurance salesmen admit you have to be an idiot to buy it.
There are no plans to “dismantled” and the US healthcare systems unique blend of high costs and poor results are normally used as a cautionary tale, with the exception of the very far right.
Sorry, last paragraph should read “There are no plans to “dismantle” the Norwegian system, and the US healthcare systems unique blend of high costs and poor results are normally used as a cautionary tale, with the exception of the very far right.
The notion that there would be a 166-3 vote to “dismantle” the healthcare system is in itself pretty peculiar, as it would have to involve all the parties agreeing on it. You’d have just as good odds on getting all the parties to agree on dismatling the education system, or the police.
You’ll note the post was tagged “satire – get it – satire.”
The post was indeed intended to lampoon the absurdity of the Bachmann et al assertion that the U.S. has the finest health care system in the world. After all, the reality is that, while all systems have warts, no nation currently using a much maligned “government-run health care system” seems the least bit interested in replicating America’s more private sector-heavy system.
But I should research my lies more carefully. Though the Norwegian system is certainly very, very “government-run” by U.S. standards, there is a relatively small private element. For those interested in specifics, this from Healthcare Economist: