Rick Santorum on Health Care: ‘Devastated’ Britain, Lack Never Killed Anyone

Rick Santorum's health care comments are causing quite the stir. First, he credited Britain's government health care system for ending the country's empire.

Below is an exchange between a BBC reporter and Santorum.

BBC: Can you just tell us which social program caused the collapse of the British Empire?

Santorum: I think the British national health care system is a devastating program to the country. It makes it dependent. It's a devastating thing for society.

BBC: The health programs are devastating? The National Healthcare Service?

Santorum: Absolutely. Ask [UK PM] Margaret Thatcher what she thought was the reason she was never able to do what [President Ronald] Reagan did to [America]. That's what she said. The British national health care system.

A video of the exchange is found here.

Santorum also made controversial remarks about the very concept of health care.

At Dordt College in Iowa, Santorum was confronted by a student about the lack of health care coverage in America.

The student opined that he did not think God appreciates the fact that we have 50,000 to 100,000 uninsured Americans dying due to a lack of health care every year, reported ABC News.

The student was likely referencing this study.

In response, Santorum disputed the validity of the study and said: The answer is not what can we do to prevent deaths because of a lack of health insurance. There's - I reject that number completely, that people die in America because of lack of health insurance.

People die in America because people die in America. And people make poor decisions with respect to their health and their health care. And they don't go to the emergency room or they don't go to the doctor when they need to. And it's not the fault of the government for not providing some sort of universal benefit, he said.