--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I entered the health care debate in…" description: "\"I entered the health care debate in response to a statement in the United States press in summer 2009 which claimed the National Health Service in Grea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-hawking-389_britain_i-entered-the-health-care-debate-in-resp_1950832.jpg" --- # I entered the health care debate in response to a… ![“I entered the health care debate in response to a statement in the United States press in summer 2009 which claimed the National Health Service in Great Britain would have killed me off, were I a British citizen. I felt compelled to make a statement to explain the error.” quote by Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-hawking-389_britain_i-entered-the-health-care-debate-in-resp_1950832.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-hawking-389_britain_i-entered-the-health-care-debate-in-resp_1950832.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/stephen-hawking-389_britain_i-entered-the-health-care-debate-in-resp_1950832.jpg) > “I entered the health care debate in response to a statement in the United States press in summer 2009 which claimed the National Health Service in Great Britain would have killed me off, were I a British citizen. I felt compelled to make a statement to explain the error.” [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Criticizing a claim that the UK NHS would be fatal, Hawking defended its value and corrected misinformation. **In simple terms:** He defended the NHS against false criticism. Key Takeaway Check facts before accepting health claims. Themes healthcare truth public discourse Mood analytical critical Type informational educational When to use this quote - policy discussion - public health debates - media analysis Key Concepts evidence based critique media literacy Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports your view? - How can misinformation be reduced? A Different Perspective Complex health systems have flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/britain/) [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Citizen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/citizen/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Great britain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-britain/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Health care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-care/) [Press](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/press/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [United states](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/united-states/) ## Related quotes > [I was the candidate first time a Green or any progressive third party has ever been in a national televised debate. I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-camejo/i-was-the-candidate-first-time-a-green-or-any-progressive-third-party/) [Peter Camejo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-camejo/) > [I'm a British citizen, and I'm incredibly proud to represent Great Britain. I've also represented Great Britain in the Olympics, so I'm definitely a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-m-a-british-citizen-and-i-m-incredibly-proud-to-represent-great/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [I had a head injury when I was living in England; I was in the hospital for three days, and they didn't even ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/i-had-a-head-injury-when-i-was-living-in-england-i-was-in-the/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) > [Economists specialize in pointing out unpleasant trade-offs - a skill that is on full display in the health care debate. We want patients to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sendhil-mullainathan/economists-specialize-in-pointing-out-unpleasant-trade-offs-a-skill/) [Sendhil Mullainathan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sendhil-mullainathan/) > [I'm completely fascinated by the health-care debate going on in the United States, especially by posters of Obama with a little mustache drawn on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-m-completely-fascinated-by-the-health-care-debate-going-on-in-the/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [When I went to college - when I read Shakespeare or Dickens or Scott - I just felt that, as a citizen of England,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/when-i-went-to-college-when-i-read-shakespeare-or-dickens-or-scott-i/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [We have arrived at socialized medicine in America. 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I still do what I'm not supposed to do. Are you serious? I'm Jake 'The Snake,' man. I never claimed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-roberts/i-m-still-stupid-i-still-do-what-i-m-not-supposed-to-do-are-you/) [Jake Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-roberts/) ## More by Stephen Hawking > [The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-doctor-who-diagnosed-me-with-als-or-motor-neuron-disease-told-me/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [We are the product of quantum fluctuations in the very early universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/we-are-the-product-of-quantum-fluctuations-in-the-very-early-universe/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [The human race does not have a very good record of intelligent behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-human-race-does-not-have-a-very-good-record-of-intelligent/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“We have finally found something that doesn’t have a cause, because there was no time for a cause to exist in. For me this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/we-have-finally-found-something-that-doesn-t-have-a-cause-because/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [ \[On President Bush's plan to get to Mars in 10 years\] Stupid. Robots would do a better job and be much cheaper because you… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/on-president-bush-s-plan-to-get-to-mars-in-10-years-stupid-robots/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [I believe the simplest explanation is, there is no God. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. 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Science will win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/there-is-a-fundamental-difference-between-religion-which-is-based-on/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“In the eighteenth century, philosophers considered the whole of human knowledge, including science, to be their field and discussed questions such as: Did the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/in-the-eighteenth-century-philosophers-considered-the-whole-of-human/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [A model is a good model if first it interprets a wide range of observations in terms of a simple and elegant model, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/a-model-is-a-good-model-if-first-it-interprets-a-wide-range-of/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Empedocles noticed that if you cover the neck before you immerse it, a clepsydra does not fill. 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I believe I am the candidate that can make this happen precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-abbott/it-is-time-britain-put-its-trust-back-into-the-labour-party-i-believe/) [Diane Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-abbott/) > [Britain has the IRA and no one cancels concerts there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-osbourne/britain-has-the-ira-and-no-one-cancels-concerts-there/) [Sharon Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-osbourne/) > [The establishment in Britain is certainly against the arts and against education. If something doesn't make a profit, it's invalid, and art doesn't make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-maxwell-davies/the-establishment-in-britain-is-certainly-against-the-arts-and/) [Peter Maxwell Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-maxwell-davies/) > [We from every religion feel comfortable in Britain because there is a host. The Church of England is a good host, it has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-sacks/we-from-every-religion-feel-comfortable-in-britain-because-there-is-a/) [Jonathan Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-sacks/) > [The larger an English industry was, the more likely it was to go bankrupt, because the English were not naturally corporate people; they disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-larger-an-english-industry-was-the-more-likely-it-was-to-go/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [I think the first person to call me 'Britain's Obama' was Martin Bright at the New Statesman. Harriet Harman made the comparison once at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/i-think-the-first-person-to-call-me-britain-s-obama-was-martin-bright/) [Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/) > [I am the last of Britain's stately homos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/i-am-the-last-of-britain-s-stately-homos/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [ As for whether what happened in Britain improves\[Donald\] Trump's chances of winning, I don't think so. 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