is there any place on earth where socialized health care has benefited the people it has served?

Taiwan. Inexpensive and better quality of care than the U.S. They even include all dental care and Chinese medicine in the National Health Care system. All citizens are covered. (And taxes are lower there.)

People not from Taiwan need to pay "out-of-pocket" but the cost is about what Americans pay for a co-pay.

Only the people who have never contributed to their OWN welfare - such as those people who lied, about their supposed plights, and go laughing all the way to the grocery stores and the bank! But, I blame the authorities for not doing a thorough check on these people! Obama is always crowing about creating jobs, then why doesn't he HIRE QUALIFIED individuals who can do just that! Social Services is is so far understaffed, innocent kids are lost in the system, and suffer the consequences, while their so-called care givers reap the harvest!! And now, as the index of the unemployed soars to new heights, how is he going to keep track of the GOOD guys and the BAD!!?? As far as the Healthcare plan is concerned, and God forbid, it falls under Government rule, WHO is going to monitor that? Who is going to be Judge and jury? Not the idiots who are dreaming all this garbage up without even taking the time to read the damn thing!!! I see nothing but instability in the present Adminstration. People come and go so fast, I really don't know WHO is running the "show"! Listen to the People Obama, not yourself!

You are being fed propaganda, because President Obama's health care plan combines free-market (anyone who has a plan they like can keep it...free choice) with a public plan that is designed to control the insurance companies' premiums (that have risen at 3X the rate of cost-of-living) by offering competition. The public plan is just an option that can be chosen freely or it can be declined freely---this is NOT socialized medicine. And you surely HAVE to admit that the fatcat billionaire insurance company executives have been greed-driven and/or profit-driven more than concerned with fairness to the consumer.

As to a place on earth where socialized medicine has benefited the people it has served, the Veterans Administration health care system right here in the U.S. of A. is a tremendous boon for us veterans, and Social Security's Medicare system has definitely benefited the senior citizens served for many years, even though Republicans have tried to "privatize" both the VA and the Medicare system to increase profits for the companies they hold investments and stocks in.

Yes. Loads of nations. Look in Western Europe. First of all, Obama wants to make insurance more available to all. And change the system so that it is cheaper, and also so that the insurance companies find it harder to get out of paying for treatment. The system he is proposing looks similar to that which works in Holland and Switzerland where private companies are involved in providing insurance.

Second, of course universal health-cover sucks. That is why we in Western Europe have it. We think, hmm, our healthcare system sucks. I know, lets keep it. I guess that is the same with Japan and Canada as well.

Third, Obama campaigned on reforming the healthcare system. He said he wanted to make insurance more available and he was elected by the American people to do this.

FACT - the US has higher death rates for kids aged under five than western European countries with universal health coverage.

FACT - the USA spends more on healthcare PER PERSON than any other nation on the planet.

That means that a dead American four year old would have had a better chance of life if they were born in Canada, France, Cuba, Germany, Japan etc, all of which have universal health coverage.

Yes, Nixon rode the wave on his Nixon-Mundt Bill. That law is still on the books, incidentially. If you're a communist, you need to register with the U.S. Government. Gonna lock dem commies in some kinda camp. Don't know where, but we's gonna do'd it.

Mandated Health Insurance has worked very well for Europe. But, you're right in one aspect, socialized health care seems to have failed the former Soviet Union.

Obama's proposal was Mandated Health Insurance. You have the Nixon-Mundt Bill, still on the books, so you shouldn't have to worry about socialized medicine where you live.

Switzerland

Universal health care system has benefited people in Canada, Australia and most of Europe. None of those countries are doing what you wrote in your question to seniors.

Yes indeed Canada ask the Canadians

Continue to dread!

This will be the most expensive thing to ever happen to the US.

This country was formed on freedom. Not socialism.

Socialized medicine is a pox on ALL societies that practice it.

Limitations abound, healthcare becomes worse, and people are turned away because they have reached their "limit" or it becomes un-profitable to continue care.

I would like to choose what type of coverage that I get, not some stuffy pop-icon community organizer.

Most places have better health care than we do. Termination of our seniors? The stupidity of conservatives boggles the mind. You guys will believe anything the professional whiners (Rush, Hannity, etc) tell you.