Universal Health Care: French Edition

So, the President travelled to the Mid-East and then Europe earlier this month.  While in France, the President delivered his Weekly Radio Address.  In this address, he spoke directly about our health care situation and how we need to change it.  I think that we should take the opportunity to explore the French version of this vision.

With just a little bit of Googling I found numerous articles from sources such as:

Reuters

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

Business Week

After just an easy overview of these articles, it is apparent that the French are kicking our asses in the whole health care thing.  In the Business Week article, France has itself coming in 1st with the US rounding out at 37th.  In Reuters, Uncle Sam is running 19th in a 19 man race while France, again, places 1st.  All in all, no matter how you look at it, America is lagging.  Perhaps Mr. Oabama had it right to initiate his Health care kickoff in the country that has it going on.

But, before we acknowledge that we have indeed failed, let’s take a look at what it is that has France ranked so high in all of our studies.  For example, in the Reuters study, it was a ranking of 19 nations in preventable deaths due to treatable conditions.  And in the Business Week article, it quotes the ranking done by WHO, The World Health Organization, that has France coming 1st and the United States a dismal 37th.  In that ranking, the WHO lists infant mortality rates, life span, available beds and doctors per citizen as well as deaths from respiratory disease.  And all of this, of course, as the United States pays more for it’s health care than any other nation.

On the face of things, it would seem that indeed, the United States is in dire need of reform and, in fact, may finally have to implement some form of national health care.  After all, America remains the only industrialized nation not to have such a system.

In the following days, I will look deeper into the claims made by various agencies.  Look deeper into the numbers and identify if yes, the United States is in as bad as shape as it would appear.

2 responses to “Universal Health Care: French Edition

  1. AMERICA’S NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY!

    It’s official. America and the World are now in a GLOBAL PANDEMIC. A World EPIDEMIC with potential catastrophic consequences for ALL of the American people. The first PANDEMIC in 41 years. And WE THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES will have to face this PANDEMIC with the 37th worst quality of healthcare in the developed World.

    STAND READY AMERICA TO SEIZE CONTROL OF YOUR NATIONAL HEALTHCARE SYSTEM.

    We spend over twice as much of our GDP on healthcare as any other country in the World. And Individual American spend about ten times as much out of pocket on healthcare as any other people in the World. All because of GREED! And the PRIVATE FOR PROFIT healthcare system in America.

    And while all this is going on, some members of congress seem mostly concern about how to protect the corporate PROFITS! of our GREED DRIVEN, PRIVATE FOR PROFIT NATIONAL DISGRACE. A PRIVATE FOR PROFIT DISGRACE that is in fact, totally valueless to the public health. And a detriment to national security, public safety, and the public health.

    Progressive democrats and others should stand firm in their demand for a robust public option for all Americans, with all of the minimum requirements progressive democrats demanded. If congress can not pass a robust public option with at least 51 votes and all robust minimum requirements, congress should immediately move to scrap healthcare reform and demand that President Obama declare a state of NATIONAL HEALTHCARE EMERGENCY! Seizing and replacing all PRIVATE FOR PROFIT health insurance plans with the immediate implementation of National Healthcare for all Americans under the provisions of HR676 (A Single-payer National Healthcare Plan For All).

    Coverage can begin immediately through our current medicare system. With immediate expansion through recruitment of displaced workers from the canceled private sector insurance industry. Funding can also begin immediately by substitution of payroll deductions for private insurance plans with payroll deductions for the national healthcare plan. This is what the vast majority of the American people want. And this is what all objective experts unanimously agree would be the best, and most cost effective for the American people and our economy.

    In Mexico on average people who received medical care for A-H1N1 (Swine Flu) with in 3 days survived. People who did not receive medical care until 7 days or more died. This has been the same results in the US. But 50 million Americans don’t even have any healthcare coverage. And at least 200 million of you with insurance could not get in to see your private insurance plans doctors in 2 or 3 days, even if your life depended on it. WHICH IT DOES!

    Contact congress and your representatives NOW! AND SPREAD THE WORD!

    God Bless You

    Jacksmith – WORKING CLASS

  2. Jacksmith,

    I think that you are wrong.

    I don’t think that we are facing the worst outbreak in so many years. In fact, this outbreak is not even as bad as the common flu. And we face that every single year.

    I have one question for you:

    How many people do you think don’t have access to quality medical care?

    And the follow up question, how much are we going to tax people to fund this system?

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