Imagine, for a moment, a world in which Bernie Sanders takes the presidency, Democrats sweep into Congress, and their first action is to bring single-payer health care to America. They have the votes and the money to pay for it — but could a system like Canada's actually work here in the United States?
No, this world is not one likely to exist in the near future. But it is a lot of fun for health-care wonks to talk about. That's why we devote a good part of the second episode of our podcast, The Weeds, to talking about how single-payer systems work and whether, logistically, one could ever function well in the United States. (You can listen to the first episode here.)
Also on this episode, we talk about what gun control policies could actually bring American gun deaths down to European levels (hint: they're not the ones politicians talk about), and we introduce an exciting new segment, White Paper of the Week! Get. Excited.
Last but certainly not least: The Weeds now has an email address! And we want you to send us your feedback on what you like, what you don't like, and what topics you want us to tackle in future episodes. You can now reach us at weeds@vox.com. And you can always find us on iTunes and subscribe right here. Leave us a review while you're there, too.
Show notes:
- Ezra's "Health of the Nations" series
- 12 questions you were embarrassed to ask about single-payer health care
- How Vermont's single-payer dream fell apart
- The Healing of America by T.R. Reid
- Is the United States too corrupt for single-payer?
- Price of Bernie Sanders's proposals: $18 trillion
- A $10,069 blood test is everything that's wrong with American health care
- The Washington Post's mass shooting calendar
- Most gun deaths are suicides, not homicides. That's a strong case for gun control.
- Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent
- How They Got Their Guns
- White Paper of the Week: "Universal Daycare, Maternal Labor Supply, and Family Well-Being"
- Quebec gave all parents free day care — and their kids were worse off as a result
- Selling plasma to survive: How more than a million Americans live on $2 per day
