Comments on: Why Do Liberals Want To Trash Health Care?

By: endo

endo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:19:52 +0000

You say America has the best health care system in the world but the only country you compare it to directly with any consistency is Canada. I guess that means Canada has the second best health care on the planet.
We spend much much more than the rest of the civilized world on health care but our life expectancies and overall health are lower than the majority of those countries. In something so complicated there will always be exceptions. You say we have better access to treatment and higher survival rates for cancer but don’t mention that we get cancer more often. The fact that we spend so much for access to technology but live shorter lives is a huge part of the problem. We spend like crazy for unnecessary treatments but don’t take simple, preventative steps. (you didn’t mention we are also the most medicated society on the planet, does that make us more sickly or mean we are over prescribed?)
We spend more per capita than any country you mentioned but according to the World Health Org. we have shorter less healthy lives.
Sure everyone that doesn’t agree whole heartedly is a “dumb butt monkey”. Only a twelve year old would quote one article on such a complicated issue then rip on people that don’t completely buy into their argument.

By: Canadian Fundamentalist

Canadian Fundamentalist — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:18:59 +0000

Actually, you’ve pretty much just listed facts about cancer survival rates. That’s not “every single metric.”
For instance, when compared to many other industrialised countries the United States has an appaling adult mortality rate.
Canada is at seventy-two per one hundred thousand, UK is high around eighty and the United States ranks amongst the lowest scores of modern nations at almost one hundred and ten.
“When asked about their own health care instead of the “health care system,” more than half of Americans (51.3 percent) are very satisfied with their health care services, compared with only 41.5 percent of Canadians”
Where did you get this information from? We have a different statistic.
“…the majority (85%) of Canadians were very or somewhat satisfied with the health care services they received in 2005.”
You say “very satisfied”, but that isn’t everything. You are simply using manipulative terminology to warp the facts. The fact is that the vast majority of Canadians are content with their health care system.
Edit: Well my question about your information regarding the surveys wasn’t so much about verification of the information so much as the manner in which it is presented. Again, almost ninety percent of Canadians are satisfied with their treatment.
You should also remember that despite what the Hoover Press says, the United Nations World Health Organisation has ranked all of the countries you mentioned (with the exception of New Zealand) higher than the United States.
The article you listed portrays the US health care system as “better” by presenting a very narrow range of topics. When comparing stats in other areas, the United States lags behind the rest of the industrialised world (e.g. overall adult mortality rate, preventable deaths, infant mortality etc.)

By: Mewtwo

Mewtwo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:58:48 +0000

Some people DON’T have cancer.

By: Ta-da!

Ta-da! — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:01:28 +0000

If that’s true, why were we ranked 37th in the world?!
Secondly, not everyone who has cancer or some other disease will get treated for it, you wouldn’t believe some of the horror stories I’ve heard about how insurance agencies find some minor circumstance to deny people payment, it’s terrifying. For instance I’ve heard of a man (at a town hall meeting) who died of cancer because his insurance company found out he had gall stones. They found these AFTER they found the cancer, called it a preexisting condition and that was the end of him.

By: No YOU'RE a Towel

No YOU'RE a Towel — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:35:53 +0000

For every single fact you can find about how good American health care is, someone can find a counter-fact. Like infant mortality, amount of money per capita spent, number of people bankrupted because of medical emergencies, etc.
Not to mention that none of those facts have and sort of source.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:14:40 +0000

Wow this one is going to be easy. All I need to do is post something that isnt full of liberal BS and contorted facts and I get the best answer award! Thanks for the 10!
Ok the reason is the federal govt doesnt give a **** about health care. it is just another way to extort more money from americans and use it to hand out to the lazy that vote democrat. THey can actually give a raise to liberals that vote for them that way. I mean $3 TRILLION more dollars per year for hand outs? JACKPOT! Heres a clue. if you want something how about earning it? Has that idea ever crossed a democrats mind?