USA: The Best Healthcare in the World

Wow, I just read “Blessed to be in the best country in the world when it comes to healthcare.” on a blog.  Unbelievable that people still haven’t figured out that statement just just plan WRONG.

Not having the facts at my fingertips, I googled “us best health care in the world”. 

The top hit:  http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=01&year=2008&base_name=the_best_health_care_in_the_wo where this interesting todbit is written:  “Health Affairs' new study "Measuring the Health of Nations."… in 1998. Then, we performed poorly, but not catastrophically so. Our amenable mortality rates were about 8 percent above the average, and 50 percent above the French, but we were not the worst. Comparatively speaking, we were 15th out of 19 assessed countries.  …. Four years later, we were 19th out of 19. “

The second hit:  http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/opinion/12sun1.html  This one you have to read.

Maybe some just don’t read.  <sigh>

Sicko

Have you seen it? No? Why not? I promise it will make you think, it may make you laugh and probably make you cry.   If you're asking "What's Sicko?"  Here's Wikipedia's definition: "Sicko is a 2007 documentary film by American film maker Michael Moore. The film investigates the American health care system, focusing on its health insurance and pharmaceutical industry. The film compares the for-profit, non-universal U.S. system with the non-profit universal health care systems of Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Cuba."

Last night, on Bill Moyer’s show a 'Former CIGNA Executive Says
Michael Moore Was Right All Along" (See this link! and the video below.)

The US needs to fix the Health Care system.  You probably have good health care coverage; but many don’t… and yours is going to cost you more each year. 

Watch Sicko, do some research, don’t be afraid, don’t be misled by powerful, resource rich lobbys and the medical establishment.

Why is the US to only industrialized country without a free universal heath care system?  “The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee access to health care as a right of citizenship. 28 industrialized nations have single payer universal health care systems, while 1 (Germany) has a multipayer universal health care system like President Clinton proposed for the United States.”

Now is the time to fix this… Please get involved… for yourself, for your parents, for your children and their children.

McNamara, Vietnam, Iraq, Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld

I saw the Charlie Rose interview the Robert McNamara this evening...... I was nearly drafted for Vietnam and I was not a fan of McNamara; however, watching him on Charlie Rose this evening, I updated my opinion greatly. I see him now as a man who I respect, a man who admits that he and others made mistakes in that war and deeply regrets them, a man who says he has learned to see the North Vietnam learders in a different way than he did in the 60-70's.

A man who is very different than Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld; for whom I have no respect.