re: #323 Ian G.

Anyone know when socialized medicine actually came to Germany? It sounds like the kind of think Bismarck would have done (leaving aside the quality of “medicine” in the 19th century) on his conservative belief that a social safety net is necessary for a stable and prosperous society.

According to wiki

Germany has the world’s oldest universal health care system, dating back to Otto von Bismarck’s social legislation, which included the Health Insurance Bill of 1883, Accident Insurance Bill of 1884, and Old Age and Disability Insurance Bill of 1889.