Thank the free fucking market

[tjts1]

[Bene]

Well yeah, but you're forgetting the trickle down effect. Where the rich take their medicine, and then it gets into the drinking water and in 50 years the US will be cancer and herpes free.

You have to look at the bigger picture.

[mrsleeve]

No thank govt involvement since the 60's


and the trolling is getting really fucking old and tiresome. We have several threads already devoted to this topic and this has been discussed and debated at length

[joshh]

Maybe it's inefficient because a large part of the US doesn't have any coverage. In other words it's a false statistic.
If you want to do just coverage fine but efficiency doesn't work that way.

[Turf1600]

Ok, this chart is retarded and tilted.

First of all, life expectancy is not a measure of health or quality of care. Additionally, INFINITE other factors play into life expectancy. How about air quality, food supply, socioeconomic factors, traffic, crime, leisure, exercise, infant mortality........the list goes on. Anyone who can't see through that is frightening. Put fast food on every corner in chile and then tell me what's up.

[delfin]

Health care is, at best, minimally related to life expectancy. Also, 78-82 is really not that much of a difference.

[KenC]

Ok, this chart is retarded and tilted.

First of all, life expectancy is not a measure of health or quality of care. Additionally, INFINITE other factors play into life expectancy. How about air quality, food supply, socioeconomic factors, traffic, crime, leisure, exercise, infant mortality........the list goes on. Anyone who can't see through that is frightening. Put fast food on every corner in chile and then tell me what's up.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

[CorvallisBMW]

Ok, this chart is retarded and tilted.

First of all, life expectancy is not a measure of health or quality of care. Additionally, INFINITE other factors play into life expectancy. How about air quality, food supply, socioeconomic factors, traffic, crime, leisure, exercise, infant mortality........the list goes on. Anyone who can't see through that is frightening. Put fast food on every corner in chile and then tell me what's up.

Are any of those factors much different in, for instance, the UK, France or Germany? Doubtful. While many things do play a role in life expectancy, availability and quality of healthcare is still #1 by a HUGE margin. And we still spend 10x more than any other country, per capita, with zero results to show for it (other than fat dividend checks to the stockholders)

[mrsleeve]

^^^^^^^^

You seem to forget that we here in the USA develop and pioneer the lions share of cutting edge drugs, surgical practices, and general medical advancements come FROM HERE. WE are paying to advance the medical sciences, WE are paying the R&D costs and the rest of the world just takes the fruits of the our labor

[KenC]

One of the MAJOR contributions to a lower life expectancy is obesity, which is out of control in this country. This isn't an acute condition that a perfectly functioning healthcare system can cure.

[joshh]

Are any of those factors much different in, for instance, the UK, France or Germany? Doubtful. While many things do play a role in life expectancy, availability and quality of healthcare is still #1 by a HUGE margin. And we still spend 10x more than any other country, per capita, with zero results to show for it (other than fat dividend checks to the stockholders)

Are they factoring in the free care many people (including illegals) get at hospitals? No I'm not saying it's as good as having insurance.
Including people that have no coverage is skewing the results. Or should at least be in it's own category. Or another stat all together. It doesn't speak for those who do get care. And doesn't speak for this countries care of those that are cared for. How do we rank amongst those with insurance? That would tell a different story all together. But it doesn't fit the agenda.
If this country had a surplus, even I'd agree to universal health care. But not Government run of course.

I.E. "America scores XXX except that XXX have no insurance or coverage at all".

[rwh11385]

Are any of those factors much different in, for instance, the UK, France or Germany? Doubtful. While many things do play a role in life expectancy, availability and quality of healthcare is still #1 by a HUGE margin. And we still spend 10x more than any other country, per capita, with zero results to show for it (other than fat dividend checks to the stockholders)

One of the MAJOR contributions to a lower life expectancy is obesity, which is out of control in this country. This isn't an acute condition that a perfectly functioning healthcare system can cure.

Dear Corvallis,

There's a bit of difference between diets in US vs. France and Germany. (Like try finding steak anywhere in Germany). UK doesn't seem as healthy in London but who knows - maybe country folk make up for city folk bad eating, especially with so many hobby farmers these days and the organic / healthy craze is way stronger there.

Look at Japan. Rice and fish seem a lot better than fried chicken and soda and bacon cheeseburgers.

Health care is the treatment of ailments, which may or may not be longevity-focused. I would assume we are the pinnacle of world's spending on penis pills, depression meds, hairloss treatments, lasik, and any other "quality of life" medicines that don't necessarily prolong life. Add in sports medicine too. It's not like all of the spending is towards survival.

+1 to Turf's and Ken's easier posts too.

But regardless of spending, freedom of human choice allows people to make unhealthy decisions which may shorten their life. Lack of exercise, poor diets, smoking, and risky behavior cannot be solved by spending $$.

[DeM3nted]

Excuse me sir, can I get the half pound bacon burger with 2 slices of cheese and four strips of bacon, a chocolate shake and large fries with my LIPITOR anti-cholesterol drug?

The answer is to tax the hell out of cigarettes and booze to offset high health care costs. Don't hate, don't hate.
Then, let's go beat the shit outta those oil hoarding fools in Libya, Iran, et al and scoundrels in corporate America, Exxon, Chevron, and across the pond at BP. We need our fix of low cost g-a$$hole-leen so that we can afford health care premiums and to get to the hospital.

[Bene]

Excuse me sir, can I get the half pound bacon burger with 2 slices of cheese and four strips of bacon, a chocolate shake and large fries with my LIPITOR anti-cholesterol drug?

The answer is to tax the hell out of cigarettes and booze to offset high health care costs. Don't hate, don't hate.
Then, let's go beat the shit outta those oil hoarding fools in Libya, Iran, et al and scoundrels in corporate America, Exxon, Chevron, and across the pond at BP. We need our fix of low cost g-a$$hole-leen so that we can afford health care premiums and to get to the hospital.

they're already overtaxed. And I don't know any statistics on it, but I have a feeling that fast food and hot-pockets have a much higher impact on the US's overall health. Let's tax those.

[z31maniac]

Excuse me sir, can I get the half pound bacon burger with 2 slices of cheese and four strips of bacon, a chocolate shake and large fries with my LIPITOR anti-cholesterol drug?

The answer is to tax the hell out of cigarettes and booze to offset high health care costs. Don't hate, don't hate.
Then, let's go beat the shit outta those oil hoarding fools in Libya, Iran, et al and scoundrels in corporate America, Exxon, Chevron, and across the pond at BP. We need our fix of low cost g-a$$hole-leen so that we can afford health care premiums and to get to the hospital.

Why not tax obese people?

If you're BMI is above "X," then you get an additional tax on that order of fries, or milkshake, or bacon cheeseburger. Hell, make it so they can only have a salad with oil/vinegar dressing and grilled chicken until they quit being fatty mcfat fats.