| Photo by Marek Studzinsky on Unsplash
Part VII of Part V of “A Socioeconomic ‘Co-optopia'” Series
Last May 24, 2026, this column discussed how a “New Governor Can Push for a Nordic-like California and Save the U.S.A. from Turmoil.” It said: “A newly-elected governor of California can remind Californians that their state and local officials are responsible for the fact that, if the Golden State were an independent country, it would rank as the fourth-largest economy in the world because its gross state product (GSP) exceeds $4 trillion. It only trails the full United States, China, and Germany. This Californian economic powerhouse is larger than the national economies of Japan, India, and the United Kingdom.
“Why Become the Western Hemisphere’s Scandinavia? The three individual Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden do not rank in the top-ten largest world economies by total GDP, as they are relatively small in population. However, they are among the world’s richest in terms of GDP per capita and highly competitive. Together, the Nordic region ranks near the top ten global economies. They are also among the top seven in the “Happiest Countries” list.
The bottom line of the said column article was that “a new state government can demonstrate that the Nordic models for healthcare, education, and pension systems work and benefit more taxpayers …”, and with California as the model.
And speaking of healthcare, it was necessary for the May 24, 2026, column to discuss the Scandinavian medical system. Why? This columnist thought that Democrat Xavier Becerra would emerge as the top vote-getter in the June 2nd primary for governor of California. And as many pundits also predicted, Republican Steve Hilton, an immigrant from Great Britain, would be the runner-up. And both will contest the governorship election on November 3, 2026.
Mr. Becerra is a former Secretary of Health and Human Services of the Biden Administration. While Mr. Hilton is familiar with the British medical system. Both can, therefore, be in a position to debate the need of a “Medicare for All” medical system, as advocated by several U.S. federal and state policy-and-decision makers. But the U.S. Medicare idea remains on the drawing board.
Ergo, this Father’s Day 2026 may be an opportune time for Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton, who are both fathers, to begin discussing, in a cooperative and constructive way, how to perfect the plan for a viable California Medicare System (CAMCS) and implement it as the elected governor.
“For what better way to give to all fathers, their spouses, and children the best gift of an affordable, viable, and top-of-the-line medical care, year in, year out — as the thrust of a governor’s legacy?”
It is suggested that all the top gubernatorial aspirants who failed to win in the primary and runoff elections may be invited to form, ideally, a Governor’s Socioeconomic Advisory Council to help in implementing in a multi-partisan, interfaith, and multiracial way, said CAMCS. For what better way to give to all fathers, their spouses, and children the best gift of an affordable, viable, and top-of-the-line medical care, year in, year out — as the thrust of a governor’s legacy?
Speaking of Scandinavia, it is generally believed to have a better-performing, higher-quality socialized medicine system than Great Britain. Scandinavian countries (such as Norway, Sweden, and Denmark) consistently outrank Great Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) in international health indices for healthcare outcomes, resource availability, and patient satisfaction.
Pundits and medical experts opine that the Scandinavian system is often preferred. For instance, when it comes to funding and resources, both British and Nordic systems are primarily tax-funded and free at the point of use. But Scandinavian countries invest significantly more money per capita. As a result, they have higher ratios of hospital beds, MRI/CT scanners, and clinical staff than the British medical model.
By next column (Part VIII), ideas will be presented to the Becerra and Hilton campaign headquarters on how a CAMCS can be funded viably and made sustainable. And launching it in the Golden State will also solve other social cancers like homelessness, poverty, lack of affordable medical education and other crises.
Of course it should successfully mitigate the top-ten diseases (like cancer) that kill millions of patients worldwide per year. And the CAMCS may become the template for other U.S. states and countries to adopt and emulate that can lead to an international universal-healthcare cooperation in less-than eight years from 2028.
