The Paradox Of U.S. Healthcare (Al Jazeera)

[Hissyspit]

This article is from a few days ago, but it is a very good simplified overview of the American health care situation.

http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/10/2009103164332709367.html

UPDATED ON:
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2009
08:58 MECCA TIME, 05:58 GMT

The paradox of US healthcare
By Andrew Kennis

For nearly two decades, Wendell Potter led a very comfortable life as a public relations health insurance executive. However, while flying on a corporate jet and being served lunch on gold-rimmed china with gold-plated cutlery, Potter had an epiphany of sorts.

He realised that the reason why millions of Americans were without health insurance or under-insured was because: "Our Wall Street-driven healthcare system has created one of the most inequitable healthcare systems on the planet."

This June, Potter left his well-paid and secure job at CIGMA, one of the US's largest health insurance companies, and has spoken out in favour of healthcare reform.

Potter become a whistleblower and is now speaking out against industry abuses on national television news shows. He does not mince words when telling Al Jazeera that if a strong "public option" is not passed by Congress, healthcare executives would be effectively allowed to continue policies that "literally kill thousands of Americans every year, through denied coverage, as a result of relentless pressure coming from Wall Street".

- snip -

Paying more, getting less

About 50 million Americans are without health insurance In the meantime, the US continues to be the country with the highest proportion of uninsured people in the developed world. It also has the distinction of spending a greater portion of its total economic output on healthcare than any other developed country - just over 17 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP) last year.

On average, the US spends twice as much as other developed countries on healthcare. But even though US citizens pay more for healthcare, they get less of it, resulting in a lowly 37th place ranking among healthcare systems in the world, according to a study by the World Health Organization based on quality and fairness.

- snip -

One grouping of healthcare systems can be described as socially insured and multi-payer (Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Israel, Belgium and Austria), another as socially insured and single-payer (Taiwan and Canada), and a third as nationally insured and delivered (United Kingdom, Spain, all of Scandinavia, Italy and Iceland). Socially insured and multi-payer systems feature health insurance delivered by non-profit insurers. Those who are unemployed or cannot afford to pay for the insurance, receive governmental assistance so that universal coverage is achieved.

- snip -

Another recent ABC News/Washington Post poll documented public support for governmental insurance going even farther, as 56 per cent supporting the idea even if it meant running corporate insurers out of business.

What is even clearer than the apparent gulf that exists between public opinion and the limited reforms being considered, however, is that the US stands alone among other developed countries in terms of its profit-driven and industry-dictated healthcare system.

FULL ARTICLE AT LINK