National Enquirer wins the 1968 Obvious Award with this header articulating the entire essence of U.S. healthcare. The quote is attributed to “the nation’s leading doctors,” but here’s the thing—if this group were actually the nation’s leading doctors there would be no problem of people dying due to lack of funds. The reality is that the American Medical Association—the nation’s actual leading doctors—for decades consistently opposed national health care programs, so the headline should read: If You’re Sick Money Makes the Difference Between Life & Death. Nation’s Leading Doctors Are Fine with That.
The primary mandate of unions is to obtain the highest possible compensation for its members, so one can hardly be surprised at the AMA’s opposition to changing a profitable system. Still, its history with national healthcare probably isn’t widely known enough. The group’s lobbying efforts defeated President Harry Truman’s plans for universal healthcare back during the 1940s, and similar un-Hippocratic mobilizations slowed or stopped attempts by later presidents. The AMA is also the group that paid then-actor Ronald Reagan to record that famous 1961 spoken word LP claiming Medicare—aka trying to help seniors live longer—would lead to a socialist dictatorship. You can check that out at this link.
Elsewhere on Enquirer‘s cover, serial bride Zsa Zsa Gabor explains that after she dies she doesn’t want to be remembered as “the one with a lot of husbands,” but rather someone who “had the courage to keep on trying to find love.” She didn’t get her wish. And the funny part is that in 1968, when she foresaw her future reputation, she wasn’t finished marrying. Not even close. Having already walked down the aisle on five happy occasions, she ended up making the trip four more times. We have a lot on Zsa Zsa in the website. This rare pin-up for example. If you want to see more just click her keywords below.