There are a couple of lies that really stand out. The first is that America has the best healthcare system in the world. (The old "If it ain't broke, don't fix it argument.) While it may be true that the American healthcare system has superior training and facilities available, it does not provide the best care--not even close. The World Health Organization ranks America's healthcare system 37th out of the top 50 industrialized nations. You may dismiss this rating as a subjective opinion, but the facts can't be denied:
The United States ranks 20th in life expectancy for women and 21st for men. We were number one in both categories in 1945.
The United States ranks 23rd in infant mortality, down from 12th in 1960.
The United States ranks 67th in providing immunizations--right behind Botswana.
There is only one aspect of healthcare in which America ranks first--cost. We spend almost twice as much per person as every other nation--which brings us to the second big lie: The United States of America cannot afford a universal healthcare system like every other industrialized nation of the world.
After cutting taxes and spending like drunken sailors all during the Bush years, Republicans are now suddenly concerned about the deficit. They argue that we can't afford to fix healthcare right now, because it would cost a trillion dollars over ten years. That is $100 bllion a year--a figure that pales in comparison to the hundred of billions of dollars we squander every year on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and maintaining the American empire, consisting of more than 700 military bases in 60+ nations.
The fact is that we must change our healthcare system to something like Medicare--and soon.
Only 3.6% of Medicare's budget goes to administrative costs, compared to 31% for health care delivered through private insurance plans.
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