Watch this video and then read my comments on what Franken says.

First of all, people go bankrupt in Europe* also. Since most European countries (especially the ones with universal health care) have higher income tax rates than the United States, there is no way of knowing which of the cost of living expenses (which include paying taxes) put those citizens who declare bankruptcy over the financial brink, since (in their minds) they get “free” health care—i.e., they don’t know how much of their tax dollars are going to the national health care system. Also, something that Brett Skinner of The Fraser Institute told me about Canadian bankruptcy laws reminded me that different countries make it easier or harder for their citizens to declare personal bankruptcy in general—i.e., Franken might be comparing apples with oranges. [By the way, we cannot tell from this short video if Franken takes into consideration (or even cares!!) whether or not those countries provide equal or better access to critical (i.e., non-routine) medical services and treatments than the United States does—which are the only types of services and treatments that should be covered by health insurance.]

Secondly, at the end of the video Franken chastises the woman’s statement about the U.S. having higher cancer cure rates by saying (although he doesn’t realize what he is implying) that the numbers quoted are always for easily treatable cancers. BUT THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT!! Both Luciano Pavarotti in Italy and Patrick Swayze in the United States had basically no chance of surviving their form of cancer (pancreatic). But if you have a more curable type, isn’t it better to be in a country where you have better access to that treatment than in a country in which the access is scarcer but “free”? Notice that he does not give what would be a more compelling response by declaring that there are studies that show if you have a less treatable form of cancer, you have equal or more access to a cure in other countries than the United States. (I don’t know if such studies actually exist showing this.)

Read Lives at Risk. Although the authors only covered English-speaking countries (in order to be able to read each country’s own data), the last time I checked, economic laws are universal.
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*I want to share an anecdotal story that happened to me ten years ago. I was hanging out at a trendy bar in Manhattan with some very young (in their 20s) pretty blondes from Sweden. They told me that what they were doing that night (hanging out in a bar) they would never be able to afford to do back in Sweden.

Think about that. They were able to do an ordinary activity in the most expensive city in the United States which they couldn’t afford to do back home. But I’m sure when they got the “sniffles” back home, they didn’t have to pay for the doctor’s visit to take care of them.

One way or another, people are paying for their “free” health care. Do we want to implement an even worse system than we now have, or do we want an even better, cheaper alternative to the one we now have?