This is my fourth blog this month on the U.S. health-care system.
The first three were:
1. Sept. 1: “We’re No. 37!” The blog provided a link to a Business Insider article that detailed the 36 health-care systems that are better than ours, including Chile and Costa Rica.
2. Sept. 4: "Harry Truman Told The Truth." The blog documented Truman’s plan for an Economic Bill of Rights that included “health security for all Americans."
3. Sept. 8: “Does Oliver Twist Live In The USA.” The blog focused on the USA‘s sad record on children‘s health care, including the fact that we have highest infant mortality rates, highest children’s mortality rate, and high child poverty rate among the 17 nations that were studied.
Health-Care Blog No. 4: USA System Ranked Worst Among 17 Nations
This blog is titled “Americans Smoke And Drink Less Than Others, But……..” because it begins with good news. Yes, Americans smoke and drink less than the average person in the 16 other nations studied by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine in its “Shorter Lives, Poorer Health” report.
Americans were LAST in longevity and health despite the good smoking and drinking news. The other nations studied were Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The bad news, which is summarized in an article in The Atlantic magazine includes:
* The USA is FIRST in deaths from all causes per 100,000 people. This is bad.
* The USA is FIRST in violent deaths per 100,000 people. The graph makes the USA look ridiculous because its death rate is three times higher than second-place Finland and roughly 13 times higher than last-place Japan.
* The USA is FIRST in road traffic accident deaths per 100,000 people by a wide margin.
* The USA is second in deaths per 100,000 people due to heart disease and lung disease.
Americans’ higher death rates “is across the lifespan, and regardless of income," said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. Interestingly, Americans have higher mortality rates up to age 75, but those who reach 75 are more likely to live longer than people in other nations.
The bad mortality rates are nothing new, because “for three decades, Americans, particularly men, have had either the lowest or near the lowest likelihood of surviving to age 50,” according to The Atlantic article. My father didn’t make it to 50, and the care or lack thereof he received was a major reason why.
Defenders of the American system repeatedly say the numbers are skewed by minorities and the poor. They should be ashamed for implying that those people don’t count -- and they’re wrong.
“Even white, well-off Americans live sicker and die sooner than similarly situated people elsewhere,” The Atlantic magazine article reports.
In addition, Americans who take care of themselves fare worse than their counterparts in other nations. Thus, Americans’ bad health is not just about obesity and lack of exercise. It’s also about indecent medical care.
The report recommends affordable health insurance for everyone, programs to encourage healthier behavior, and a stronger public safety net for people in poverty. Don’t bet on any of those things happening.
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