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Monday, December 21, 2009

Health Care?

Very interesting.

A recent "Investor's Business Daily" article provided very interesting statistics from a survey form believe it or not... the United Nations International Health Organization.

Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis:
U.S. 65%
England 46%
Canada 42%

Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months:
U.S. 93%
England 15%
Canada 43%

Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six
months:
U.S. 90%
England 15%
Canada 43%

Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month:
U.S. 77%
England 40%
Canada 43%

Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people:
U.S. 71
England 14
Canada 18

Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in "excellent health":
U.S. 12%
England 2%
Canada 6%

I don't know about you, but I don't want "Universal Healthcare" anything close to comparable to England or Canada .

Moreover, it wasSen. Harry Reid who said,

"Elderly Americans must learn to accept the inconveniences of old age."

SHIP HIS "A$$ " TO CANADA OR ENGLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

12 comments:

Jill said...

This type of email is, in a way, the "cream of the crop" of crap emails. First, I really have to start with a stat of my own, and unlike the "stats" provided in the email (there is no United Nations International Health Organization) this one is for real:

Percentage of people who had to declare bankruptcy due to medical bills:

U.S.: 60%

England: 0%

Canada: 0%

Unlike the email, you can actually find proof for the above stats: just google americans who declared bankruptcy medical bills

Then, it just devolves into layers of B.S. The email's intent is to argue against health care reform on the grounds that more people would die of cancer and other diseases,, when over 40,000 Americans die each year because they can't afford to get treated for cancer, diabetes etc. Let alone afford a $3000 MRI despite the "fact" that (according the the email) MRI machines in America are as common as mosquitoes in Florida.

Then of course, those (pulled out of someone's rear) stats--if they were actually for real, would only include the people who either have insurance, or can afford medical treatment (or go bankrupt trying)...you see, Canada and England can't just dump the "dog patients" off their health care plans like our largely unregulated American health insurance companies can.

Then it closes with 2 things that completely baffle me: Citing how happy American seniors are with their socialized medicine (Medicare) and then a "quote" that NEVER passed Harry Reid's lips...but hey, nothing else is true, so why close with any actual facts.

Sorry this post is so long, but this issue hits me on a personal level. My mother who gave me a kidney, told me that if she got sick, (i.e. cancer etc) that she would want to die quickly so she wouldn't be a financial drain. This is freaking America folks, and no one should have to think that way, let alone a woman who selflessly gave up one of her kidneys to save her daughter!

Anonymous said...

The Senate Democrats have created a travesty.

The comparisons you have provided for health care speak for themselves.

We the people must speak up in November with clarity and vote these people out of office, so that we may begin the process of taking our country back, and increasing accountability to the people by electing reasonable and conservative representatives.

Anonymous said...

What a travesty! These Senators are totally out of touch with the majority of Americans, and my prayer is that they will know it come next November!!!

Anonymous said...

Bull. This doesn't even cite the supposed article. And it's not "United Nations International Health Organization", but the "World Health Organization."

If you want to know what their data really shows go directly to WHO's website (http://www.who.int/whosis/en/) and you can search for yourself. For example, look at life expectancy rates at birth in the US and you'll see that we are behind most of the rest of the industrial world and even countries such as Korea and Singapore.

The state of healthcare in the US is continually worsening, due to the greed of the healthcare and insurance industries. Needed reform threatens their control of the American public's pocketbooks, so they respond by propagating baldfaced lies. We should at least be smart enough not to accept those lies at face value. Check it out with the source.

Anonymous said...

Well said, 8:46. Also, I wonder why people who are compassionate enough to support fundraisers for children stricken with life-threatening diseases are not able to see that the reason these fundraisers are necessary is that the healthcare system in America is broken. People are going bankrupt and resorting to begging -- not a pretty word, but that's in essence what it is -- to save the life of a loved one. NO ONE SHOULD EVER HAVE TO BE IN THAT POSITION. True compassion demands that it doesn't happen to anyone in this great country of ours.

Anonymous said...

8:46
If you could choose between being bankrupt or being dead which would you pick?

Anonymous said...

10:56,
It's not usually just the sick that end up bankrupt--often times it's the people's families that have to ALSO file bankruptcy trying to pay for expensive treatments.

If I was sick and my choice was, as you so delicately put it, either bankruptcy for my family or death, I would choose death. Why would I want my family to lose their home and their financial health for my well being?

Doesn't seem very fair.

Anonymous said...

Americans pay more income taxes than any other country. They have medical care. We are arguing over medical insurance. Big difference.

Our country is controlled by the very corporations who are writing this legislation.

There will be "health care reform". They will make criminals of any of us who do not purchase the corporate product.

It is unconstitutional. It is un-American. It is wrong.

We live in a corporate facist dictatorship.

Anonymous said...

I cannot believe someone is making an argument for this invasive bill ! First off you have to pay for four years before you get any coverage second every family will pay 1200 dollars more than they're paying now .Government will set new pay standards for care givers meaning less care givers and 30 million more people which equals less care less quality and cost more ! not to mention the government will be able to dictate anything you want to put in your body or how many children you can have ! Your freedom has just been sold you FOOL !

Anonymous said...

Congress can't do crap if we collectively all stop paying tax's !

Anonymous said...

8:46 and 10:45, you're on the right track. I'm 50 years old, in great health, and single. I pay over $200 more per month to my friends at Blue Cross than I pay for my mortgage. And I live in an upper middle class 7 year old house! But I guess, according to some other folks here, there's nothing wrong with that picture.

The all powerful insurance companies are taking us to the cleaners, they dictate what medications the doctors can and can't prescribe, what operations we can have (unless we're able to pay for them ourselves, in which case we wouldn't need insurance to begin with), and then people gripe about our "freedom" being taken away?? Don't make me laugh!

My sister was recently diagnosed with high blood pressure. Naturally the doctor prescribed what he felt was the best medicine for her particular case. But her Care First Blue Cross Rx plan said, "Nope, we won't pay for that because it's not in our formulary. Your doctor must select a medicine from our list of approved Hypertension drugs."

Question: How is the above an example of the insurance company doing anything but dictating medical care? How does BC/BS presume to know what's better for my sister than her doctor for the past 14 years does? They don't! The proof of it is in the fact that the doc has tried 3 different "approved" meds now and her BP STILL is not under control. So what makes this type of dictatorship any better than governmental dictatorship? To me, it's like asking, "Would you rather be shot or hanged?" You're just as dead either way.

Of course, I'll be attacked as a fool, just as you guys above were because you saw things differently from a certain other commenter. So be it.

Anonymous said...

6:58 I glad you realize you will be attacked as a fool and I also understand your point however the problems you point out will only get worse when run by our federal government not to mention cost more and you won't have the choice of opting out what ever they say pay you pay or go to jail ! Does that sound like America to you ? This health care bill is about one thing only control over the population !