How they viewed 'Socialized Medicine' ... and even the purchase of Government-mandated Health Insurance ...
You'd think the Supreme Court Deciders might have heard about it ...
Congress Passes Socialized Medicine and Mandates Health Insurance -- In 1798
by Rick Ungar, Forbes Contributor -- 1/17/2011
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In July of 1798, Congress passed -- and President John Adams signed -- “An Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen.” The law authorized the creation of a government operated marine hospital service and mandated that privately employed sailors be required to purchase health care insurance.
Keep in mind that the 5th Congress did not really need to struggle over the intentions of the drafters of the Constitutions in creating this Act as many of its members were the drafters of the Constitution.
And when the Bill came to the desk of President John Adams for signature, I think it’s safe to assume that the man in that chair had a pretty good grasp on what the framers had in mind.
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H/T to Rhandi Rhodes who brought this notable event from in US History to my attention ... and now yours.
Here's some of the language of that Congressional Act, that President Adams signed, which mandated the personal purchase of health care insurance.
“An Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen.”
July, 1798.
An act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen.[1]
§ 1.
Be it enacted, Sfc.
That from and after the first day of September next, the master or owner of every ship or vessel of the United States, arriving from a foreign port into any port of the United States, shall, before such ship or vessel shall be admitted to an entry, render to the collector a true account of the number of seamen that shall have been employed on board such vessel since she was last entered at any port in the United States, and shall pay, to the said collector, at the rate of twenty cents per month for every seaman so employed; which sum he is hereby authorized to retain out of the wages of such seamen.
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20 cents a month? Wow --
what a deal! My how prices have changed.
Maybe government-provided "hospital service" really does keep the costs of health care down?
And maybe President John Adams actually had a clue about the framers' intent when it comes to Congress "providing for the General Welfare" ... had some idea, about what the Constitution's authors actually meant?
Could be.
Now if only our current batch of political statesmen, could actually learn such lessons from history ... instead of simply just repeating from their daily "talking points" list ...
If only.