personal experience on why everyone needs health insurance

There is absolutely no valid reason why this country shouldn't have socialized healthcare. The primary invalid reason that gets trumpeted around is that vague belief in the so-called "free market" held by people who are foolish enough to believe that they actually have a statistically-relevant chance at being as filthy wealthy as the uber-elite of this country.

 

So, you are saying there's a chance?

 

This is a general question to all of those opposed to government having a role in health care, public option. If you think it is so bad how do you explain why other industrialized countries with a public option and even socialized medicine outperform the US in terms of life expectancy and infant mortality?

 

talked to a women today. Husband is 72 on SS for $1500/ month. she has severe emphysema. She can't work. No insurance. She needs a lot of inhalers etc. The $1500 per month is too much for her to get any help with indigent health care in Colorado County where she lives. She has tried all sorts of ways to get help.

One of her inhalers, albuterol used to cost $7.95 per month in 2004; now it is $43 per month, with only one company making it. Another inhaler costs $178 per month with no generic.

Just one of millions of stories in America.

 

No kidding (don't we wish we were?). These situations are playing out, in their millions, all across the country. The elderly, the young, the handicapped are all victims of our national shame.

 

That bureaucratic red tape crap will never go away. I think every one of us hates that.

Let's just hope it doesn't get worse.

 

Life expectancy and infant mortality are extremely poor markers for performance of a health care system.

You cant compare life expectancy of the average american to someone from a homogenous society, its apples to oranges. Compare Japanese-Americans to Japanese nationals for example, if you want more a accurate view.

Infant mortality may be a slightly better indicator of health care delivery, but there is discrepancy in how different countries report (i.e. if 24 wks premature delivery with death is actual infant mortality).

I think better markers of a health care system would be access (US would score low), advanced therapies available (i.e. % of transplants performed, etc...), research funding, number of hospital beds, physician to population ratio, etc....