Politics
Out of context: Reply #8422
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- ukit0
Conversely, if involving government in health care is so bad, wouldn't we see evidence of that in countries similar to ours (i.e., Western democracies) that have tried it?
In fact, you see exactly the opposite - countries that have universal coverage subsidized by the government have lower mortality rates, lower cost to the government, and the people are happier with their health care.
Here is what Business Week has to say about France's health care system:
"France also demonstrates that you can deliver stellar results with this mix of public and private financing. In a recent World Health Organization health-care ranking, France came in first, while the U.S. scored 37th, slightly better than Cuba and one notch above Slovenia. France's infant death rate is 3.9 per 1,000 live births, compared with 7 in the U.S., and average life expectancy is 79.4 years, two years more than in the U.S. The country has far more hospital beds and doctors per capita than America, and far lower rates of death from diabetes and heart disease. The difference in deaths from respiratory disease, an often preventable form of mortality, is particularly striking: 31.2 per 100,000 people in France, vs. 61.5 per 100,000 in the U.S.
That's not to say the French have solved all health-care riddles. Like every other nation, France is wrestling with runaway health-care inflation. That has led to some hefty tax hikes, and France is now considering U.S.-style health-maintenance organization tactics to rein in costs. Still, some 65% of French citizens express satisfaction with their system, compared with 40% of U.S. residents. And France spends just 10.7% of its gross domestic product on health care, while the U.S. lays out 16%, more than any other nation.
To grasp how the French system works, think about Medicare for the elderly in the U.S., then expand that to encompass the entire population. French medicine is based on a widely held value that the healthy should pay for care of the sick. Everyone has access to the same basic coverage through national insurance funds, to which every employer and employee contributes. The government picks up the tab for the unemployed who cannot gain coverage through a family member.
But the french system is much more generous to its entire population than the U.S. is to its seniors. Unlike with Medicare, there are no deductibles, just modest co- payments that are dismissed for the chronically ill. Additionally, almost all French buy supplemental insurance, similar to Medigap, which reduces their out-of-pocket costs and covers extra expenses such as private hospital rooms, eyeglasses, and dental care.
In France, the sicker you get, the less you pay. Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, and critical surgeries, such as a coronary bypass, are reimbursed at 100%. Cancer patients are treated free of charge. Patients suffering from colon cancer, for instance, can receive Genentech Inc.'s (DNA ) Avastin without charge. In the U.S., a patient may pay $48,000 a year."
Read the rest here:
- The least you can do is keep an open mind and follow the evidence...ukit
- I made this point about Japan two pages back and the rightwing troll said "HAHA UR WIFE IS JAPANEZE. U FAIL."TheBlueOne
- So expect "HAHA. U TALKZ ABUT DA FROGS! THEY FAIL WITH FRIEZ! HAHA"TheBlueOne
- Failure Fries!DrBombay
- I hear Japanese women suck a mean one though. True?********
- Shittiest troll ever.DrBombay
- hey i read an article liek that with a different spin http://online.wsj.co…********
- mortality doesnt have to do all with healthcare, and happy is derived from the takign of a few and giving********
- to many********