“Lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States. Although America leads the world in spending on health care, it is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage.” —Institute of Medicine
I find it absolutely mind-boggling that America spends the most money on health care yet ranks #37 out of 191 countries. How does a country spend more money than any other country on health care but its citizens have a lower life expectancy than countries that spend less? Where is all the money going?
Instead of Americans being healthier we are seeing increases in:
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Heart Disease
- Stroke
- Obesity
- Cancer
How is it that citizens in countries with free health care systems (France, Canada, and UK) have longer life expectancy rates than Americans? I told my husband last week we should consider moving to France. He looked at me like I was crazy. But France has the best health care in the world and its free!
I know a middle class family of 5 (husband, wife, & 3 kids) paying $900/month for health insurance! Hello…. $900 for health insurance is alot when you also have to pay mortgage, utilities, car insurance, put gas in the car, food on the table, clothes on backs, plus other living expenses and incidentals! This is why so many Americans do not have health care insurance. Barack Obama is right, “people want health care but can’t afford it.” Hillary Clinton is right, “everybody has got to be covered.” John McCain is right, “we need to reduce health care costs.”
We Americans are often quick to turn our noses up at at other countries. We often think we are better and have all of the answers. Perhaps its part of our conditioning or mis-education. We are spoon fed lies that we actually believe about the evils of free health care for every American. Our American wisdom tells us that free health care for all Americans is too much like socialism and socialized health care is the enemy… If so called socialized programs are destructive then how do we explain our current systems for police, fireman, schools, and libraries?
With our infinite wisdom, wealth, and resources our health care system is ranked #37!
As our people grow sicker and deeper in debt with medical bills or die from inadequate medical care; health insurance and health service providers like Humana are literally raking in Six BILLION Dollars! What is wrong with this picture?
“I live in the richest place in the world…
at war gainst itself…over wealth…
its greed instead of feed…
less fortunate barely have the skills to read…” —Present Futuristic Visions
I received a letter (or death threat) from Kaiser Permanente last week inviting me and my husband to sign up for a health care plan. At the bottom of the letter it says “We want you to feel healthier and stronger 24/7.” Considering how Kaiser damn near killed my sister and succeeded in killing at least 3 family members and friends…I’d rather take my chances with good old fashion prayer, herbal remedies, exercise, and apple cider vinegar cures than to step foot into a Kaiser! In my neck of the woods (Compton) Martin Luther King Hospital was also know as KILLER King…but the biggest baddest killer in California might actually be KILLER KAISER!Study Finds For-Profit Health Plans Deliver Lower Quality Care Than Not-For-Profit Health Plans —Harvard
“I think there are two ways in which people are controlled,” Benn said. “First of all, frighten people, and secondly demoralize them. An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern. I think there’s an element in the thinking of some people, we don’t want people to be educated, healthy and confident because they would get out of control.” —Tony Benn
Is there a way for all Americans to receive quality health care? If you are one of the 50 million Americans without health care would you be interested in a health plan with the following benefits:
- Every citizen of the US will be covered from birth to death.
- No more pre-existing conditions to be excluded from coverage.
- No more expensive deductibles or co-pays.
- All prescription medications will be covered.
- All dental and eye care will be included.
- Mental health and substance abuse care will be fully covered.
- Long term and nursing home services will be included.
- You will always choose your own doctors and hospitals.
- Costs of coverage will be assessed on a sliding scale basis.
- Tremendously simplified system of medical administration
- Total portability – your coverage not tied to any job or location.
- Existing Medicare benefits for those over 65 will remain the same or be vastly improved in many cases.
Have you ever heard of House Resolution (H.R.) 676 The Unites States National Health Insurance Act? I realize that America has slipped tremendously in not just health care but also in education…My fellow Americans it’s time to do some homework! We need to educate ourselves and make informed decisions starting right now!
| In Loving Memory of
February 23, 1952 -July 21, 2002 Happy Birthday Daddy |
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Not having private health insurance early in life is really impacting the amount of care people require later in their life. Without access to preventative care many people are experiencing diseases and medical complications that they could have eliminated or avoided all together had they caught it when it was first developing.
It’s not just the government. It is us. We (as Americans) want healthcare when/where we want it, the best, and not have to pay. These are mutually exclusive, and yet we DEMAND it and then cry foul when we have to pay more.
Being on the healthcare delivery end of things, I am utterly amazed at the people that demand, and receive, high cost/low efficacy procedures such as MRI’s for simple low back pain. Demand pills/surgery/intervention for problems that will improve with time/effort/education (eg obesity, low back pain, pain in general, simple colds/flus).
As a nation/people we have to take responsibility for healthcare costs. We need to stop blaming it necessarily on MD’s, government, insurance providers (although the latter is pretty suspect), and either pay more, or accept less in terms of convenience and “cutting edge”.
You are right. The health care crisis in the USA is in need of much greater attention. And that is pretty amazing when you consider we spent $2.1 Trillion dollars last year. You would think with that kind of spending it would merit more attention. I discuss the current state of health care in the USA and what we can do to improve on my blog.
If people really could understand that changing your life begins with changing your thoughts! I guess i am bias toward your blog because you speak of living abundantly. My ministry is abundant waters which is all about living abundantly. I know you are on a road to greatness.
Great job!
I would have to agree the cost of healthcare is a problem. The American healthcare system is the best and most comprehensive in the world, yet it still has considerable room for improvement. Are we as a society ready for what it would take to improve/fix it?
Americans have access to great health care, but the problem is our lifestyle. Our eating habit and vices will be the death of us! Health care costs will continue to rise and rise!
Healthcare is a HUGE problem in America! It’s a shame that the poor can barely get the medical attention that they need. I really wish there was a way to get them the care that they deserve.
I agree with everything you said. Something needs to be done. But, to do it, Americans are gonna pay for it. We have gotten used to paying in a certain amount for taxes. To solve this problem, people are gonna have to be willing to pay for it. Are we ready to let Uncle Sam take 50% of our earnings to get a comparable system to Canada?? (Not trying to argue, just wanted to bring up this point.)
Hi.. Your posted topic are well informative, i really enjoy reading your article specially on this particular topic. Many of them has an health care without knowing the benefits that they could have on health insurance, since we all know that this two are totally different. If am not mistaken health care are only give medical support not unlike on health insurance they will accommodate all the expenses on medical. By the way, if you want to read more on health article you can visit herbal vitamins supplements. best regards…
without a doubt, having health insurance is a wise decision, but picking the right plan is tricker.
I personally just believe that if you eat a well-balanced diet & exercise regularly, then you shouldn’t have any MAJOR health concerns. But of course, nobody knows what the future hold, thereforem you still need the insurance, as a backup.
I do know a few people that have horrible health conditions, but have no health insurance, and lack the proper funds to get them the care that they need.
It’s sad, and hopefully will change when the new president takes office in November…
Being British, i don’t know how you guys cope without a National Health Service. It has become a crutch for UK citizens, with a heavy level of complacency with regards to personal health.
In response to the question posed by this post’s title: Yes, I am one of the fifty million. I’ve been insured for certain amounts of time at different jobs, but I’ve never had a plan that covered me outside of that. The odd part is that I actually make a pretty decent living, but paying for personal health insurance has so far been cost-prohibitive. Personally, I would even take a subsidy from government so that at least I could have some coverage for a catastrophe!
I just agree about everything you said, but people sometimes got lazy to do that or they just don’t have the cost of the insurance.
Anyway great post and thanks for helping people around !!
It is sad that there isn’t some type of basic health care for everybody. Basically, if you can afford it, you get great treatment. If not, you’re screwed.
A great debate/convo guys keep it going it is a really interesting discussion.
Hmm… France may well have one of the best health care systems in the world. But (there is always a “but”), last year it was €11,000,000,000 over budget. Hardly free!
Also some states are making laws now requiring health insurance. I live in Massachusetts, and it is now Illegal not to have health insurance, but they haven’t made it any cheaper. You also can’t get discounted insurance through the state unless you are not working at all. If you don’t have it, you lose on your tax return.
I can’t afford personal health insurance because I work, but if I got fired from my job, lived off the state, or had a kid of two I could get it free. Instead I still can’t afford it, and unless I can find a way to by the end of the year a fine will be taken out of my tax return.
As a broker who sells group health insurance, and sees first-hand how premiums increase by an average of 8%-16% per year, it amazes me how its becoming a larger and larger portion of every company’s cost of doing business.
The increase in health care for employees is passed on to the consumer in the price of the company’s products & services. This upward spiral must end, but how??
there’s something to be said for the British health care system, free at the point of use even though we still grumble about the NHS.
Here's my story,
Wife has diabetes, can't get any health insurance. She get's diagnosed with Sarcoma Cancer June of 07. I'm self employed, no insurance so I''m writing checks for $10's of thousands to get her treatment. After losing home, business, wife and I and 3 little kids move into small apt. State medicaid say's no because they have no money in funds even though I paid Fed and State taxes each year for over $6k. Few months later we find out the cancer has spread to her lungs, now we can get SSI and Fed Medicaid, only after 2 months delay. Bottom line, the delay caused the death of my wife this fall.
No problem with the health care system? Available to everyone? Give me a break, something has to be done.
The major clients for health insurances are still corporates who require it to add as a perk for the jobs. Individuals still hesitate to get into health insurance.
Free health care is a great idea, but utopia. Someone always has to pay for medical treatment. Health care is a huge business and in fact no one cares of your health. They just need money. That's why America is leading in spending on health care, but the results are not so impressive. They just need to spend/earn more money; they do not care of improving anything.
Free health care is a great idea, but utopia. Someone always has to pay for medical treatment. Health care is a huge business and in fact no one cares of your health. They just need money. That's why America is leading in spending on health care, but the results are not so impressive. They just need to spend/earn more money; they do not care of improving anything.
Not only are health insurance premiums outrageous, most health insurance companies have limited or no coverage for<a href ="http://www.humanpulse.info/versatile-factors-lead…drug programs. We need affordable health insurance that treats ALL medical conditions.
I agree with you, Americans spend lots of money with health insurance. I think investing your money on insurance is a good decision…after all, you will gona use the insurance in the end. Although, I also hope that America will have free health care system just like in Canada. My sister who's based in Canada told me she received free maternity care and allowance when she was pregnant.
That is so sad that so many people are affected, I hope that it is a disease that is eradicated. after all, you will gona use the insurance in the end.
Insurance should be a must for every citizen,and we will bring this issue on Oysite.com.Every one should invest on insurance for a better future
Free health care great… Well, the NHS in the UK has been absolutely raped over the last 50 years. From a proud post-WW2 service, to the under-funded, poorly organised, double standards system it is today. I get free health care, but I now have health insurance.
nice
the nhs is perfect in england
I agreed with you.As we get older and become mature adults, we become more aware of our surroundings and their effects on ourselves and our well-being. Most of us wake up to the fact that there are a lot of factors in the present day that can potentially put our health at risk.Health insurance can protect you from the risk of uncertain bills for health care.Without affordable health insurance, you may not be able to afford expensive services.
There are many other advantages of holding health insurance.For aging people, some plans even include nursing care and disability which extremely benefits the policy holder in case such needs should arise. Putting in your children as dependents also makes having health plans really advantageous due to the nature of kids to be susceptible to acquiring illnesses or getting injured thus creating the need for medical assistance. This is also true for sports fanatics and athletes, as more often than not, unforeseen injuries occur that could temporarily stop or at the worst even cripple an athlete's career. Finally, those in poor health need not always worry about paying bills up front once they get sick as insurance companies should be able to cover for their medical care.
is there a minimun age for getting life insuarnce?
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Interesting post! Thanks for sharing.
Hey i heard that, It's a mandatory to have a medical insurance there in america. But some of the people are not having insurance, It's strange to know that.
I think they people may have medical card or something like that instead of having insurance.
Hey i heard that, It's a mandatory to have a medical insurance there in america. But some of the people are not having insurance, It's strange to know that.
I think they people may have medical card or something like that instead of having insurance.
Low cost health insurance is almost similar to looking for a gold mine hidden in a secret cave. The rising health insurance costs is becoming such a big problem today. Every person has the right to be assured of proper medical attention. In effect, everybody definitely needs health insurance coverage. But then again, providers are always faced with the constant battle of giving quality coverage against the ever-increasing medical care, hospitalization, and health maintenance costs. Health care insurance is so expensive nowadays because for one, there have been big gains on medical science over the past few years.
Over 46 million Americans do not have any type of health insurance along with car insurance. Professionals are stimulating the government to come up with a new health care plan. It is sometimes used more broadly to include insurance covering disability or long-term nursing or custodial care needs. It may be provided through a government-sponsored social insurance program, or from private insurance companies. It may be purchased on a group basis or purchased by individual consumers.
With your health insurance coverage becoming more and more expensive, having the best health care insurance policy is essential. If you're without health insurance coverage, it could be financial disaster for you if you become ill or have an accident.Health insurance provides many things: a safety net, should you get sick or injured; the means to maintain your well being with tests, screenings and vaccinations; and peace of mind, knowing your family can get the cheap health care it deserves.
It seems like something is missing, no?
well, human is social and dominating animal. one has to think the standard and surity of life. nowadays lot many insurance policies provide the financial securities to life. deadly decease AIDS challenging the world at this juncture all lives to be insured.
People in the UK seem to be managing without private health insurance! And because of mass buying from the NHS we actually spend a lot less to get a lot more.
But people in the UK and other countries with nationalized health insurance programs frequently purchase private health insurance supplements, much like seniors on Medicare in our country currently purchase Medicare Supplement policies to help cover the gaps. For nationalized health insurance to work in the USA, we're going to have to have our doctors accept the fact that medicine is no longer going to be a vehicle to getting rich. The cost of health care drives the cost of health insurance, after all. I know that Georgia insurance can be obtained privately for reasonable costs – is it possible that instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater that we need to look at WHY this is all so expensive?
But people in the UK and other countries with nationalized health insurance programs frequently purchase private health insurance supplements, much like seniors on Medicare in our country currently purchase Medicare Supplement policies to help cover the gaps. For nationalized health insurance to work in the USA, we're going to have to have our doctors accept the fact that medicine is no longer going to be a vehicle to getting rich. The cost of health care drives the cost of health insurance, after all. I know that Georgia insurance can be obtained privately for reasonable costs – is it possible that instead of throwing the baby out with the bathwater that we need to look at WHY this is all so expensive?
My apologies for the broken HTML in the previous comment – the linked site was supposed to be a resource for obtaining reasonably-priced health insurance in Georgia.
I think it has been repaired now.
It sure has – thank you
And your post has inspired me to write one of my own. With the system we have now, it's tempting to go with the cheapest option possible and hope for nationalization. But that can leave you high and dry if you're not careful. To help folks get the insurance they need, I've written two articles detailing how the coverage for Humana and Golden Rule work (the two biggest individual insurers in the USA today):
http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/04/hu…
http://www.georgiainsuranceoptions.com/2009/04/uh…
I hope that these can help provide some insight into how insurance companies work!
Thank you for the article… I'm "lucky", i am not one of them