Thomas Jefferson Also Supported Government-Run Health Care And A Tax To Pay For It

Greg Sargent posted yesterday about how our founding fathers, John Adams in particular, supported a plan that gave federally-run health care. Our second president signed into law the creation of federally-run marine hospitals with a mandated tax to support them.  Historian Adam Rothman of Georgetown adds that Thomas Jefferson supported this plan as well, telling Sargent:

Alexander Hamilton supported the establishment of Marine Hospitals in a 1792 Report, and it was a Federalist congress that passed the law in 1798. But Jefferson (Hamilton’s strict constructionist nemesis) also supported federal marine hospitals, and along with his own Treasury Secretary, Albert Gallatin, took steps to improve them during his presidency. So I guess you could say it had bipartisan support.

Take that, Tea Partiers!

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.