Jae C. Hong / AP
Actors lying on beds meant to represent Britain's National Health Service (NHS) perform during the 2012 Olympics in London.
While Republicans fight against against a Supreme-Court-upheld health care law in this country, the British celebrated their National Health Service (NHS) in the Olympics opening ceremony Friday.
The musically fueled ceremony took viewers through a dancing version of Great Britain's history from its farming days through the industrial revolution and on up through to today's digital age, pausing to celebrate literary, musical, and theaterical contributions (Mary Poppins, James Bond, J.K. Rowling!), as well as societal milestones, such as NHS, which was founded in 1948.
Jae C. Hong / AP
Actors perform in a sequence meant to represent Britain's National Health Service (NHS) during the opening ceremony at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Friday, July 27, in London.
NHS, paid for via national taxes, provides free and reduced health care for all residents of the UK. NHS employs more than 1.4 million people and serves a population of about 52 million. It also operates in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
The ceremony, directed by Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, Trainspotting), paid homage to NHS through a dedicated segment that featured dancing nurses and "sick" kids.
Twitter was immediately alight with reactions from both Americans and Brits to this topic, which is a decidedly political one in the United States, such as this sarcastic one from Mother Jones' David Corn: "Hey, you darn socialists, celebrating universal health care. How un-American!" and The Nation's John Nichols: " Hope Mitt Romney takes notes as #London2012 #Olympics opening crowd cheers wildly for single-payer national health care."
Hope Mitt Romney takes notes as #London2012 #Olympics opening crowd cheers wildly for single-payer national health care. @thenation @edshow
— John Nichols (@NicholsUprising) July 27, 2012
Yes, America, we actually like our National Health Service enough to celebrate it in the #olympics opening ceremony. Unbelievable, right?
— Cindy Gallop (@cindygallop) July 28, 2012
Hey, you darn socialists, celebrating universal health care. How un-American! #Olympics
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) July 28, 2012
Leave a Comment:
Was delicious to think of Romney forced to sit through this segment.
(All of those socialist freedom-hating doctors and nurses dancing for joy.)
It may not be the example to use at this time, but. Look at the young man and his wife,who just happened to go out to see a movie in Aurora Colo.He end's up on life support and she give's birth.Here's the point,the young man's hospital bill's could total $2 million,according to estimate's I've seen or heard.Who pay's for his care?The answer is,the rest of us.Every day people who have chosen not to buy health insurance because they think they're healthy or just ca'nt afford a policy are injured and face lengthy hospital stay's that end up causing the rest of us to pay higher premium's, deductible's and co-pay's.When we all pay for someone's hospital bill is it socialism?Is group health insurance socialism because the premium's are pre tax.Are medicare and medicaid considered socialism? Republican's believe anything, such as the AHCA that help's the middle class and the poor is socialism.But subsidies to the wealthy and corporation's are not,go figure.
The opening ceremony, all of it, but especially this NHS segment was a complete delight. I'm sorry that people I know missed it. Go, Danny Boyle!