goatmeal on Nostr: now it's time for a history lesson. mutual aid and fraternal organizations including ...
now it's time for a history lesson.
mutual aid and fraternal organizations including the order of the moose, the elks club, and the ladies of the maccabees have a long history in the united states. they often provided health-related benefits and medical services, with most local chapters hiring a doctor on salary for dues paying members. labor unions also did this. you were well taken care of by a doctor who was a member of your community and nobody abused the doctor's services, which were very cheap anyway.
the american medical association was staunchly opposed to this practice. in the early 20th century they applied pressure on physicians and the government to shut down the practice of mutual aid organizations hiring doctors on salary. they didn't like that clubs were keeping costs down and controlling what the physicians could do. the AMA got their way, and now these organizations cannot employ physicians directly. because of the AMA's intervention, care is now on an unaffordable service fee model and everything gets billed through private insurance. your community has no say at all over what doctors may or may not do or what they may charge. statists also prevent any knowledge about mutual aid organizations and their medical services from being printed in public school textbooks. it's like it never even happened.
mutual aid and fraternal organizations including the order of the moose, the elks club, and the ladies of the maccabees have a long history in the united states. they often provided health-related benefits and medical services, with most local chapters hiring a doctor on salary for dues paying members. labor unions also did this. you were well taken care of by a doctor who was a member of your community and nobody abused the doctor's services, which were very cheap anyway.
the american medical association was staunchly opposed to this practice. in the early 20th century they applied pressure on physicians and the government to shut down the practice of mutual aid organizations hiring doctors on salary. they didn't like that clubs were keeping costs down and controlling what the physicians could do. the AMA got their way, and now these organizations cannot employ physicians directly. because of the AMA's intervention, care is now on an unaffordable service fee model and everything gets billed through private insurance. your community has no say at all over what doctors may or may not do or what they may charge. statists also prevent any knowledge about mutual aid organizations and their medical services from being printed in public school textbooks. it's like it never even happened.