Paul Krugman on Social Security, the Decline of the Dollar and Healthcare

AMY GOODMAN: ... [O]n the issue of health insurance, but how often in the media it is talked about as a complete failure, and what do you think of that?

PAUL KRUGMAN: [T]the U.S. probably has somewhat better health care for you than you would get in Canada, although I actually probably don't want to say this, but the system that seems to be terrific on all dimensions is France. ... There's the myth about the efficiency of the private sector, which is true in some things, but it isn't when it comes to health insurance. In fact, the U.S. system is about twice as expensive per person as anyone else's, and we get worse results because we have basically insurance companies spending a lot of money, going to great efforts, in an effort not to cover people. All of which is wasted effort from the view of society. When you have a single-payer system, like in Canada, that doesn't happen.

AMY GOODMAN: We only have a minute, and I want to go to this issue of France, if you would dare to take it on.

PAUL KRUGMAN: Just so to say that the French have a single-payer health care system. A lot of the details are different, but basically it's national health insurance. The difference between them and most other advanced countries is they actually fund it better. I mean, they -- the complaints that people have about -- the British system is the one that people say provides poor care, and apparently it largely does because the British don't spend enough money on it. The French do spend enough money on national health care and it's excellent. Infant mortality is much higher in the U.S. than it is in other advanced countries. Life expectancy is lower than it is in other advanced countries. And here we are claiming, saying, “Yes, we have the best system in the world and look at how bad those other guys are.” Let me tell you, when it comes to life and death, we don't do very well.

AMY GOODMAN: ... Do you think that President Bush understands this to the point where -- this is why [Bush] vilifies France?

PAUL KRUGMAN: I don't think so -- I think they have no idea. No. I doubt it. I think they -- he just has the -- I think our leadership is very insular. They just believe everything American must be best because they don't know what goes on elsewhere.

OK, Krugman gives W the benefit of the doubt -- at least to say that he probably doesn't know that the French health system is way better than the US health system for the vast majority of the population. But even if W doesn't know that, I think that he suspects it, fears it, and that this is the root of the French "big hate" in the Republican party.