Reply #3: Seems a little bit like a dog and pony show to me

[exboyfil]

The German system should be studied, but I think in a much more complete fashion than this, and it should have been done a while ago. I would like to see a wide variety of individuals studying it (yes including someone from a place like the Cato Institute). Have the final report include dissenting opinions with evidence, and have public debates on the merits/disadvantages of this system. The few Germans with which I talked about it (mostly all engineers) think highly of the system. I think that it is the closest model to something we can quickly adopt in the U.S. (we are not going to nationalize medical services like the UK). A comparable study of the Canadian system should also happen, but it would be of more limited use I think (the population is just too small and we see many leakage effects from the U.S. presence next to Canada).

Some interesting things about Germany and illegal immigration and health care are contained in the following article.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,4056861,00.html


Spotlight Berlin: Illegal Immigrants and the Health Care Dilemma

According to German asylum laws, these people are entitled to medical treatment in cases of emergency. The problem is that if they reveal their identity they will be treated -- but might end up being deported as a result.

In Germany, doctors, hospitals, social workers, teachers and other employees at public institutions -- often called upon to help illegal immigrants -- are among those who can be subject to legal action if they fail to report illegal immigrants to authorities. This is not the case in many other European countries.