Mitt Romney Praises Israel's Socialized Health Care System

Author: Chad Peace
Published: 30 Jul, 2012
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Updated: 21 Nov, 2022●
1 min read
Whatever side on the debate you are over socialized health care (which I would argue, the new "Obamacare" is not a European-style socialism system) the irony in Mitt Romney's statements to Israel are, well perplexing. For all the anit-ACA babble that comes out of the GOP and for all of Romney's rhetoric in line with that view, here's what Mitt Romney has to say about a health care system that actually IS socialized, and has been for over 50 years:
Do you realize what health care spending is as a percentage of the GDP in Israel? 8 percent. You spend 8 percent of GDP on health care. And you’re a pretty healthy nation," Romney told donors at a fundraiser at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, speaking of a health care system that is compulsory for Israelis and funded by the government. "We spend 18 percent of our GDP on health care. 10 percentage points more. That gap, that 10 percent cost, let me compare that with the size of our military. Our military budget is 4 percent. Our gap with Israel is 10 points of GDP. We have to find ways, not just to provide health care to more people, but to find ways to finally manage our health care costs."
Maybe, for all the talk, Romney actually wants more socialize health care? I'm not going to trash him for this opinion. But if he feels that way, maybe he should say it on US soil.
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