The Democratic Activist
The French spend about half as much as Americans do per capita on health care and yet receive MUCH better health care than we do (evidenced by longer life spans, half our infant mortality rate, 40% fewer deaths preventable by adequate health care, etc.).
Under our wonderful, cripplingly expensive, privatized health care system, the U.S is now 42nd in infant mortality (worse than in South Korea, The Czech Republic, Ireland, etc.), and 45th in life span (below Cuba, Jordon, Portugal, etc.).
How is it that America (the only developed nation on Earth not to have a single-payer universal health care system) has somehow come to the conclusion that shorter life spans, higher infant mortality, higher rates of preventable deaths, much higher per capita cost, spotty coverage with large numbers of citizens completely or partially shut out of the system, etc. ... is a good idea?
How does having an inferior, unfair, grossly over-priced, incompetent system, one that results in up to 100,000 deaths annually due to medical errors (a greater tragedy than thirty separate 9-11 attacks ... each year!) do anything to help our economy, our nation, or our people?
What's wrong with this picture?!?
Where's all the constant jawboning about the need to shred the Constitution and give up hard won democratic liberties in order to "protect American lives" by fighting and winning a vital, impelling "War on Medical Errors?"
How does such a crazy thing happen in an advanced, modern "democratic" society like ours?
Oh yeah. I forgot. A few uber-wealthy, ultra-powerful corporations and individuals trade their support for tax cuts ... while the rest of us trade our trust for suffering.
Paul Krugman highlights the story in his piece titled:
A health care system to die for.
Thank you.
Pass it on.
The Democratic Activist
How it happens is that a few very wealthy people have a very high interest in the continuing wealth and financial performance of the health care and insurance industries in this country and their interests are allowed to supersede the interests of most Americans.
ReplyDeleteThis of course includes the manufacturers of pharmaceuticals who also make massive profits.
There is a balance here. If you remove the profit motive we are no longer practicing Capitalism here, on the other hand, there is the philosophical question "At what point does the right to life and of quality of life to individuals in this country overmatch the right of corporations to take profits indiscriminately?"
That question is at the heart of much of the litigation in the last three decades around personal injury and torts regarding industrial product damages and personal injuries. So far, the HMO and health care industries, except for outright instances of malpractice have found themselves immune to such litigation, but is that the future.
As Americans, can we afford to be number 42?
Don't we owe it to ourselves and to our children to do better?
Peter, Chief Editor and Spelling Wrecker,
The Peter Files Blog of Comedy, Jokes, Commentary and Video.
I'm not a pro, just a guy trying to spread a little joy and chase those naughty blues away.