Joy Behar: France, Denmark, and England 'Solved' Healthcare

If only the United States were more like Europe, Joy Behar laments. Recapping the previous night’s debate on the October 9 edition of "The View," the panel discussed John McCain’s healthcare plan. In the midst of the conversation Joy Behar wondered why the United States can not "solve" health care like quasi-socialist governments in Europe.

"What they haven’t discussed in any of these debates is how other countries have solved this. France has solved it, Denmark has solved it, England has solved it. Why can’t we solve it? [applause] It’s ridiculous."

But have the mentioned countries really "solved" their health care issues? Take for example Britain, which Joy refers to as "England." "The Daily Telegraph" reported in September that Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) is in such crisis that some doctors are "calling for NHS treatment to be withheld from patients who are too old or lead unhealthy lives."

The "Telegraph" continued that "smokers, heavy drinkers, the obese and the elderly should be barred from receiving operations, according to doctors, with most saying the health service cannot afford to provide free care to everyone." In what may also alarm Joy Behar, who considers abortion opponents "against women," the "Telegraph" reports "fertility treatment and ‘social’ abortions are also on the list of procedures that many doctors say should not be funded by the state."

The British seemed to have not solved issues with dental care. In October 2007, CNN, certainly not a conservative news outlet, reported "some English people have resorted to pulling out their teeth because they cannot find– or cannot afford– a dentist, a major study has revealed."

No one on the panel, not even Elisabeth Hasselbeck, bothered to challenge Joy Behar’s assertions.