We spend far more, but our health care is falling behind

[caligirl]

Source: san francisco chronicle www.sfgate.com

Filmmaker Michael Moore might be onto something in his new documentary, "Sicko." These days, fewer Americans are buying the claim that the United States has the best medical system in the world.

With polls showing that health care is Americans' top domestic concern, politicians are scrambling to propose reforms. Consumers are buying lower-cost online drugs from foreign sources, and some even become "medical tourists" to obtain affordable treatment in other countries.

Studies show Americans aren't healthier, nor are they living longer than people in industrialized nations that spend half per capita of what we do on care.

For example, a 2007 Commonwealth Fund study that compared the United States with five other nations -- Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom -- ranked the U.S. health system last. The study looked at access to health care, efficiency, equity and healthy living, among other measures.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/10/HEALTH.TMP&tsp=1

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The author's last article on this was heavily biased to corporate views in a review of Sicko she wrote.

[Az]

1. Its almost as if there were something

impeding the flow of finances from our pocket to our actual care givers. As if something were in between siphoning off vast quantities of cash into some unknown black hole and returning nothing to the people for their investment. What ever could that something be?

[Lasher]

4. CLAIM DENIED

That's something I get back from the black hole.

[Bongo Prophet]

7. Like some kind of invisible hand

picking our collective pocket....

The hand that takes.
:nuke:

[Lasher]

10. Your primary provider paid 80% of reasonable and customary costs,

minus your deductible and copay. That leaves us as your secondary provider to consider the remaining one dollar and twenty seven cents. Despite our request, your physician has failed to furnish a notarized writ of habeas corpus to corroborate the necessity to perform the procedure(s) for which reimbursement was initially sought fourteen years ago. Therefore YOUR CLAIM IS DENIED. See reverse for explaination of denial codes 88.77.2(f) and 104.30.99(q). We appreciate your premiums. Have a nice day.

[The_Casual_Observer]

2. Heath care is a for-profit "industry" in the USA

Like no place else in the world. The american people are fools to have let this happen to them.

[Hieronymus]

3. Michael Moore read Wolf Blitzer the riot act Monday .. it was beautiful.

[Hissyspit]

5. "MIGHT BE onto something"? n/t

[cassiepriam]

6. The ins co execs become billionaires denying us care.

They get rich letting us die.

[Vinca]

8. My brother was canned from a managed care outfit for not denying

enough care. The bastards are in it for one thing and one thing only: MONEY.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. US healthcare $ = # of stiches

most docs try to get as many patients as possible who have conditions who will make them money.