Health Care
This is what I'm talking about. Think about the issue instead of just listing off what some other group of idiots say.
WHO... why do you trust them? Did you ever look at how they ranked the health care systems? They ranked based on coverage. As in: France's health care system covered (past tense) everyone. What WHO did not rank was quality of service.
What people like me, are referring to when we say 'this is the greatest health care system in the world', is the quality of the service. We here in America have the most access to the best medical technology, the best pharmaceuticals, and the best doctors.
In France, in order to control cost, they use older drugs. For example, medicines for arthritis. In the US, when a new, more effective drug with fewer side effects is brought to market, we in the US, use it. France on the other hand, in order to save cost, will use the older drug instead. This is a good system?
Further, because of the price controls, pharmaceutical companies have no reason to develop new drugs. Why spend money on R&D to make a new better drug when you can't change any more for it than the drug you already have on the market? Worse, because of price caps, and capital gains taxes imposed on pharmaceutical companies, there is little to no money available to spend on R&D anyway (at least they are not greedy, right?). The result has been a drift of many companies to other nations like Germany and *surprise* the US where they can make money and develop new drugs. This is a good system?
Moreover, publicly funded hospitals are horribly ill-equipped. Most lacking staff, supplies and even the basics. In 2003, France had a massive heatwave that killed thousands... but what was shocking was the number of in-hospital deaths. Most state run hospitals do not have air conditioning! A nurse at one hospital complained they didn't even have ice! This is a good system?
Finely the French government run health care system has consistently run deficit since the second year it was started, and was $15 Billion in the red in 2004 prompting the government to cut budgets which resulted in nation wide strikes. In fact, France has had dozens of hospital staff strikes starting in 1988.
Now why am I bashing on the French? Because the WHO ranked them number 1. Is that a system that seems number 1 to you? No AC in hospitals? No supplies? Old drugs? No R&D for new medicine and treatments? This is what WHO thinks is a great system and you agree? You can get the best pills on the market, you can go to the most well equipped cleanest hospitals fully supplied, get looked at in under an hour, and have an MRI or whatever else you need, the same day, without worry of the staff having a strike.
Oh wait, their system is much better because we have 40 million people uninsured. Honestly I'm ok with that. I am a firm believer in taking responsibility for yourself. I learned the value of having insurance from when I had to go into the hospital.
In another post I mentioned I have a Muslim female friend. This women did not have insurance and I convinced her she needed it. I helped her shop for insurance. In that process I found she could get decent basic catastrophic insurance coverage for only $48 dollars a month. I ended up enrolling her in a $66 per month coverage that included some high deductible doctor/dentist and drug coverage.
Now given that most people pay more for their Cable/Internet service... what possible excuse does any American have? None... there is no excuse. So to me, 40 million people are uninsured, is a pitiful lame claim that our health care system sucks. Those people make their choices. It's their job to provide for themselves. Cut the cable and internet, and buy a health plan.
Now I don't know about radio pundits, but if they agree with me great... so I'll say it again... We have the best health care system in the world.
