THE KIND OF HEALTH CARE THAT SOME IN AMERICA WANT FOR THE CITIZENS THERE. THE KIND OF HEALTH CARE THAT IS BEING PROPOSED BY OUR GOVERNMENT RIGHT NOW AND HAS BEEN AT THE OPENING OF ALMOST EVERY NEWS SHOW AND THE HEADLINES ON ALMOST EVERY NEWSPAPER FOR MONTHS. SO HERE GOES.I AM IN RUSSIA RIGHT NOW AND WHENEVER I GET THE CHANCE I AM ASKING ANYONE I CAN WHAT THEY THINK ABOUT THE U.S. GOING TO A HEALTH CARE SYSTEM SIMILAR TO RUSSIA'S. HERE IS A SAMPLING OF RESPONSES:
"ANYBODY WHO WOULD WANT THIS KIND OF SYSTEM HAS NEVER HAD TO LIVE WITH IT."
"IF YOU WANT TO CALL WHAT WE HAVE A HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, THEN WE HAVE NO HEALTH CARE SYSTEM."
"WHAT? WE ALL WANT TO GO TO AMERICA FOR HEALTH CARE. WHY WOULD YOU CHANGE THE SYSTEM YOU HAVE?"
"HAS AMERICA LOST IT'S MIND? AMERICA IS THE ENVY OF EVERY COUNTRY FOR HEALTHCARE."
"NOBODY WANTS TO BE SICK AND RELY ON RUSSIAN HEALTH CARE."
"RUSSIAN HEALTH CARE IS FREE. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR."
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I HAVE LIVED AND WORKED IN RUSSIA NOW FOR 15 YEARS. ONE OF OUR BIGGEST FEARS HAS ALWAYS BEEN, WHAT WOULD WE DO IF WE REALLY GOT SICK AND NEEDED PROFESSIONAL HEALTH CARE. THE LAST PLACE YOU WANT TO BE IF YOU ARE SICK IN RUSSIA IS IN A RUSSIAN HOSPITAL.
I WILL TELL YOU ABOUT MY FIRST EXPERIENCE IN A RUSSIAN HOSPITAL. I HAD A KIDNEY STONE SEVERAL YEARS AGO. ANYONE WHO HAS EVER HAD ONE KNOWS HOW PAINFUL THEY ARE. I THOUGHT THAT IF I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL, AT LEAST THEY'D GIVE ME A SHOT FOR PAIN. SO I WENT. FIRST OF ALL, THERE IS NO EMEREGENCY ROOM TO GO TO, YOU JUST STAND AROUND AND HOPE SOMEONE WILL COME ALONG THAT YOU CAN ASK TO HELP YOU. I FOUND SOMEONE, FINALLY, WHO TOOK THE TIME TO TELL ME THAT WHAT I NEEDED TO DO WAS JUMP UP AND DOWN UNTIL I SHOOK THE KIDNEY STONE LOOSE. OH, OK. PROBLEM IS, YOU DON'T EVEN WANT TO MOVE WHEN YOU HAVE ONE. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL MORE KIDNEY STONES WHILE HERE OVER THE YEARS AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT THE RUSSIAN HEALTH CARE SERVICE HAS NOT IMPROVED.
WHY DO WE WANT THIS IN AMERICA? I'M CONVINCED THAT THOSE WHO ARE PUSHING FOR THIS KIND OF HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA ARE PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS LIKE AND HAVE NEVER LIVED IN A PLACE WHERE GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE IS PRIMARY. WHEN THE FIRST LADY WAS IN MOSCOW, SHE VISITED A HOSPITAL. I PROMISE YOU, SHE DID NOT SEE REAL RUSSIAN HEALTHCARE. REAL RUSSIA STARTS OUTSIDE OF MOSCOW.
FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, OUR RUSSIAN FRIENDS ARE SCRATCHING THEIR HEADS AND WONDERING WHAT WE'RE THINKING!