Does the US military's health care system share characteristics with socialized health care systems?
The U.S. government operates two large "single-payer" health care systems—one focused on active military and their dependents, and one for veterans—that share characteristics of a socialized health care system such as the U.K.'s. Uwe Reinhardt, a Princeton economist, wrote in 2012 that the Veterans Administration is "the purest form of socialized medicine." The VA cares for 9 million members and staffs its own facilities with doctors who are employees.
Similarly, the Defense Department's Military Health System manages health care for 9.6 million military and their families. Active-duty members pay nothing for services. Its insurance plan operates similarly to Medicare but members also use facilities it staffs and manages. Those include the Walter Reed hospital, where serving U.S. presidents are treated.
