Maybe a welfare state isn't so bad after all....

The New York Times Magazine discusses how the Netherlands moves beyond universal health care to provide early life support, safe housing, and family-friendly policies. Apparently living in a so-called "welfare state" is not be so bad! Read the article to learn more about how the Dutch government works with other institutions to promote health, and whether or not such policies could be incorporated in the United States.

"[There is] something that seems to be overlooked when Americans dismiss European-style social-welfare systems: they are not necessarily state-run or state-financed. Rather, these societies have chosen to combine the various entities that play a role in social well-being — individuals, corporations, government, nongovernmental entities like unions and churches — in different ways, in an effort to balance individual freedom and overall social security." One Dutchman noted: "My American friends say they live in the best country in the world, and in a lot of ways they are right. But they always have to worry: ‘What happens to my family if I have a heart attack? What happens when I turn 65 or 70?’ America is the land of the free. But I think we are freer.” (Read full post)

Beyond Health Care

"The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Commission to Build a Healthier America has just released a new report: Beyond Health Care. At a time when all eyes are trained on the debate over providing access to medical care for all Americans, the report looks beyond health care, to the health of the population. As it turns out our health—public health—has less to do with health insurance than one might think."

- Maggie Mahar "Taking Note: A Century Foundation Group Blog" April 07, 2009

Apologies for the late posting. While it still misses out on maternal leave, early childhood, and tends to focus some on health behaviors, it makes a good start in dissociating health from health care. It is a critical report which, without active dissemination, will most likely fall by the wayside while pundits continue to debate health care, hog flus, and housing finance. Tell everyone you know. (Read full post)