this post was submitted on 19 Apr 2026
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Dad with Stage 4 cancer dies after insurance company said tumor-shrinking treatment was ‘not medically necessary’ (nypost.com)
submitted 1 day ago by slaacaa@lemmy.world to c/nottheonion@lemmy.world
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[–] CosmicTurtle0@lemmy.dbzer0.com 35 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

The Acquired podcast went over this history very briefly in their Epic episode and it's so crazy how close we were to having universal healthcare.

Tl;dl:

  • during WW2, wage controls were in place due to a large demand of workers but very few people available due to being in the war
  • unions and companies alike were looking for ways to make their positions and companies more attractive.
  • government permitted benefits to augment salaries. Some companies started offering health insurance.
  • back then going to the doctor was NOT the bankrupt causing thing that is today and was considered a fringe benefit
  • larger companies were able to offer better incentives due to healthcare benefits
  • add a few years of corruption and "market forces" and you have the system we have now

So blame wage controls during WW2.

Oh and the Brits were facing similar forces when they were starting to stand up their healthcare system but decided instead to hire people to build a robust system so everyone didn't have to pay anything at the point of sale.

Yeah, it really was that simple.

[–] grranibal@lemmy.zip 19 points 1 day ago

I prefer to blame the people who take advantage of the sick

[–] Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Universal healthcare is one of those things that's not only tricky to set up but also to keep going. Here in the UK, yep the NHS is amazing. But it's also terribly underfunded - despite taking over 10% of GDP (IIRC) we still have long waiting lists, and healthcare staff are overworked and underpaid. Greedy vermin are constantly looking for opportunities to privatise it, the only reason this hasn't already happened is that it would be hugely unpopular. I'm pretty sure almost everyone in the country would prefer more taxes be spent on the NHS and maybe a bit less on, say, fossil fuel subsidies - but here we are. Still, it's one of the few things our country can actually be proud of.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 15 points 1 day ago

the only reason long waiting lists don't exist in the us is because some people just are not getting the things they need done at all. Even people with insurance you often can't find a specialist who takes it and the insurance denies things like in the article. The wait is very long when its impossible to get the treatment at all.

[–] AnarchistArtificer@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 day ago

I wouldn't say it's tricky to keep going. Keeping it going is simply a case of funding it.

Now, repairing the damage of years of underfunding? That's tricky

[–] InternetCitizen2@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

add a few years of corruption and "market forces" and you have the system we have now

Sir you are being shareholder-phobic

/s