The best health care in the World is available in the United States

[rhett o rick]

according to John Stossel and ABC. I agree that is most likely true for the rich. Mr. Stossel in a recent special on ABC Mr. Stossel expounded on the wonders of capitalism and how it works so well for health care. He gave examples of famous people that have come to the US to get special health care. Of course all of these people were rich. Mr. Stossel didn’t mention that many in the US go to Mexico for affordable health care or Canada for affordable prescriptions. These are people in the lower classes, people that Mr. Stossel and the capitalists like to ignore. But this special shouldn’t be confused with a documentary, like Michael Moore produced. No this special was more like an infomercial for capitalism. The “interview” Mr. Stossel had with a grocery store CEO was a joke. Mr. Stossel fed the CEO questions that permitted the CEO to propagandize his company’s new health care plan. CEO’s of course are a favorite of capitalist/corporatist Stossel. The CEO’s in the US make approx 400 times an average worker and the gap is growing. In other industrialized countries of Europe and Japan it is more like 20 or 30 times.

In this infomercial for corporatism, Mr. Stossel tried to compare getting good health care with buying a car. Sorry John, but where I might take a chance with a cheaper car, I don’t want my heart by-pass done by the cheapest doctor.

And to those that insist that the media is liberal, I’d like to point out that Mr. Stossel (not liberal) got a prime time platform on ABC to propagandize his corporatist agenda, while those that oppose such an agenda, like Michael Moore do not get such a platform.

Speaking of Mr. Moore, Mr. Stossel did mention him in this special, but only to call him fat two or three times. I would hope Mr. Stossel would be above this school yard behavior.

As a true corporatist, Mr. Stossel, in his “special” totally ignored the millions in this Country that have no health care at all.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. The entire program was filled with LIES. I wrote ABC

I've told them I've written their local supermarket sponsor and asked them to never again advertise on a Stossel program. I also wrote Michael Moore and asked him why he allowed himself to be interviewed by an asshole like Stossel who edited out 99% of Michael's interview and left only his gestures and Stossel insulting Michael.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Wasn't it Sir John who did the hit piece on the glyconutrients??

He wasn't interested in what they had done for people, he was only interested in taking down the company as a whole.

At least some M.D.'s weren't afraid to tell what they have seen with their patients... I would recommend to Mr. Stossel that he speak with these docs so he will have a better understanding of what he is trying to destroy.




http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Power-Sugars-Breakthrough-Nutrition/dp/0973731702/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-4877150-3992427?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189950013&sr=8-1
As I read each chapter I would often think "that is the best yet." That is, until I started working my way through the next chapter. This book is absolutely remarkable and I predict it will become a nutritional best seller and one of the most important books of the year on nutrition. Maybe the most important of any year. There is a reason why The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which produces the highly respected MIT Review, released their February, 2003 issue entitled, "10 Emerging Technologies That Will Change the World!"

These doctors have put this "emerging technology" in front of the public in an easy to read work showing how glyconutrients will change the face of health care forever in the area of nutritional science. Moreover, this book will surely impact the exploding field of Glycobiology, which is the study of how sugars impact living systems. And finally, with this work, the term "glyconutrients" has entered into the public lexicon.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

7. All I want to know is why does ABC keep the asshole?

He has done SO MUCH DAMAGE to the "little" people (the poor, the disabled, children, etc). All he does is stick his nose deep in the anuses of the rich. But still, lots of journalists do that, and they've come and gone, but this piece of shit is still there. Does anyone know why?

[Warpy]

14. Stossel needs to get sick

and find out that not even a huge paycheck from ABC will buy him first class care in the US.

The truth is that hospitals have cut staffing to dangerous levels, and that's in the VIP wing he hopes to occupy as well as the ordinary wards we peasants go to.

Healthcare is broken, Stossel, and you're one MI away from finding it out.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. 35,000 are on the waiting list for kidney transplant, 300,000 are on

dialysis, obesity in children is out of control, diabetes developing like it was a new fad or something, we "may" have the best healthcare and damn are we ever gonna need it.

[spanone]

3. We DO have the best healthcare that few can afford

recently had knee surgery that cost around $20,000.00. without insurance i would have been crippled....so it goes

[FormerDittoHead]

6. ...and if you can't afford it, YOU DON'T DESERVE IT. See how easy the "market" makes things?

:sarcasm:

I HATE Jon Stossel and all of the smiley fascists like Glenn Beck with a white heat.

[pretzel4gore]

5. in USA, penniless inner city children in front of the line for treatment!

the very best money can buy. In Canada, fat old rich guys sometimes in front of the penniless inner city kids! IT AINT FAIR! The American way, where the little unhealthy hapless kids are given top billing- that's darn hard to beat; even the social wankers must admit! Canada should be ashamed! Putting the rich in front of the not-rich! (though sometimes, indeed fairly often, the less fortunate do get front line served, simply because they're more numerous then rich folk...still, even the exceptions are disgraceful, and perhaps privatising the system only solution!)
as far as stossel is concerned, he belongs in prison. He's an agent of privilege, taking up public owned airways to promote his paid-for opinions in defiance of public interest; iow he's a seditionist as he's working against public order and promoting chaos and violence (please, someone, give stossel some!)
hahasha, just kiddin'

[LibDemAlways]

8. That entire show played like an unfunny "comedy"

movie parody. Corporate CEO, of a health food grocery chain no less, touts the $1500.00 he generously gives his employees each year to put toward their health care. Healthy young employee endorses program. He has his $1500 in the bank, where, presumably he's going to parlay it into a fortune. Even if he gets sick, he's going to be reluctant to see a doctor because he likes having that little nest egg. Stossel conveniently forgets to interview middle-aged, diabetic employee, whose $1500 is long gone and who is struggling with high deductible on what amounts to "catastrophic" coverage. Also forgets to mention salary of CEO, for whom $1500 is the type of cash that, if he came across it on the ground, might not take the trouble to pick it up.

Stossel moves on to a "medi-stop" clinic at the mall as a solution for health-care consumers. Staffed by nurses, these walk-in clinics treat ailments such as sore throats and ear infections. I for one am absolutely thrilled to shop among people who've come to the mall sick looking for relief from that nasty cold. And I'm going to be sure to bring my kids, too.

Then there's the doctor Stossel heartily endorses who's given up on insurance and hands his patients a menu of his services - with prices - that looks like a fast food take-out flier. Well, doc, I'm having chest pains, but the treatment for that looks a little pricey and out of my budget. I think I'll settle for the $50.00 splinter removal today.

I would be willing to bet Stossel has excellent health care coverage thanks to the union to which he belongs. He will never enter a "medi-stop" clinic at the mall, or skip care for an ailment because he wants to hang on to the $1500 in his health savings account, or visit a doctor who hands him a menu of services. When he's not feeling 100%, he has access to the finest doctors, and his insurance pays the bill. The hypocrisy is just beyond belief.

[rhett o rick]

10. I bet the grocery store CEO keeps his employees' health savings

in "safe" keeping for them. Like Northwest kept employees' retirement money "safe" for them. The company has a little financial trouble and poof a so-called liberal judge lets him forget he owes the health savings money.

[LibDemAlways]

12. I just read an article which explains the plan in more

detail. The company, does indeed, set up the account and manage the money. Only longtime employees get the full $1500, which is basically the yearly deductible for their "catastrophic" coverage. Employees with less seniority start out with $300.00 in their account. Once that's used up they have to fork over the additional $1200 before insurance kicks in.

You are right. If the company takes a dive, those dollars could disappear rapidly.

[Rosemary2205]

18. You are lying about Whole Food's health benefits.

Perhaps unintentionally but it's a lie none the less.

Whole Foods spends about $400 a month on individuals for a "catastrophic" plan that covers at 90% or higher after the employee spends their $1500 deductable. Whole Foods pays them the $1500 the money keeps rolling over and can be spent on anything from bandaids to tylenol to a separate "gap" policy. I ASKED my employer to offer the same type of policy choice because I am a total drain on everyone else due to post car accident medical situations. My family policy has a $3000 deductable and covers after that at 90% or higher. My employer puts $3000 in my HSA for me that rolls over (I normally use it all) and I add another $2000 or more a year- none of this money is subject to income taxes. After 3 years of being covered by this type of policy I have learned many ways to reduce my healthcare costs dramatically to about 70% of what "our" costs would be if I was still covered under my husbands GM/UAW HMO policy.

While I am in favor of universal, single payer medical care -- it's extremely important IMHO to accurately state the facts of the current system we have. Mischaracterizations are not in any way productive.

[LibDemAlways]

22. I was only characterizing the Whole Foods plan the way

Stossel and the company CEO characterized it. Employees were given $1500 in a Health Care Savings Account - no mention made of a lesser amount for employees who hadn't yet been employed long enough to qualify for the $1500 - that, if the employee didn't touch, could roll over. One man said he never touched his $1500 and was using it to build a nest egg for himself. Another woman said she is extremely cautious in how she "spends" the money and "comparison shops" for medical services.

What wasn't addressed was how employees who don't qualify for the full $1500 are supposed to come up with the money to meet the high deductibles. Also not addressed was the issue of employees not seeking care because of the high deductibles.

If this type of plan works for some people, fine. But the devil is in the details, and those were glossed over or ignored by Stossel in his biased report.

[Rosemary2205]

23. Stossel did report it.

It was clearly stated that 23% of Whole Foods employees voted against the change in plan because they were better off under the old system.

My personal feeling is that Whole Foods has enough employees to warrant a choice. Those who opt for insurance that is more expensive to Whole Foods should be able to have a choice to cover the added expense themselves if they think they will come out better than under a high deductable plan.

[Avalux]

9. How can he explain this then?

US Infant Survival Rates Lower Than Most Developed Nations'

The USA has an infant mortality rate of 5 per 1,000, the same as Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Malta. Of 33 developed countries, America is just above Latvia, the bottom of the group.

Below you can see the list of newborn deaths per 1,000 live births in the top 33 industrialised countries. They are grouped from A to F. Each group is listed alphabetically.

A - Japan 1.8/1000
B - Czech Rep 2/1000
B - Finland 2/1000
B - Iceland 2/1000
B - Norway 2/1000
C - Austria 3/1000
C - France 3/1000
C - Germany 3/1000
C - Israel 3/1000
C - Italy 3/1000
C - Luxembourg 3/1000
C - Portugal 3/1000
C - Slovenia 3/1000
C - Spain 3/1000
D - Australia 4/1000
D - Belgium 4/1000
D - Canada 4/1000
D - Denmark 4/1000
D - Estonia 4/1000
D - Greece 4/1000
D - Ireland 4/1000
D - Lithuania 4/1000
D - Netherlands 4/1000
D - New Zealand 4/1000
D - Switzerland 4/1000
D - United Kingdom 4/1000
E - Hungary 5/1000
E - Malta 5/1000
E - Poland 5/1000
E - Slovakia 5/1000
E - USA - 5/1000
F - Latvia 6/1000

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/43094.php

[rhett o rick]

11. Mr. Stossel is a capitalist/corporitist. He believes in survival of the richest.

Uncontrolled capitalism leads to fascism.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

13. Sure. That's why WHO rates the USA 37th. Just behind Costa Rica.

http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html

1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America

[Rosemary2205]

19. That list is not a reflection on medical care.

It is a reflection on the overall health of citizens - meaning it reflects lifestyle not just medical care.

France is ranked #1 and their medical care system has so many problems the doctors go on strike on a regular basis.

[TahitiNut]

24. "it finds that France provides the best overall health care..."

The linked article is fairly clear ...
"WHO’s assessment system was based on five indicators: overall level of population health; health inequalities (or disparities) within the population; overall level of health system responsiveness (a combination of patient satisfaction and how well the system acts); distribution of responsiveness within the population (how well people of varying economic status find that they are served by the health system); and the distribution of the health system’s financial burden within the population (who pays the costs).

:eyes:

While overall level of health is, understandably, a component of the ranking, it's NOT the sole determinant.

[area51]

15. One of the things Stossel & other nazi party members leave out,

is that if the U.S. healthcare system is so fscking wonderful, why is no other country rushing to emulate us? Could it be that other countries are pro-life, instead of pro-death like the U.S., and believe in spending their citizens' tax dollars wisely on healthcare?

[treestar]

16. It's available to the rich from other countries, too

Just not to all Americans. DK pointed this out - who cares if we are number 1 in healthcare when we can't all get healthcare? It is a ridiculouos absurdity to let the desire to be "Number one" be more valuable to us than getting healthcare. Yet that's the way it would seem when they bring this up.

Stossel is a moran and a corporate shill. His credibility is zero.

[TahitiNut]

17. Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, and Canner

Without grades of quality, we don't create a motive for wealth. After all, if the highest quality is available to all, what benefit is there to being wealthy? To give wealth some meaning, it must be able to obtain a quality that's unavailable to the hoi polloi.

[suffragette]

20. They must be getting worried

that more and more people are in favor of changing the health care system in the U.S. if they are trotting out Stossel in a special trying to squash the idea.

But, the people are the ones who have already had to deal with needing to rent buses to go to another country to purchase affordable medicine, trying to figure out what the hell to do when they hit the "donut hole" gap in prescription coverage and watching their family and neighbors suffer when some insurance bureaucrat turns down a medical procedure.

The people are ready for positive change.

[loyalsister]

21. The best health care.......

I didn't want any freepers to mine this so I thought it best to send it privately.

You can make an argument that some very poor people have access to good health care. I have witnessed that possibility.
When disability or chronic illness is finally recognized as debilitating, a person may get $700\month. When they get social security disability they get medicare, which covers almost all medical expenses. Then the thing that happens is they get treated by specialists.
In my state, If the person is really poor they will also have medicaide as a secondary.
Bottom line people who have lost everything, are very poor, disabled, elderly, do have access to health care.

However, the costs are social isolation, discrimination, inability to work, etc.

They pay a pretty high price, but they get health care.

I think that piece could be misinterpreted, because people tend to disregard the price as irrelevant, but it is a heavy one.

Just another piece of that puzzle\problem. I fit that demographic and have a sense of isolation from my middle class family who resent my access. I understand the inequity and that is the reason I feel like we need to spread my health plan to them.

[Trillo]

25. I haven't been particularly impressed.

Had your tonsils removed routinely when young and couldn't make your own decision? Ha Ha Ha, joke's on you.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
KaChing for a U.S. lifetime of Doctor & PharmaDrugCo dependence
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