Reform? Why do we need health-care reform? Everything is just fine the way it is.

[luckytxn 2,264]

They are loving the control they will have now over every citizen in this country.

all your monies are belong to us

True true. I wonder after they have taken everything if they will allow us an allowance.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

They are loving the control they will have now over every citizen in this country.

all your monies are belong to us

True true. I wonder after they have taken everything if they will allow us an allowance.

all i know is, i will enjoy spending your money tex.

[DEDixon 39]

There does seem to be a lot of opposition around here to health care reform. Its gotten me thinking.

Maybe there is something fundamental here in the USA that means we cannot run a cost-effective, healthcare system that delivers a high level of care to people in this country. Maybe it really is better that we pay twice as much of national income and get one of the worst (probably the worst) result of any developed, western democracy. Maybe, if we were to adopt something like the French, German, Australian, Japanese, or Canadian system of healthcare, our society would crash down around us. Maybe we just don't have the resilience, initiative, persistence, or creativity of people in those nations.

Maybe it is better for us to keep the terrible deal we have now.

But ... I don't think so.

Twice? You have a link to that "fact?"

Those other systems? Can you detail them for us, each of them. Are you a world health care analyst? I mean, the only way I'd know anything about ALL of those systems would be if it were my job. Do you know as much about the banking systems in each country? Why not? I mean, if you know the health care systems so well, why not the banking, or transportation or education. Maybe you are a world health care analyst. I doubt people who work in the US health system know the systems of the French, German, Australian, Japanese and Canadian so I wonder why/how you know so much.

How much of GDP does each of these countries spend on health care? Do they have a separate system for the elderly?

"According to the WHO, the United States spends 16.5% of its GDP on health care, or about $6,100 per person. This compares to an average of 8.6% in European countries."

Source

I'll try to dig back into WHO literature itself and see what I can find for you.

2*8.6 = 17.2 which is pretty close to 16.5.

I didn't know you had to look this stuff up before you posted each time. Darn, that is dedication!

[SuperDuper! 230]

Obama said right from the beginning, that he was going to redistribute your wealth...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Obama said right from the beginning, that he was going to redistribute your wealth...

i was afraid he meant he'd make me rebalance to be more equities-heavy.

[luckytxn 2,264]

They are loving the control they will have now over every citizen in this country.

all your monies are belong to us

True true. I wonder after they have taken everything if they will allow us an allowance.

all i know is, i will enjoy spending your money tex.

Yes I know. I am a Socialists wet dream. I work so they don't have to.

Edited August 3, 2009 by luckytxn

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Work, I wonder what that's like.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Obama said right from the beginning, that he was going to redistribute your wealth...

He also said that the middle class taxes were not going to go up. Go figure.

[mendeleev 68]

There does seem to be a lot of opposition around here to health care reform. Its gotten me thinking.

Maybe there is something fundamental here in the USA that means we cannot run a cost-effective, healthcare system that delivers a high level of care to people in this country. Maybe it really is better that we pay twice as much of national income and get one of the worst (probably the worst) result of any developed, western democracy. Maybe, if we were to adopt something like the French, German, Australian, Japanese, or Canadian system of healthcare, our society would crash down around us. Maybe we just don't have the resilience, initiative, persistence, or creativity of people in those nations.

Maybe it is better for us to keep the terrible deal we have now.

But ... I don't think so.

Twice? You have a link to that "fact?"

Those other systems? Can you detail them for us, each of them. Are you a world health care analyst? I mean, the only way I'd know anything about ALL of those systems would be if it were my job. Do you know as much about the banking systems in each country? Why not? I mean, if you know the health care systems so well, why not the banking, or transportation or education. Maybe you are a world health care analyst. I doubt people who work in the US health system know the systems of the French, German, Australian, Japanese and Canadian so I wonder why/how you know so much.

How much of GDP does each of these countries spend on health care? Do they have a separate system for the elderly?

"According to the WHO, the United States spends 16.5% of its GDP on health care, or about $6,100 per person. This compares to an average of 8.6% in European countries."

Source

I'll try to dig back into WHO literature itself and see what I can find for you.

2*8.6 = 17.2 which is pretty close to 16.5.

DEDixon, you asked for a source. Here's a source, together with some more detailed data to support my point.

Here are total healthcare costs for different nations as % of GDP, together with life expectancy for men and women, as a crude surrogate for quality of delivered care. Of the nations listed here, the USA spends by far the largest amount on health care, and every other country listed has greater life expectancy for women. For men, all save Belgium and Finland have greater life expectancy for men and those two countries are tied with the USA at (only) 75 years. Belgium paid only 9.4%, and Finland paid only 7.4% of GDP for their healthcare. Here in the USA, we get a great bargain since in 2003 we paid 15.2% of GDP for healthcare, yet came in last in terms of life expectancy.

The data are for 2003, taken from a World Health Organization report dated 2006. Source

Sorry if the formatting in the table is dodgy. That's something VisasJourney doesn't excel at.

%GDP Men Women

Australia 9.5 78 83

Belgium 9.4 75 81

Canada 9.9 78 83

Finland 7.4 75 82

France 10.1 76 82

Germany 11.1 76 82

Luxembourg 6.8 76 81

Netherlands 8.1 77 81

Norway 10.3 77 82

Sweden 9.4 78 83

Switzerland 11.5 78 83

United Kingdom 8 76 81

United States 15.2 75 80

[luckytxn 2,264]

Work, I wonder what that's like.

You know how after you go get your welfare check and then go down and buy that rock and then sometimes have to run from the cops or other losers that is trying to get your easy gotten rock?

Well Just imagine having to always be active like that all day every day.

Edited August 3, 2009 by luckytxn

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

That sounds awful.

I think I will stick to my life and let you schmucks do the work. I like my handouts, thank you very much.

[luckytxn 2,264]

That sounds awful.

I think I will stick to my life and let you schmucks do the work. I like my handouts, thank you very much.

Understand. I would join you but my friggin father instilled a work ethic and morals. We are prisoners of our upbringing.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Thank your father for me. Were it not for him, my life would suck.

[SuperDuper! 230]

That sounds awful.

I think I will stick to my life and let you schmucks do the work. I like my handouts, thank you very much.

Do you get wif-fi under a bridge?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I should go to sleep, the soup kitchen opens at 4am tomorrow.

That sounds awful.

I think I will stick to my life and let you schmucks do the work. I like my handouts, thank you very much.

Do you get wif-fi under a bridge?

I "procured" a laptop with my rock and I get free muni wireless.