In 1938, the Senate formed a committee to examine health policy with the ultimate objective of creating universal health care. This policy was a major domestic goal of President Roosevelt who tried and failed on multiple occasions to enact UHC. But by the time the finished bill was proposed as the National Health Act in 1939, the Conservative Coalition had taken power and they torpedoed the law. Had the bill been proposed even a few months earlier while the New Deal Congress was still in session, it might very well have been passed by a liberal majority. In this scenario, the US would have had universal health care for eighty years by now. What would be the impact upon American society (economy, culture, politics, etc.) had Roosevelt succeeded?
WI: Roosevelt Enacts Universal Health Care
- Thread starter Amadeus
- Start date
Well, it would all depend on the details, but it would mean alot of lives would potentiall be saved and medical insurance companies wouldn't be around to screw people over. Granted, the US would have to deal with the rise of patients being seen though it would probably be countered by a growing rise of doctors, promoted by the government.
This would also affect drug companies hard and marijuana (as a medical drug) would either not be banned or quickly be unbanned without the large amounts of dough of pharmeceuticals to push it down.
The conservatives would be spending most attempts to try and screw the thing over though I doubt they would ever succeed and so on. Though depending on how smart the liberals, they could point this to the Republicans favoring business interest like that of the insurance companies over the common people, the same mentality that led to the Great Depression, which they could capitalize upon.
One big issue would be on making sure the system was not racially bias (though it would initially likely be). Granted, the rammifications of this and so on could spur more support for civil rights movements and pushing against segregation and whatnot. This would make court cases and things involving Planned Parenthood and future things like that all the more important. Some insurance companies might survive if vision and dental isn't included in emdical (though it could here).
GeographyDude
Gone Fishin'
Works better than expected in some areas, but worse in others.
That is, I vote to add a dash of quirky problems, and quirky solutions, to make for more interesting Alternate History!
That is, I vote to add a dash of quirky problems, and quirky solutions, to make for more interesting Alternate History!
Marc
Donor
Blue Shield was started some schoolteachers in 1929, Blue Cross by a few hospitals in '39. The idea of health insurance really takes off during the Second World War. The business community, and the Labor movement really embrace the idea. For the former, it's a tax write-off non-cash compensation that attracts workers, for the latter, it's viewed that getting the company coverage is better than the workers getting money to pay for the coverage themselves (no taxes).
Once it starts getting popular, and quite profitable, it becomes almost impossible to establish a public health insurance plan.
Therefore, Roosevelt had the window open in 1940 for a universal plan at the latest.
A more modest plan, such as Medicare, was certainly possible, and would have saved thousands of lives, and many, many billions of dollars, but as we know that had to wait until the last New Dealer was elected President.
Once it starts getting popular, and quite profitable, it becomes almost impossible to establish a public health insurance plan.
Therefore, Roosevelt had the window open in 1940 for a universal plan at the latest.
A more modest plan, such as Medicare, was certainly possible, and would have saved thousands of lives, and many, many billions of dollars, but as we know that had to wait until the last New Dealer was elected President.
One important factor to consider here is civil rights. Even during the liberal period of 1933-1938, Southern Dems worked to prevent many African-Americans from recieving the benefits of the New Deal. If National Health Care becomes law, I could see the same Southerners doing their utmost to keep health facilities very segregated and people will come to expect very different qualities of care depending upon their race.
Also, does anybody think that we would see the same fanatic opposition to UHC if passed under FDR that we saw with Obamacare in 2010? Would Taft and his buddies try to repeal UHC, or were the repeated attempts to destroy Obamacare a product of a very different GOP?
Also, does anybody think that we would see the same fanatic opposition to UHC if passed under FDR that we saw with Obamacare in 2010? Would Taft and his buddies try to repeal UHC, or were the repeated attempts to destroy Obamacare a product of a very different GOP?
Though at the same time, depending on the wording, anyone trying to mess with the universal healthcare system would get serious charges. All depends on the saavyness.
And... it's hard to say. The seeds were planted in back then, but the Obamacare destruction attempts were the resuilt of zealous ideological buffoonry and huge amounts od donation money. Insurance as a business here is too young to be able to do much about it so kneecapping it here would keep it from the GOP doing much. There would probably some GOP attempts to ubstruct, but probably not as big, though maybe some of the mroe leftish GOPs could back this up.
I read that Earl Warren tried to implement a similar system in California, although even at the time CA was very politically liberal compared to the rest of the country. The Democrats were supporters of Upton Sinclair's EPIC program while Warren self-identified as a "conservative-liberal." (As CA Governor he spent a lot on domestic programs but was committed to a balanced budget). So Warren and his wing of the party would accept UHC, but definitely not Taft who would oppose it like he opposed most of the New Deal and he'd want to see it rolled back at the least.
Marc
Donor
I can add one more observation about the growth of employer provider health insurance. During the 50's through the early 80's, large American corporations started implementing health insurance plans for their white-collar employees as a defensive mechanism against the threat of unionization of said workers.
Really, you could smell the fear in boardrooms from Wall Street to Main Street...
Really, you could smell the fear in boardrooms from Wall Street to Main Street...
Yeah, that I see though there would also be issues about racism and sexism and so on, though that would probably galvanize people and so on. Plus, the USA is more right-wing than Britain, so there probably would be some idiots who would try and get rid of them, which in turn could cripple the more conservative aspects and what not, plus probably add more protections to it.
The problem is that the conservative coalition had already formed before the 1938 election. (Reaction to court-packing, proposed reorganization, the "Roosevelt recession" etc.)
The best way to get it through IMO would be to put it in the original Social Security bill. FDR feared that to do so might mean that opposition from the American Medical Association would defeat the entire bill--but I think that in 1935-6 FDR could have pushed it through, AMA or no AMA.
Those are both equally valid points. However, it is important to distinquish that although the coalition had already formed in 1937 in response to court packing, at that time they didn't yet have control of Congress. (Court packing failed not simply because of conservative opposition, but also because even Roosevelt's liberal allies thought it was a bridge too far as well as unnecessary after so called "the switch in time that saved nine.")
I agree that there was some chance that UHC could have passed in 1935, but I don't blame FDR for kicking that can down the road. It's hard to underestimate just how hostile organized medicine and doctors were to Social Security in 1935, and of all the New Deal legislation that was most difficult to pass even without UHC.
Ideally, FDR should have listened to Congressional Democrats and withdrawn the Court Packing Bill after the Court buckled and ruled in favor of the New Deal in 1937. If the bill doesn't come up for a vote, the conservative coalition doesn't form (or at least if it does form, that happens much later) and FDR can still pass progressive legislation throughout the remainder of his presidency.