Some Statistics on Health Care
I found these statistics in this great diary at Daily Kos. Mitch McConnell compared our health care system with Great Britain, Canada and New Zealand. Below is how we stack up against these 3 countries, all of which have some form of universal health care.
First, let’s look at per capita health care spending in those three countries, and in the United States:
United States: $5,274
Canada: $2,931
United Kingdom: $2,160
New Zealand: $1,857Let’s look at the figures from a slightly different standpoint, total health care spending as a percent of GDP:
United States: 15.4%
Canada: 9.8%
New Zealand: 8.4%
United Kingdom: 8.1%
We’re definitely the most expensive, and we don’t cover everyone.
Here are the number of children, per thousand live births, who die in their first year of life in these same four countries:
United States: 6.3
Canada: 5.08
New Zealand: 4.99
United Kingdom: 4.93…
Here are the years of life expectancy at birth for the total population (in all cases, the average woman lives a little longer than this, and the average man a little less than this):
Canada: 80.18 years
New Zealand: 79.62 years
United Kingdom: 78.95 years
United States: 77.71 years
Why are we still arguing about this? There are so many different models of how to do health care out there – why can’t we pick the best parts of these models?
Source material:
per capita health care spending (we’re #1!)
spending as a % of GDP (we’re #1!)
infant mortality rate (we’re not as good as Cuba, but better than the Faroe Islands #185 of 226 – highest number best)
life expectancy at birth (we’re #36!)
Tags: Health Care
The ironic thing about all of the numbers is you attack this issue like so many out of touch Republicans who use spread sheets to talk about an issue.
The key element of a health care system is simple. Is it Patient centered? Is the human being the key element? Is it reasonably hassle free and does your health care reflect your individual circumstances.
In all of the above countries including our country, it is not.
Using the above three questions I would say , true, true, true but unrelated to what is important. Watch these videos and more will be coming.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cN24urTuYAw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZ6caH-qoqQ
Mike Protack
Shorter Protack:
I don’t need no stinkin’ numbers.
Once again Mike Takes the Repuk stand keep the insurance companies between the patient and his doctor.
Oh, I saw the thumbnail for the video and thought it was porn. It’s just Protack.
I’m surprised Protack didn’t make fun of dead people or how they died, especially liberals, to make his point. He’s slipping.
Well, I do note his obligatory links (for free) on your thread. Maybe he’s not slipping too much with his status-quo.
Hey Mike Protack,
How would you know if the health care systems in the UK, Canada & New Zealand were or were not “Patient centered” whatever “Patient centered” means to you (if it means anything at all)
The question is, why does he spend so much time here? This is a guy who clearly wants to run for office again, presumably as a Republican, yet he still won’t do any fund-raising and spends a good bit of his time arguing online with self-identified liberals.
Consider for a moment what a failure of judgment that represents. Explain again, Mike, why your “strategy” says “Elect me!” rather than “I’m a tin-foil-hat-wearing loon!”
Geezer, have you still yet to recognize that he is completely oblivious to his very own digital footprints and political history and will continue to run until he can’t blame other people or his router any further?
In other words, he can’t possibly learn.
The question is, why does he spend so much time here?
The McCain campaign used to give points to supporters who were repeating their talking points in liberal blogs. Protack probably doesn’t know he’ll never get enough points for that Adams Dix putter…..
Besides, he is banned from talking to his compatriots over at delawarepolitics.
Thank you, Smitty and Cass. I suppose either one helps explain what, to me, seems like self-defeating behavior.
If you were Mike, wouldn’t you spend the years between elections building an actual political following instead of spitting into the wind in the DelaBlogosphere?
If you were Mike, wouldn’t you spend the years between elections building an actual political following instead of spitting into the wind in the DelaBlogosphere?
That would require advanced planning, critical thinking, and a notion of not pissing off every group this society knows. I see three strikes right there.
Mike Protack is the senior statesman and supreme leader of the Delaware Republican Party. Everybody else should line up in back of him and give him all the support that he deserves.
The party members who criticize Mike Protack are bitter ingrates who have totally forgotten Reagan’s 11th commandment.
Steaksauce! ‘Sup?
Always adding spice to the shit burger, eh?
You’re just a bitter ingrate, my friend.
To make an important point about the statistics. I’m not arguing the drift of your stats, but the “live births”/infant mortality stat is somewhat problematic because different nations calculate it differently, and this affects the stat.
The US counts any child delivered alive as a “live birth,” even if the child literally expires in the delivery room. Many other countries–Japan and most European nations–often do not count babies in the statistics as “live births” until after twenty-four hours. Because we have such an aggressive medical approach to preemies and handicapped infants, this distorts the stats significantly.
If you report infant mortality in the US with the same guidelines as are used in Europe, we generally tie with Norway at second place at the top of the list. [I did a post on this last year with sources and links including WHO, and if anybody wants it I will go back and find the links.]
I’m not posting this to argue that the stats are not significant, but to make the point that we always have to be incredibly careful to know exactly what our statistics say, and how they have been derived.
I see three strikes right there.
Indeed — even when he was commenting over at delawarepolitics, his demeanor and style of communicating were absolutely no better than here. And he still managed to piss off people and get pretty solidly kicked to the curb.
His idea of politics seems to be that he says some stuff and then people follow him. Which really seems to be a strategy for being on Twitter, not engaging any discussion of substance.
Steve Newton wrote:
“I’m not posting this to argue that the stats are not significant, but to make the point that we always have to be incredibly careful to know exactly what our statistics say, and how they have been derived.”
Amen, Steve.
cassandra_m, you need to be more differential and respectful to Mike Protack, the leader of the Delaware Republican party. He is clearly doing his very best to show the world exactly what the Delaware Republican party stands for.
We should all be grateful to Mike Protack, leader of the Delaware Republican Party, for displaying his Delaware Republican values. Delaware Republicans should be forever thankful that they have a Republican Leader in Delaware like Mike Protack.
steaksauce is attempting to counter old gum’s google-search motive! BOOOO!!!!
RSmitty,
Mike Protack is the only Delaware Republican who is reflecting national Republican Leadership in Delaware. Please stand behind your Delaware Republican Leader Mike Protack and model his Republican Leadership example.
Only then can you call yourself a true Delaware Republican like Mike Protack.
I hope you appreciate the props that I am giving Mike Protack’s Delaware Republican Party today.
Sorry, but I can’t help being a bit miffed when Mike Protack thinks saying things like “debating a mental patient” or using my wife’s horrific auto accident as fodder for his material is OK.
I know you are having fun with it, but I just can’t go further than I have on that (you and I joking with each other). He’s a piece of trash who refuses to acknowledge that his own shit stinks.
That is exactly why Mike Protack is the de facto leader of the Delaware Republican Party. It is who they are. Just look at Ensign as a national example.
AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!
It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.
STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.
We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.
And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.
Progressive democrats and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and demand that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).
Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.
In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!
Contact congress and your representatives NOW! AND SPREAD THE WORD!
God Bless You
Jacksmith – WORKING CLASS
A1: “The party members who criticize Mike Protack are bitter ingrates who have totally forgotten Reagan’s 11th commandment.”
That’s what I call the ‘lockstep’ commandment, which distinguishes the two parties, where the Dems are constantly arguing (debating) among themselves, which is one characteristic I like a lot about the Dems.
That said, such as Smitty, Dave, and even David, and sometimes Mike, call it as they see it. Repubs would do better to adopt this public debate model, showing them to be human and not sticks!