Thus my neighbor is the one with the "Willing to Pay for a Better Minnesota" signs in their yards. Not to mention "Bush is the Terrorist," "Bush Lied, How Many Died," and the seemingly never-falling-out-of-fashion "Kerry Edwards."
But there are a couple putzes in the hood that are unashamedly socialist and they're the ones with the "Universal Health Care Now!"
OK, once again here people, it looks like I'm going to have to take the baseball bat of Capitalism and beat you freaking senseless with it because I'm just so sick and tired of people's ignorance.
The US spends more per person on health care than any other nation in the world, and not marginally so, but quite literally double our European counterpart's average. This translate (logically) into the fact that we spend twice as much as our GDP on health care than our European counterparts.
Where my ire is raised and the rationale for a beating the Seward socialists with the baseball bat of Capitalism is warranted is that 45% of that spending is through government social programs. Be it Medicare or Medicaid or here in Minnesota the state health care program, MinnCare, we not only effectively spend the same amount of government money on health care (as our European friends) but, and are you ready for the real kicker?
WE EFFECTIVELY ALREADY HAVE FREAKING UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE!!!!
Cripes people! Where are the sick and the corpses laying about the streets? How many news stories do you need about single mothers getting free health care for their multiple-fathered children at some clinic, or how illegal immigrants are bankrupting California's hospitals? Last I checked the idiot teenage mothers and illegal immigrants weren't exactly thinking ahead saying, "gee, I better get some health care coverage before I get pregnant." And I don't think I can recall a story about illegals asking their coyote transporters where they can get some affordable health insurance once inside California.
With all that spending, you would think the USA would find some way to ensure that everyone had access to health services. With 45 million people who do not have health insurance (over 10 percent of the population), one wonders where all that spending is going.
ReplyDeleteRight, I forgot. Its going to rich people. Afterall, they're more priviliged and deserving of health expenditures than the regular person is.
With regard to your charge that they already have universal health care... If that were the case, how does 10% of the American population NOT have coverage? I suppose you will say "well, thats their fault." All right, in the case of the pregant teenage mother failing to plan ahead, perhaps... But people don't choose to get cancer.. people don't choose to get diabetes... and people don't choose to work menial labour jobs that pay fuck all, that, as you might say 'contribute something useful' to the world. The fact of the matter is that there are people in the USA who, through no fault of their own, are unable to afford to pay for health insurance. That 10% of the population doesn't have access to the large expenditures that you so wondefully show a nice little graph for. And you say you have universal health care? My ass you do!
You said that 45% of the spending was on health programs. Obviously the amount of spending is not enough, as I repeat, 10% do not have health coverage.
People need to survive. They cannot survive is they do not have the resources at hand to survive, because the dirty Capitalists are paying them little so they can line their own pockets and get special care in many arenas of life, just because they happen to have the green.. And then they have the nerve to turn around and blame the misfortunes of the poor on the poor themselves. What arrogance!!!
(yes, I'm passionate about this issue. Excuse the fiestyness. By the way, theres a meme I want you to do, check out my blog)
Pedro, good to hear from you, haven't been blogging in a while.
ReplyDeleteThat's my whole point. The "40 million" without health care statistic is BS because if you go into a hospital, they can't refuse you. Thus, they are effectively covered.
Now, you're also wrong about only the rich receiving the health care. It's the elderly that are disproportionately receiving the health care. Right now we drop about 10% of our GDP on the elderly, primarily through Medicare, Medicaid and SS, looks set to double in the next 20 years to 20%. Rich or poor, it's the old.
Having said that, I will admit I'm almost half tempted to advocate a universal health care system simply because it would cut our health bill in half, but then we'd have to eliminate all other forms. Cripes, 15% of our GDP on health care, and you guys in Canada deliver the same health and life expectancies at half the cost.
Gotta bolt. So busy.
We don't quite have universal care. After all if someone with any assets (meaning they usually create economic value and can keep from spending it all) lacks coverage, they will pay until their assets are all gone. Those without assets essentially get off free. Witness the illegal aliens in our border hospitals. As an intern I lost endless nights as they crossed our borders for free care.
ReplyDeleteLike reproductive rights (I can reproduce and somebody else has to pay), universal health care is bullshit. I look around and i see so many fat lazy people. Even young women. Its only going to get worse for them. No wonder their joints are so bad. Next its insulin time. And meds for cholesterol and blood pressure... And why does anyone under fifty smoke? Hello! Do what you want. It's a free country. But I don't want to pay for your bad choices.