Why can’t the U.S. provide health care for all citizens from cradle to grave?

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report dated June 21, 2000, the U.S. has the 37th best health care system in the world. That report shows us below small nations and some large, industrialized ones. We beat out Cuba (39) and we were way ahead of China (144). But the highly industrialized nations above us included France (1), Italy (2), Spain (7), Japan (10), Norway (11), the United Kingdom (18), Sweden (23), Germany (25), Israel (28), Canada (30), Finland (31), Australia (32) ... well, anyway, you get the idea.

I didn't find a more current ranking, but I doubt it has changed all that much.

I remember reading a statement by some historian, or possibly it was a politician, that went something like this: "Americans pay for the finest health care in the world -- we just don't get the finest health care in the world." Or something like that. The point, and I agree with it, would be this: We should be embarrassed at our failure to provide basic, quality health care to all of our people.

Admittedly, many nations with better health care rankings have less population. But most of them, too, have less national wealth, tax revenue, the just-plain-MONEY it takes to provide universal health care. So why can't the U.S. provide health care for all citizens?

Call me a socialist on this matter if you want, but I truly think we could do something like expand present government systems to include EVERYONE in adequate health care from the cradle to the grave. Certainly the present Medicare/Medicaid model has flaws, but it works. At least, the Medicare part works well for most citizens over 65. Why not work from that and expand it? I just don't get it. But I bet there are a lot of smarter people than I out there who DO get it.

Frankly, I believe if we cannot have a country where everyone who needs/wants a job with a decent living wage has one, where all our citizens have adequate, safe housing and nutrition, and all have adequate health care from the cradle to the grave -- then we're not spending our money on the right things. We need to back up and reshuffle our priorities and get 'em right.

Ah, well, what do I know? I'm just a guy who reads the papers.
[tags]universal health care, health care in the U.S., just a guy who reads the papers[/tags]

December 30, 2007 | Filed Under Health News