Another interesting (sad) statistic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_infant_mortality_rate
US is 33rd (if you ask the UN) or 46th (if you ask CIA) in the world. But the UN skipped 30 countries that the CIA did not, so … Anyway. Even Cuba is doing better in this department. This does say something about how health care is provided. While the US is not completely third world in this department, we are not doing good! Don’t tell me we have the best health care system. And don’t tell me everyone is free to choose to pay for a good health care system. If you are less than one year old, then you have no choice in the matter.
What’s interesting is that it is the same people who are against abortions are also against socialized health care. If we get to scandinavia rates, then you can save 3 children per every 1000 born. So they are OK with those children dying after being born, just as long as they haven’t been aborted … hmmmm … As an aside, do note that western europe also has lower abortion rates than north america. Maybe we could do both at the same time? Reduce rate of abortions and get better health care? I mean, other countries seem to be able to do it. Also note that as discussed earlier, the life expectancy here is lower than developed countries with socialized healthcare. That would preclude those “death panels”. I am sure that having actual death panels going around pulling plugs on people would not make life expectancy go up.
Also to consider: I’m sure the infant mortality rate will be far greater among the poor than among the rich (just a guess). So that means that among the poor the rate in the US is much worse than in say western europe or scandinavia (where there is far less poverty).
And finally, here is the following graph:
Sweden gets their health care for around half the percentage of their GDP than we do. So they pay less and get more. Oh yeah they are socialists, they can’t pick what healthcare they buy. Whereas us capitalists we can pick the best option for the money, thus we are obviously getting more for our … uhhh … wait … where did the logic go in this argument?
The Spectre of Math 
It’s called a “cartel”. If medicine was properly deregulated (no medical registration, no stupid FDA testing, etc) then we’d have a true capitalist healthcare system and it would be far less expensive than anywhere else. Of course, it would still be worse, probably more people would die, but at least people would be able to be proud of their free market.
Seriously, if they actually forced the big cartels to break up – so that health insurers could no longer negotiate special pricing with hospitals and drug companies, so that the insurers had to bear the “real” cost of health care that people who don’t have coverage (or who end up through technicalities and bureaucracy being denied coverage) then I think prices would come down.
I’ve been out of the country for months and my old insurance is still ending me random shit to try to get out of paying for the last few things I had when I was insured. OMG so awful.
I was talking to a friend in Amsterdam who has great travel insurance for about a 50th of what we’re paying. His insurance will charter a plane to fly him out of the US is he’s there and has serious medical problems because it’s cheaper than paying for US medicine. THAT IS INSANE.
All of this health care shit makes me want to move back to Australia more than anything else. It’s morally outrageous and negatively effects my life.
Ian
Comment by Ian McKellar — September 1, 2009 @ 9:30 pm |