No wonder the end of the world is being talked about.

First, this article contains some info that contradicts your claims:
http://www.articlesbase.com/women%27s-health-ar...

Second, cancer rates worldwide are volatile, given the fact that diet and lifestyle has such an effect. These kinds of inconsistent statistics are kind of difficult to apply when advocating any healthcare system. Perhaps a better indicator would be infant mortality rates:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_...

Don't you think a country like the US ought to be a LITTLE higher on that list?

I'll see your loved one in Italy, and raise you a deceased mom: the only reasons she received top notch in-home hospice care are as follows: A) she used to work in the HMO that was providing care, B) her husband was still a respected doctor in said HMO, and C) the organization was located in a region that encouraged availability of alternative therapies alongside traditional ones; she was able to obtain acupuncture and reiki along with her unlimited meds. You know as well as I do that most Americans would be not be quite so lucky.

And no, affordable healthcare is not terrible, given the fact that so many Americans currently can't afford basic services. How is getting no healthcare EVER better than getting some?? I currently pay for my own insurance through a freelancer group, and the sweet irony is that I still have to put some care on hold due to my outrageous specialist copays and prescription deductible (basically it's a glorified catastrophic plan, yay!). You seem pretty confident that the situation is better in the US than everywhere else, but my foreign friends would all disagree with you (not to mention my American peers currently being hounded by collection agencies over emergency room bills they cannot possibly pay). In fact, my international friends' parents all worry about them while they stay on American soil.

On a larger scale, no one is denying that profit is a factor in research. There is a place for profit, but it is not the end all and be all of medicine. Why aren't we working as a country to rid ourselves of for-profit insurance companies? HOW DOES ANYONE (other than those profiting directly) BENEFIT FROM THIS SYSTEM (to be honest, I'm actually flabbergasted that more of the conservative Christian movement isn't upset over the morality of denying care to those who need it)? If we could at least provide a baseline level of care for those who need it, there are others who will always pay for upgrades.

My boyfriend went back to his native country for a visit over the summer, and had two wisdom teeth removed. Even though he is not covered, the whole procedure (along with x-rays) cost him about $125 total!

First, this article contains some info that contradicts your claims:
http://www.articlesbase.com/women%27s-health-ar...

Second, cancer rates worldwide are volatile, given the fact that diet and lifestyle has such an effect. These kinds of inconsistent statistics are kind of difficult to apply when advocating any healthcare system. Perhaps a better indicator would be infant mortality rates:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_...

Don't you think a country like the US ought to be a LITTLE higher on that list?

I'll see your loved one in Italy, and raise you a deceased mom: the only reasons she received top notch in-home hospice care are as follows: A) she used to work in the HMO that was providing care, B) her husband was still a respected doctor in said HMO, and C) the organization was located in a region that encouraged availability of alternative therapies alongside traditional ones; she was able to obtain acupuncture and reiki along with her unlimited meds. You know as well as I do that most Americans would be not be quite so lucky.

And no, affordable healthcare is not terrible, given the fact that so many Americans currently can't afford basic services. How is getting no healthcare EVER better than getting some?? I currently pay for my own insurance through a freelancer group, and the sweet irony is that I still have to put some care on hold due to my outrageous specialist copays and prescription deductible (basically it's a glorified catastrophic plan, yay!). You seem pretty confident that the situation is better in the US than everywhere else, but my foreign friends would all disagree with you (not to mention my American peers currently being hounded by collection agencies over emergency room bills they cannot possibly pay). In fact, my international friends' parents all worry about them while they stay on American soil.

On a larger scale, no one is denying that profit is a factor in research. There is a place for profit, but it is not the end all and be all of medicine. Why aren't we working as a country to rid ourselves of for-profit insurance companies? HOW DOES ANYONE (other than those profiting directly) BENEFIT FROM THIS SYSTEM (to be honest, I'm actually flabbergasted that more of the conservative Christian movement isn't upset over the morality of denying care to those who need it)? If we could at least provide a baseline level of care for those who need it, there are others who will always pay for upgrades.

My boyfriend went back to his native country for a visit over the summer, and had two wisdom teeth removed. Even though he is not covered, the whole procedure (along with x-rays) cost him about $125 total!

First, this article contains some info that contradicts your claims:
http://www.articlesbase.com/women%27s-health-ar...

Second, cancer rates worldwide are volatile, given the fact that diet and lifestyle has such an effect. These kinds of inconsistent statistics are kind of difficult to apply when advocating any healthcare system. Perhaps a better indicator would be infant mortality rates:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_...

Don't you think a country like the US ought to be a LITTLE higher on that list?

I'll see your loved one in Italy, and raise you a deceased mom: the only reasons she received top notch in-home hospice care are as follows: A) she used to work in the HMO that was providing care, B) her husband was still a respected doctor in said HMO, and C) the organization was located in a region that encouraged availability of alternative therapies alongside traditional ones; she was able to obtain acupuncture and reiki along with her unlimited meds. You know as well as I do that most Americans would be not be quite so lucky.

And no, affordable healthcare is not terrible, given the fact that so many Americans currently can't afford basic services. How is getting no healthcare EVER better than getting some?? I currently pay for my own insurance through a freelancer group, and the sweet irony is that I still have to put some care on hold due to my outrageous specialist copays and prescription deductible (basically it's a glorified catastrophic plan, yay!). You seem pretty confident that the situation is better in the US than everywhere else, but my foreign friends would all disagree with you (not to mention my American peers currently being hounded by collection agencies over emergency room bills they cannot possibly pay). In fact, my international friends' parents all worry about them while they stay on American soil.

On a larger scale, no one is denying that profit is a factor in research. There is a place for profit, but it is not the end all and be all of medicine. Why aren't we working as a country to rid ourselves of for-profit insurance companies? HOW DOES ANYONE (other than those profiting directly) BENEFIT FROM THIS SYSTEM (to be honest, I'm actually flabbergasted that more of the conservative Christian movement isn't upset over the morality of denying care to those who need it)? If we could at least provide a baseline level of care for those who need it, there are others who will always pay for upgrades.

My boyfriend went back to his native country for a visit over the summer, and had two wisdom teeth removed. Even though he is not covered, the whole procedure (along with x-rays) cost him about $125 total!