In Which Andy Slavitt Is Radicalized and I Wonder About Pandemics and Health Care Systems

“There are two things the pandemic shows has to change about US health care: payments should be to doctors not insurance companies; and health insurance should be tied to existence not ” – @ASlavitt on Twitter

This is the Andy Slavitt, Obama's Medicare and Medicaid director ("Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services"), former UnitedHealth Group executive, former Goldman Sachs banker, former McKinsey consultant. And he is now practically endorsing Medicare for All.

And, I wonder… the British National Health Service was established in 1948. The Swiss health care system dates to the early 20th century. The German system dates to 1883. The French system dates to 1902. These Swiss, German, and French systems date to the times when tuberculosis was endemic. The British system dates to a time when the 1918 flu pandemic was still living memory.

I wonder how much of the creation of national health care systems was due to the influence of pandemics on the public, and on political leaders?