I'm going to tell you something -- we have fabulous health care in America, just so you know. I think it's very important -- before people start griping about the health care system here ....just to compare it with other systems around the world.
Yeah...you know what?....I'm gonna tell you something. You don't say things like that around the Drugmonkey. Because the Drugmonkey will call your bullshit and bitch slap you with the facts so hard you may never get up again. You wanna compare US health care with other systems around the world? Fine. It's go time:
-The United States has fewer doctors, fewer nurses, and fewer hospital beds per capita than the average country in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Maybe by "fabulous health care" George Bush meant "fewer people providing health care"
-Rates of chronic disease are significantly higher among middle-aged people in the United States (before they are eligible for Medicare) than in that den of socialized medicine, the United Kingdom. The rate of diabetes is twice as high. Heart disease, 57% higher. Lung disease, 29% higher. Cancer.......73% higher. Maybe by "fabulous health care" George Bush meant "more people that need health care"
-37 countries have a higher life expectancy than the United States. Including Cuba, Chile, The United Arab Emirates, Costa Rica, Cyprus, and Malta. You wanted me to compare our health care with other systems around the world president wanker-boy. Be careful what you ask for.
There is one area of health care where the American system clearly leads the world. Spending! Here's a nice little factoid for those of you who like to think of yourselves as guardians of our taxpayer dollars. In the US, about 45% of the total amount spent on health care is paid for with government dollars. Our Canadian friends use government funds to foot the bill for about 70% of all health care in that country. And use fewer government dollars per person to do it.
Are you getting this? Canada runs an entire health care system, for everyone, for less per person than we spend on just Medicare and Medicaid. So does France. And Japan. You'll find Japan at the top of the list of life expectancy by country. The UK that so kicks our ass in chronic disease prevention does it while spending about 60% less per person than we do.
Tell me again why I'm supposed to be afraid of socialized medicine?
I could go on all night my friends. There are few issues where those on the right are so clearly and demonstrably wrong. Yet you let them pull the wool over your eyes with nothing but a little jingoistic flag waving. Americans love to hear we are the best in the world, but in health care we most assuredly aren't. Stop saying we are, and start working to make it so.
11 comments:
Funny thing, it must be something in the air (since I’m across the country from you it is doubtful it is in the water) because I wrote on the same stream of thought today. Thanks for sharing the joy of knowledge with, well, everyone who manages to find your blog and read it.
I change my vote, you can procreate now:). Wanna have my babies?
Haha, looks like you hit the nail on the head, again. Its sad to admit that this man leads us. Even sadder that some people follow. NP
SickO anyone? Just watched it last night =D
Thank YOU.
Now, to get you voted in as President... :)
I shall preface this comment by stating that I am Canadian (go Leafs). I live in a city that borders the US. When I was in school for pharmacy, the big US companies came in offering us huge signing bonuses, leases on BMWs, giant salaries, etc to sign with them. I regected all of them. I did not even consider the possibility of moving to the US or living in Canada and driving across the border every day for work. Why? Because of the health care system in the US. Socialized medicine works. I pay a certain amount on my taxes every year--I believe in my bracket it is $500 or $750 or something, but I know in the middle of the night, if I trip down the stairs or slice my hand cooking (I am clumsy), I can just go to emerg and show my health card and all is taken care of. Also, in my experience, many US citizens come to Canada to see Canadian doctors and have their Rxs filled here. So clearly the US system is not working when it is less expensive to travel to another country to have health issues dealt with--even currently, when our dollar exceeds the US dollar. But when one gov't spends millions upon millions on an illegal war, I guess that country's economy is going to decline. Perhaps that's best left for a different rant.
Wow, that Canadian just told us what was up. I think very akin to you drugmonkey. It's like Bush can say whatever the fuck he wants, regardless of the truth of the matter and somehow people are still willing to listen to him. So many people in this country have to worry about health insurance everyday or go without because it's too expensive and then they are royally screwed if something does happen to them. It's gonna take the next president quite a long time to fix the damage bush has done. I get sick every time I think about how much money is being spent on our "war" while I see the shithole that our public schools have become.
I concur. Nothing more needs to be said.
MIGHT I SAY...WATCH "SICKO" BY MICHAEL MOORE.
IT CONFIRMS EVERYTHING YOU HAVE JUST SAID AND THEN SOME. IT MAKES ME SICK REALLY. AND MAKES ME WANT TO MOVE TO PRETTY MUCH ANYWHERE ELSE THAT WOULD ALLOW ME TO GET MY FINGERS SEWN BACK ON WITHOUT IT COSTING ME A DIME.
By way of an amusing anecdote let me offer my two cents. There is a Popeyes Fried Chicken across the street from my pharmacy, which is right next to a bank. I routinely watch people go to the bank drivethru, go to the Popeyes drive thru, then come to my drivethru for their metformin, celebrex, amlodipine...you get the picture. Exercise more, weigh less, get your bp down and don't be such a burden to the health care system. Americans need more money spent on them for health care because we are too fat to fend for ourselves and too lazy to care.
Exactly. I am tired of being a middle class citizen and paying for healthcare for poor people and old people, but I, MYSELF, do not have decent healthcare!
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