What is socialized medicine?

Socialized medicine is not really a technical term so much as it
is a pejorative term for health care plans that conservatives do not like.  However, the general
meaning of socialized medicine is health care where the government pays for people's health
insurance.  Because the government pays for the health insurance, it also has a great deal of say
over what kinds of medical procedures are covered and how much providers are paid for the
procedures.  In that way, it is socialized because it is government-controlled rather than
controlled by the free market.  (By this definition, though, Medicare is socialized medicine yet
people rarely refer to it that way because it is a popular
program.)

This is often contrasted with a direct fee system in which
people would pay for the medical care that they receive.  They would decide for themselves what
care they would buy based on their needs and the price of the service.  The government would not
be involved in these decisions.

In looking at the links, please note
that "americanprogress.org" is a liberal site and keep that in mind as you read what is said
there.