Ariana Ramsey won an Olympic bronze medal with the U.S. women’s rugby team at the Olympics last week.
Following her victory, she did not go to Disneyland.
She went to get a pap smear.
Following her team’s victory, Ramsey made appointments with the Olympic Village’s gynecologist, dentist, and ophthalmologist.
This is because the Olympics offer universal healthcare to all athletes staying within the Village – a policy that began in 1932 during the Los Angeles games — but something the United States of America does not offer its citizens.
The United States is the only high-income country on the planet without universal healthcare, so after winning bronze for our country, Ramsey wisely took advantage of the healthcare offered at the Olympics.
Ramsey has 20/20 vision, but her vision blurs at night, so the Olympic doctor gave her glasses.
During her teeth cleaning, dentists did a complete X-ray scan of her mouth.
In addition to a pap smear, she had a complete gynecological exam.
All for free.
The Olympic Village also offers cardiology, orthopedics, physiotherapy, psychology, podiatry, and sports medicine—all at no cost to the athletes.
This means that when the Olympics return to Los Angeles in 2028, a tiny island of universal healthcare will exist in a vast ocean of Americans who pay significant portions of their income for healthcare or go without healthcare because they can’t afford it.
Sadly, universal healthcare is too heavy a lift for America. Too complex a system to unravel at this point.
Yes, countries like Germany, France, Australia, Canada, China, Brazil, Botswana, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Israel, India, Mexico, Barbados, and many more offer universal healthcare to their citizens.
73 of the 195 countries on the planet.
But not the country with the largest economy, the highest GDP (seven times or larger than every country except China), and one of the highest GDPs per capita.
So if you’re looking for free, quality healthcare, you have time:
Find a sport that you can play well. Work like hell. Get onto the American team. Then, you, too, can enjoy the blessings of quality healthcare.
Five new sports are being added to the Olympics in 2028:
Flag football, baseball/softball, cricket, lacrosse and squash
Get in on the ground floor while there’s still time.
