05-18-2005, 08:59 AM
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#3
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally posted by MarchHare@May 18 2005, 02:48 PM
Saying which is better is a highly subjective and loaded question.
Canadians have higher life expectancies than Americans, and the rate of infant mortality is higher in the US than it is here (and even Cuba has better healthcare than the US in that respect!).
The rule of thumb I've always heard is that the US has the best health system in the world if you can afford it, but for the poor and middle classes, socialized medicine is usually a better choice. Unfortunately I can't back that up with statistics, so I'm not really any help to you there.
One thing that is worth pointing out, though, is that bankruptcies are very much on the rise in the US, and medical bills are the leading cause.
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/conte...thaff.w5.63/DC1
Quote:
In 2001, 1.458 million American families filed for bankruptcy. To investigate medical contributors to bankruptcy, we surveyed 1,771 personal bankruptcy filers in five federal courts and subsequently completed in-depth interviews with 931 of them. About half cited medical causes, which indicates that 1.9–2.2 million Americans (filers plus dependents) experienced medical bankruptcy. Among those whose illnesses led to bankruptcy, out-of-pocket costs averaged $11,854 since the start of illness; 75.7 percent had insurance at the onset of illness. Medical debtors were 42 percent more likely than other debtors to experience lapses in coverage. Even middle-class insured families often fall prey to financial catastrophe when sick.
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Emphasis mine.
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I know it is subjective. But it is one of those debates that I am positive some studies exist to support either side a bit but I couldn't find them.
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"Fun must be always!" - Tomas Hertl
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