In fact, it's not even close to being the best health care system in the world.
Republicans have fought President Obama on every bill he has worked on and health care reform is no exception.
Senator Richard Shelby (R), Alabama, said that President Obama's health care plan is the "first step in destroying the best health care system the world has ever known."
Senator Chuck Grassley (R), Iowa, told a constituent in a town hall meeting that if he wanted health insurance to get a job with the government. Perhaps Grassley would like the government to provide 47 million jobs to solve the problem of the uninsured in America.
There are several important aspects about the United States health care system that make it one of the worst of all the industrialized nations.
First is the cost:
The truth is that Americans pay more for health care than any other country in the world and yet the health care Americans receive is ranked by the World Health Organization (WHO) 37th in overall performance and 72nd in overall level of health of the 191 nations included in the 2000 study. It's not all bad however, the U.S. is ranked high in catching rare cancers early.
In 2008, a report by the Commonwealth Fund ranked the U.S. last in the quality of health care among the 19 countries compared. The United States has the highest infant mortality rate of all develped countries. And yet, the Commonwealth Fund reports that the U.S. "leads all industrialized countries in the share of national health care expenditures devoted to insurance administration.
The United States is the only wealthy, industrialized, developed country in the world that does not offer health care to all of its citizens.
Medical bills prompt more than 60% of all U.S. bankruptcies according to CNN. Bankruptcies attributed to medical bills increased by nearly 50% from 2001 to 2007. 75% of all people who went bankrupt because of medical bills had health insurance.
Private health insurers are in the business of making money and they do, lots of it. One of the ways they continue to make such large profits when the rest of the country is suffering an economic crisis, is by denying people medical care through the use of loopholes. In Texas, a woman with breast cancer needed to have both breasts removed to save her life and her insurance company refused to pay the cost of her surgery due to her pre-existing condition of acne. This is just one example among thousands that have bankrupted Americans who had private health care insurance.
Another way the private health insurance companies keep making record profits is by charging Americans more. Insurance premiums have risen at more than twice that of inflation. Worse, according to the NCHC (National Coalition on Health Care), the average employee contribution to company-provided health insurance has increased more than 120% since 2000. Average out-of-pocket costs for deductibles, co-payments for medications, and co-insurance for physician and hospital visits rose 115% during the same period.
Though Republicans like Senator Shelby insist that America has the best health care system in the world, the facts show that that the United States has one of the worst health care systems of all the developed countries in the world. It is clear that cost factors heavily into why the U.S. has one of the worst health care systems in the world.
Senator Shelby himself, is a recipient of a public option, though he would deny it to his constituents in Alabama and in the rest of the nation. All federal employees have access to the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program which is a system of managed competition. Though private insurance companies provide health care insurance to federal employees, so do labor unions and other employee associations. This creates competition but more importantly, the government pays the greater bulk of your senator's health insurance. In other words, you and I, as taxpayers are paying the bulk of the health care given to Senators and all federal employees, why can't we have the same option?
To get an idea of how much your Senator and Congressional representatives in Washington pay for their health insurance premiums, you can find out here. Your senator can choose between an HMO or a Fee for Services insurance plan and there are a large number of options available.
Here is just the first page of choices that Senators Shelby and Grassley can choose their public health option from:
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Health care reform is crucial to the economic success of the United States. When most bankruptcies are caused by medical crises, and 75% of those who went bankrupt because of medical crises had private health insurance, the system is broken. It's certainly not "the best health care system in the world."
The second aspect that makes the U.S. health care system one of the worst of all developed nations in the world is the quality of health:
The United States ranks only 27th in life expectancy of 189 countries. Of the 30 OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations, the United States ranks only 22nd in life expectancy. Only Portugal, South Korea, the Czech Republic, Mexico, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Turkey have lower life expectancy rates than the United States.
The United States ranks 25th in infant mortality rates among the 30 OECD nations. Only Turkey, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and Mexico have higher infant mortality rates than the United States.
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Conservatives like to compare the U.S. health care system to the health care systems of the U.K., Canada and France as if the Canadian, France and British health systems are not as good as the United States health care system. Canada's life expectancy average is 82.1 years. The life expectancy for citizens of France is 80.9 years and the average life expectancy of those living in the U.K. is 78.9 years. In the United States, the average life expectancy rate is 78.1. But more importantly than life expectancy averages is the fact that in each of those nations, every single citizen has access to health care. The United States is the only developed country in the world that does not offer health care to all of its citizens.
The third aspect of why the United States does not have the best health care in the world ties the first and second together and is tremendously important to the future of the United States' economy:
Because there are 47 million Americans (and that number will continue to climb) who have no health insurance coverage, emergency rooms are clogged with people who have no other way to get treatment for illnesses such as ear infections, flu, and strep throat. Not only does this contribute to a lower efficiency in emergency rooms for true medical emergencies such as heart attacks, it is enormously expensive.
Uninsured Americans have little choice and often turn up in emergency rooms for simple illnesses. Treating a patient in the hospital emergency room for strep throat is very expensive and taxpayers shoulder the burden. While some are afraid that if every American has health insurance through a public option such as the one their Senators enjoy, they will pay the price in taxes, what they should know is that they are already paying the price and the price is much higher than it would be to offer simple public health care options that veterans, government employees and the elderly have.
If we continue to ignore the growing number of uninsured people in this country, we are going to continue to pay more in taxes for their care when they end up in the emergency room with a fever and a sore throat than if they were insured with a basic health insurance option like Senator Shelby and Senator Grassley enjoy.
One would think that uninsured people could visit a family doctor when they have a fever and sore throat and pay the doctor in cash. But it doesn't work that way. A few years ago, my health insurance company fled the state in the middle of the night leaving me uninsured for several months. As a small business owner, I must pay for my own insurance and I pay more than twice what Senator Shelby does for his entire family for a single person in good health. When I was sick, I tried to get in to see a doctor when I had what turned out to be pneumonia. Even though I told each doctor's office I called that I would pay the bill in cash, none of the physicians would see me because I didn't have health insurance.
The United States does not have the best health care system in the world. Even if you have what you think is excellent health care insurance, you cannot be sure that if you have a devastating illness that your insurer will pay for your health care expenses as over 60% of those who had to file bankruptcy found out.
Insurance companies are in the business of taking health care premiums from the insured and working doubly hard not to pay out when the client is sick. Former senior executive of Cigna, Wendell Potter told a Senate Committtee in July, "I worked as a senior executive at health insurance companies and I saw how they confuse their customers and dump the sick: all so they can satisfy their Wall Street Investors." Potter was the company's top PR executive and reported, "This is a very wealthy industry and they use PR very effectively. They manipulate public opinion and the news media and they have built up these relationships with all these politicians through campaign contributions."
The United States does not have the best health care system in the world. The United States ranks behind all other developed nations in the world in life expectancy, infant mortality rates, efficiency, cost and overall care.
If the United States continues to deny health care coverage to the 47 million people that are uninsured, the burden of cost on taxpayers will continue to rise as more and more desperate people rely on emergency care at hospitals for routine illnesses.
Unless you make $250,000 or more a year, your taxes will not be affected by offering health care coverage to the uninsured in this country. If you are so unlucky as to make a quarter of a million or more a year, I'm afraid your taxes will increase by about 3%. But if we continue to refuse health care services to the 47 million people who are uninsured, your taxes will be much higher in the future as 47 million people rely on hospital emergency rooms for their routine health care needs.
It is time for Americans to have a public option like Senator Shelby and Senator Grassley have.
Comments
Blah blah blah blah.......
YAWWWWN,ZZZZZZZZ.
if you ever need health care but don't have insurance because you got laid off and you don't have the outrageous amounts they want for cobra coverage, you will be singing a different tune. everyone deserves health care.
And the LIEberals are always complaining & makin' fun of the birthers, have you people watched that town-hall meeting in Philly lately? We don't need your stinkin' commie socialized health care, GET OVER IT, NO WE WON'T!!!
" The 9 worst words you will ever hear are, I'm from the government and I'm here to help."
Ronald Reagan
for all you intruders that lack a brain...go some place else with your vile and heartless comments...after 8 yrs of total destruction to America by your savior W and not a peep? you're a bunch of pathetic sheeple...go baa baa baa back into your corrals.
NO WE WON'T! NO WE WON'T! NO WE WON'T!
Enuff: So you think that holding up a bible and yelling and shouting instead of civil discourse and debate are the answer to everything....you show yourself to be a troll. How pathetic you are. Trolls sent by the Freepers always reveal themselves because they can't resist name-calling. Since they can't make a reasonable and logical argument, they resort to the juvenile use of sophomoric name-calling. Go back to your Freeper cave or go plan a tea party, troll.
ZZZZZZZZZZ
The senators and congressmen have private health insurance not public. And they're not about to give up their private health insurance for public, but they want us to. Of course private is always better than public. I'd rather use my own private restroom, over a public option. I'd rather use my own private computer rather than a public one. In a public health care system, what will keep federal bureaucrats from looking at my medical records. I feel that my medical records should be left between me and my doctor. Am I the only one that feels that my rights are being threatened by the very government that swore on the Holy Bible to protect them? I'll end with two words, Common Sense!
Slaydon, the senators pay about $250 for a family of 4 fir health insurance. The government pays the other $750. This IS a public option. Would you urinate in your pants if you couldn't use a private bathroom? You can keep your private health insurance even if a public option is available. If you like your health insurance and want to keep it you can. But for those of us without any insurance we will take a public option. I don't think there is anything in the bible that could address health care in the 21st century. Do you think Jesus wants us to let people die because they can't see a doctor? I don't.
The trouble with a lot of the twenty something to early 30's crowd is there too young to remember the former Soviet Union and the rationing of food, medical care etc. Try talking to some one from the Soviet Union who lived back in those days, and they will tell you how crazy you are for wanting to emulate that system.
Just say HELL NO TO OBAMACARE!
Yeah I saw another Town Hall meeting in Austin,Tx where they were letting some lame congressman have it. JUST SAY NO! JUST SAY NO!
wow some of you people are unbelievable. Despite the facts in this article you still bash the article and the government. Univeral Health care is the only option. How you all cannot see that is beyond me. Every industrialized country in the world has some form of universal health care and they all have better health care systems than you and yet you insist that a government health care is wrong. What world are you people living in and how dumb are all of you? again, wow, just simply wow.
Scientists have just made a major autoimmune disease breakthrough - they have found the exact actor in the immune system where the body begins to attack itself. This will pave the way for fixing the disease at the start.
This breakthrough was the work of Australian researchers.
But in the USA, drug makers FUND the research, so all they are looking to invent are more THERAPEUTIC drugs -- drugs that KEEP you sick, but alleviate the symptoms. The goals are different - in the US, they want you to stay on massively expensive drugs FOREVER. Oh, the joys of living in a capitalistic health care system!
Yeah Mark that's why we have people from Canada, UK, and other countries come here for to receive quality health care. Ever been to a VA and seen some of the quack doctors in there, or how it's run? How about our postal system, DOT, or our wonderful public school system. DUH-DUH-DUH!!!
As a Canadian, I can assure you we do not go to the US to receive quality health care, we have that for free and we like it better that way. The only time a Canadian will go to the US is to get a test done quicker, and no, the waits aren't killing people, it's just that some people can afford to pay for a quicker test.
Face it. The media has done it again. Distorting facts and instilling false fears into ordinary Americans with information pulled from someone's wild creative imagination.
Why do you folks put so much weight and belief behind private institutions whose main aim in its existence is 'profit'?
As a witness from outside looking in, you guys look so disillusioned into believing that the government is your enemy so much so that you're all left blinded by the real enemy that is infront of you all.... the private institutions. They've got you folks.... your belief system and all.
Sorry Daren we see how things are in the UK, Canada, Cuba, and elsewhere and many of us remember the old Soviet Union. The government has made a total MESS OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, and you want them involved in health care. You've just projected how delusional and brainwashed YOU really are, no thanks to the Womb to the Tomb obamacare.
Princess Leia, You have called more names than any post here. Have some more KoolAid.
I guess the only way to put all these matters concerning universal healthcare system vs the one and only unique US healthcare system to rest is to just present the facts up front.
Obama should just book a primetime slot with a network. Get as many reputable medical representatives from the world's top 10 (WHO)ranked nations with exceptional healthcare records together. Bring in factual data/statistics and present the figures right up front.
Better still... get those that oppose universal healthcare vs the rest of the worlds top figures/representatives in universal healthcare.
What we got here is failure to communicate. Now I don't like to tell you commie pinkos that your socialism doesn't work, so I'll just let history tell it for you.
NO WE WON'T!
GIT-R-DONE
The United States seems to be lower than other countries due to different ways of reporting information. Just like our infant mortality rate. Many countries do not count an infant as being born (for the reporting purposes) if the infant didn't live for at least 24 hours. So, an obvious infant mortality is consider nil.
The United States provides much more accurate data to be measured than the vast majority of other countries.
The WHO reports are comparing apples to oranges and is one of the very reasons why it no longer ranks health systems across the world. It's not an accurate picture due to different reporting processes and definitions across the countries of the world.
There is no plan for Americans. In the fall, after the kabuki dance of the politicians, nothing will have changed. Obama is a fraud, as was Bush. The health care industry is spending $1.5 million per day BUYING congress. The insurance industry will never allow the gov't to offer a plan. The only workable system is medicare for all, and all would pay about $200 per month. The insurance industry long ago took the law of large numbers OUT of insurance. It only works when everyone, young, old, sick healthy, etc., is in the pool. But folks, especially those that have been snowed by the dems and Mr. Change, there will be no change in health care. End of story! The only issue today --- it will end the wars and solve the health care problem --- is HR 1207 Audit the Fed! And then abolish the Fed! The Fed is where all the bodies are buried.
Any but the most ignorant would quickly conclude our current system is not the answer. Profit driven, wasteful, and costs that are out of control verify this fact. The government plans may not be the answer, but doing nothing is far worse. I find it funny that people claim the government can't run healthcare, yet most seniors enjoy their medicare and fear any new plans will change it. When lobbying firms recently started organizing hecklers to visit representative's townhall meetings to disrupt it i think speaks volumes to their fear the gravy train may not last much longer.
Have any of you people looked at the polls lately? The people who want womb-to-tomb obamacare are in the minority!! DUH.
The US privately driven health care squanders 25% towards administration
and CEO income. Japan 3% - Canada, Europe and the like 8% or less.
If we could keep Wall Street out of the equation it would be possible
to offer health care for a premium of around 100 Dollars a month and
we would still have a privately owned and run health care system.
But I guess, common sense - like the wars this country is in - isn't
going to win.
Hey everybody you've heard of the Birthers and the Astroturfers, well the name for these LIBTARDS who won't let go of obamacare is the WEANERS.
"I guess the only way to put all these matters concerning universal healthcare system vs the one and only unique US healthcare system to rest is to just present the facts up front."
Okay. If we look at the much touted WHO report, we see as a determiner where the money for healthcare comes from, the government or the private sector. AFAIC, who cares?! If we remove this irrelevant factor, the US places (drum roll) NUMBER ONE. Another much touted statistic is infant mortality. Our neonatal care is second to NONE. However, we are the world leader in chemical usage, spraying poison on our food, on our lawns, in vaccines, drugs, etc, etc. THIS is why our infant mortality is so bad: it's the toxic body burden our infants carry before they even leave the womb; CAUSING them to leave the womb early.
Our healthcare could use less "department of motor vehicle" class intrusion, not more.
You WEANERS are pathetic, be man or woman enough to let loose of the gubmint's teat and start being a responsible productive human being.
Anyone who would quote the World Health Organization as a reputable source is already deceived.
How many people here get their news from american sources. i'm willing to bet 85%. The people who are harping on the UK, France, and Canada's health systems as being worse of than the United States, who is telling you this? Is it Canadians or Frenchmen on their own networks that you tune into, or do you listen to the "canadians" and "frenchmen" that fox and other "fair and balanced" news networks dig up from out of nowhere. People need to start getting more actual data from not only our country and other, but we need to stop relying on the news media. They are owned and more than half of you lazy fools care nothing about that. Life is too hard, we work so much, the government ruins schools. Grow a brain. Obsessed parents ruin the school system, health care is bogged down by politics, and the American ideal of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" only really works if there are enough jobs to go around (which there aren't). In summation, its time people wake up but they never will.
Who here really knows what socialism is? None of you do, that's for darn sure. Your lack of education aside, what we have right now is not a democracy, and what failed in the past was not socialism but a form of dictatorial socialism. Also how many of you are multi-millionaires or are shortly about to become one? I'd hazard a guess and say none. what is the deal with americans not wanting the best for its citizens, why would we leave others to die to get ahead? We are perpetuating a rat race that none of the people posting on this wall will finish. Stop identifying with what you dream to be and start by identifying your needs. healthcare for everyone, food for everyone , shelter for everyone, these are basic human rights people. How would any of you feel if life crapped on you and you became homeless, sick, etc. Put yourselves in others shoes.
Socialism?, Wow that was a moving speech there commie, but just because you and a handful of other WEANERS want to emulate the Soviet Union doesn't mean the majority do, so do us all a favor and move to Cuba or something why don't ya.
Aww Libtard. Its ok , feel safe in your lack of knowledge. Don't answer the actual question , which wasn't about socialism, instead attack someone about being a commie. That previous post had nothing praising the soviet union or cuba. It merely remarked on how you people are using the wrong definitions. How about you answer why it is you feel people dont deserve food, healthcare, and shelter and then answer why you think america is in the predicament it is now. Perhaps because it cares nothing for its citizens. As long as you drive your truck and charge your ipod you don't care who falls in the gutter. I'd hope someday people might care for others (like your undoubtedly precious god tells you to) but you won't. You'll just shout commie and then die blaming others. Bravo
WEANERS ARE LAME LOSERS. Have any of you WEANERS looked at the polls lately, OMAMACARE is a lame duck, GET OVER IT!
the post right below this one is a sad ,sad caricature of how americans are. Take an topic that needs to be debated and say "nope gitrdone you weaners." I'm so glad we have a democracy now, cause the voters sure know what they're talking about.
Why debate something that's already a sure win? Examples of gubmint failures like postal service, IRS, VA hospitals, public education, etc. and you want obammy rationing health care. DUH!
GIT-R-DONE
What about the military, that's government run and operated. How about the social security department. Tons of gov't projects work well. The problem with each of the systems that you listed is that they are spending more and more money to make them "better" but not getting to the heart of the problem. The postal service has competition with ups ,fed ex, etc which drive costs down. Schools fail because they are focusing on the wrong things, instead of being academic they are coddling our youth and it has more to do with teachers unions and pta's than govt involvement.What exactly is the problem with government playing a role?
"What about the military, that's government run and operated. How about the social security department. Tons of gov't projects work well."
Wow. The military (which notoriously overspends on technologies and strategies that are decades out of date) and social security (which is as good as gone by the time most of us retire) are examples of government working well? "Obsessed parents" ruin the school system?!
Even the DESIGNERS of this socialized healthcare system admit that there will still be people left without coverage. If we're to take one system and replace it with another for a marginally increased number of people covered, it isn't worth it.
I agree that we can help those in need. My proposal is this: eliminate the most expensive, wasteful, immoral government boondoggle there is: the wars and our overly large military, and spend the money at home on those relatively few who really need it. This is a suggestion that neither democrats OR republicans seem to care for.
@Reality Strikes, "social security" Bwah-hahahahah! You talking about the biggest PONZI-SCHEME IN HISTORY SIT DOWN! You just went from little credibility to none, and YOUR BRILLIANT plans for downsizing the military were tried with that great LIBTARD president Jimmy Carter and we all saw how that worked. Really sit down you're making a total JACKASS out of yourself.
@You're Kidding, Sadly You're Not:
My post expressed a pretty solid slam against social security. How you interpret that as support for it is a pretty good example of your ability to interpret other events. Better stick to name-calling.
Saying the U.S. has one of the worst health care systems is based on selected statistics and disregards the rest of the story. The U.S. has a more diverse population, bringing down the survival rate among babies and the general population. Canada and France don't have the same demographics. That's also part of the reason our schools seem inferior to other countries.
Japanese have the best survival rate because they have a different diet. When they come to the U.S., they eat differently and don't survive as long. That's cultural.
As many as 25% of the US uninsured choose not to buy insurance, for whatever reason. Who pays? The rest of us.
Insurance companies are a vehicle that pays for health care based on health risks. Many have excellent coverage, but with high insurance costs,& bankruptcies, negotiated payment works.
Ask the many sick foreigners who come to the US docs. We have the best medicines and treatments, and even the poorest have coverage if they need it.
The problem is with any private insurance is that all they care about is making profit and having that mentality in any health care system is bound to cause it problems. The amount of people who are uninsured shows that the American system is a failure because how can it be working if so many people aren't receiving healthcare. Whilst many people go on about how European waiting lists are longer, well that is what happens when you allow the entire population of a country to have universal healthcare instead of staying at home letting illness fester, they go and see a doctor so there is more waiting time. It is a very odd mentality where people complain about taxes in this case. This is the difference between life or death for many people and all some can care about is there bill going up? When did America lose its conscience? That the government refused to take care of the people it was meant to represent. Obama wants to put this right and shouldn't be insulted for it.
TRUE that
the people who have health care right now are very happy with it!we do not need the government to control when we go to the doctor and if it a serious illness or not. people die from that. true that not everyone has health care and is insured but that is a small persentage to the people who have. if everyone has health care then the system and doctors are going to dumb down their standards. Look at france. everyone over there has health care. but god forbid someone has a serious medicle problem then france is not going to be able to care of them. that citizen is going to have to go to america to get ther proper health care. Sure everyone gets health care but is not advanced and they are not as trained! And we/america is going to go broke in the futer if we keep spending all this money. Where do they think it is going to come from...trees? we just need the economy to untwined by itself.
"Look at France. everyone over there has health care. but god forbid someone has a serious medical problem then France is not going to be able to care of them"
I have to ask, have you ever been treated in France? I was born there, lived and worked there until the age of 27. Then I moved to the USA, for my job, and I still live here to this day. So I feel pretty confident in talking about both systems since I experienced them both.
If you are insured (in the USA) the routine checkups and occasional visits to the doctor feel similar to the ones France. Of course the drugs a more expensive here but it is not too bad. However when you go beyond the routine visits things start to break down.
Take for example the a pregnancy. In the USA the woman stays 1-2 days in the hospital after the delivery (for a case with no-complications) and gets a bill anywhere from $1500 to $2000 (I have 3 kids). In France the woman stays 2 times longer in the hospital and there is no bill. It is free.
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