How Many U.S. Dead for Health Care Profits Does It Take to Cause Alarm?

Mike & Friends Blog

Donna Smith

Donna Smith, American SiCKO, is executive director of the Health Care for All Colorado Foundation

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May 24th, 2013 8:03 PM

How Many U.S. Dead for Health Care Profits Does It Take to Cause Alarm?

Health Care Costs, U.S. Laps the Field Again

By Donna Smith

We keep winning the race to see who can charge the most for health care services around the world. We also keep winning the race to see who can force the most people into bankruptcy and which system can kill people for profit most openly.

I think I'll start with the death totals first this evening.

Today's count:

The 2013, to date, U.S. medical-financial-industrial -complex system dead: 17,589

The 2013, to date, U.S. health care system bankrupt: 282,864

So, are you alarmed? If you are, you are outnumbered by those who don't really care or who have moved on to some other cause more immediately satisfying to them. For the people who loved those who died today, there will be no coming back from another distraction to find their loved one waiting for attention. Dead is dead. Broke is broke.

I looked a remarkable report this week that did yet another comparison of the health systems around the world and their costs for several services. The International Federation of Health Plans issued its 2012 Comparative Price Report, and the U.S. wins again -- we charge more than anyone else.

So while we allow so many thousands of our people to die, suffer, and go broke, we absolutely maintain the winner's spot on making money. Our priorities are clear -- we love our cash. We love life and quality of life a lot less. Check out the report. Ponder the realities. Count the dead and broke.

And if you dare to care, don't turn your attention away from the harsh realities. Help educate others about just how much we are spending compared to the rest of the world. It is an insanity and an insult we can and will fix. An improved and expanded Medicare for all for life system could start bringing this back in line by allowing us to stop rewarding profit over health outcomes and compassion. Everybody in, nobody out.