Broken Record

[Rob_Mayes]

I apologize for sounding like or broken record or a one issue contributor, but last night Frontline on PBS did a hour show on medical care in five democracies. Watching this may shape your opinion. Here is a link that allows you to view the program.

 

Frontline: Sick Around the World

 

Moderator edit: copyrighted material (cartoon) deleted

 

What amazes me is that we are such a powerful hard-working country, we spend over 16% of GDP on health care (which is more than double what other advanced countries spend), yet deny 25% of our population healthcare, have the highest infant mortality rates of these countries, and are generally unhappy with the system.

[Paul Mihalka]

"and are generally unhappy with the system"

 

What system?

 

I saw it and except for details it did not tell me much I didn't already know.

I am lucky and with my wife we are covered by the only USA system that works in a limited way, Medicare. For the rest, there is no system.

[Pilgrim]

yet deny 25% of our population healthcare,

 

Without even delving into the other aspects of the post, that statement is so suspect that it casts doubt on the worth of the rest of it.

 

It's not even true for health insurance using the worst figures I have even seen quoted (40 million out of 300 million with HI), much less health care.

 

Pilgrim

[MattS]

I apologize for sounding like or broken record...

Didja hear that the Marilyn Monroe sex tape ... was a hoax?

 

Get to work, Mayes! There are more important issues out there.

[Huzband]

....yet deny 25% of our population healthcare,....

 

 

No one in this country is denied health care.

 

Which in itself is a problem.

[Gregori]

What amazes me is that we are such a powerful hard-working country, we spend over 16% of GDP on health care (which is more than double what other advanced countries spend), yet deny 25% of our population healthcare, have the highest infant mortality rates of these countries, and are generally unhappy with the system.

No, what I keep hearng is that YOU are unhappy with it.

"YOU" does not spell "WE."

 

I'm so tired of "WE want this, WE don't like that, wahh, wahh, wahh..."

You do not speak for me, and as far as I know, most of the people I generally consider myself included in the 'we' of, would desire to be included in such wants.

(I include the caveat 'as far as I know' because I would not presume to speak for those whom I have not polled directly.)

 

Perhaps YOU are unhappy, and maybe even your NEIGHBOR and MOTHER are unhappy, but just because those you choose to ask feel a certain way, including all of America in this (or any) WE is disingenuous at best.

[motoguy128]

System works great for me. I'm lucky enough to have a job that has medical benefits.

 

To compare other countries with health statistics, you also need to look carefully at demographics.

 

For example, infant mortality is high in part because women are choosing to have children much later in lifem and population growth is sloer so there are feer sucessful births to offset failed births. For example, if a couple has 3 failed preganacies, and finally have 1 sucessful one, they won't normally try for 3 or 4 more children. However, if a women in a developing countrie or one wiht a high precentage of catholics sucessfully has a child, they will be more likely to have 3 or more children than compared ot a typical US couple. Statstics are a tricky thing. You have to look at the level of opportunity for a failure, not just the rate of failure. It's kind of like the degree of difficulty in judging diving competitions.

 

A hospital cannot turn someone away so 100% of the US has at least limited access to medicine. Medicare kicks in for some additional coverage.

 

The biggest challenge is the disparity is wealth. By adding national healthcare, we must accept the fact that you are affectively redistributing wealth and moving further from capitalism, and more towards socialism. When you factor in benefits, the difference in pay between a janitor and a manager or director for a European company is much narrower than in the US. I'm not a gainst redistributing wealth, I think there's enough disparity right now that a spike in unemployment from a long and drawn out recession, could easily cause widespread social unrest among the working classes. I think managers and white collar workers including myself are overvalued in comparison to hourly workers and especially tradesmen.

[hANNAbONE]

gOT a little time on our hands, Rob..???

[Rob_Mayes]

I apologize for sounding like or broken record...

Didja hear that the Marilyn Monroe sex tape ... was a hoax?

 

Get to work, Mayes! There are more important issues out there.

 

It would probably be more fun. I will have to investigate, there may be porn that needs documenting.

[DaveTheAffable]

No one in this country is denied health care.

 

Which in itself is a problem.

 

Well said. And... (tongue in cheek here) Our medical care is so bad here that tens of thousands of people from other countries fly here, or sneak in, to have a chance to be treated by our doctors, babies delivered, or dental work performed.

 

Secondly, there are hundreds, (maybe thousands) of USA doctors and nurses that fly around the world giving free medical care to needy people. Have you ever seen or heard of any doctors from a foreign country coming here voluntarily to care for our 'sick'?

 

Yes... there are problems. But it's not doom and gloom.

[Jerry_75_Guy]

(in response to no one in particular)

 

I only had this vague feeling before, but now I'm certain; I AM in a Bill Murray movie!.....or just trapped in Punxsutawney PA, I'm not sure which

[Mike]

Since there's a parallel thread on this topic, I'm gonna lock this one.