Budget inequality. Illegal aliens walk into our local city-run hospital and receive free health care, but my 75 year old Russian mother-in-law (legal with a Green Card) who lives with us has to pay $600 a month for Medicare Part A (only). Of course she has no income so it comes out of my pockets, which have been picked clean by both the government and corporations who have been allowed to run amuck with corruption and monopolistic practices.
If you are going to implement a socialist system make it accessible to all. For the American middle class, the overall tax burden (property, sales, federal, FICA (both employee and employer), medicare, state, etc.) and burden of health care costs are comparable to the Netherlands. However, a Dutch citizen has access to numerous benefits including comprehensive job retrainining if layed off. The average American middle class individual, who finds himself in dire straights, is means-tested out of the benefits he pays for others!!!
However, I am opposed to the botched socialist system we have in the U.S. as well as the socialist system found in The Netherlands.
Budget inequality. Illegal aliens walk into our local city-run hospital and receive free health care, but my 75 year old Russian mother-in-law (legal with a Green Card) who lives with us has to pay $600 a month for Medicare Part A (only). Of course she has no income so it comes out of my pockets, which have been picked clean by both the government and corporations who have been allowed to run amuck with corruption and monopolistic practices.
If you are going to implement a socialist system make it accessible to all. For the American middle class, the overall tax burden (property, sales, federal, FICA (both employee and employer), medicare, state, etc.) and burden of health care costs are comparable to the Netherlands. However, a Dutch citizen has access to numerous benefits including comprehensive job retrainining if layed off. The average American middle class individual, who finds himself in dire straights, is means-tested out of the benefits he pays for others!!!
However, I am opposed to the botched socialist system we have in the U.S. as well as the socialist system found in The Netherlands.