Why we need universal health care NOW

What we spend, what we get. Small words, for small brains. We’re not best in the world. Clear?

All data from nationmaster.com, who in turn got it from reputable sources. Add to this, the economic inefficiency of having insurance tied to your job, of all the small businessmen that never got the chance because they could not hack the lack of health insurance, of the tremendous penalty paid by mature industries with mature workers that they insure.

Last I heard, everyone in the OECD except the US, Turkey, and Mexico, has universal health care. Nobody spends more. Most countries have (much) healthier citizes. To suppose that if we tried universal care, we would spend even more than we do now, and be unable to match any of our 20+ peers, is difficult to believe.

And yes, of course lots of people in nice suits will very nicely explain how none of this could ever work, and why we cannot change the system we have now. Those people in nice suits are well paid to say that — all that extra money that we spend ends up in someone’s pocket, and that someone would very much prefer that we do not economize them out of existence.

	y2000 OECD per capita spending (OECD)
United States:  	$4,631.00
Switzerland: 	$3,222.00
Germany: 	$2,748.00
Iceland: 	$2,608.00
Canada: 	$2,535.00
Denmark: 	$2,420.00
France: 	$2,349.00
Belgium: 	$2,268.00
Norway: 	$2,268.00
Netherlands: 	$2,246.00
Australia: 	$2,211.00
Austria: 	$2,162.00
Italy: 	$2,032.00
Japan: 	$2,011.00
Ireland: 	$1,953.00
United Kingdom: 	$1,764.00
Finland: 	$1,664.00
New Zealand: 	$1,623.00
Spain: 	$1,556.00
Portugal: 	$1,439.00
Greece: 	$1,399.00
Czech Republic: 	$1,031.00
Hungary: 	$842.00
Slovakia: 	$690.00
Mexico: 	$491.00
	
	
	y2004 % of GDP spending
United States:  	15.40%
Marshall Islands: 	15.20%
Kiribati: 	13.70%
Malawi: 	12.90%
Lebanon: 	11.60%
São Tomé and Príncipe: 	11.50%
Switzerland: 	11.50%
East Timor: 	11.20%
Germany: 	10.60%
France: 	10.50%
Austria: 	10.28%
Serbia and Montenegro: 	10.10%
Iceland: 	9.90%
Monaco: 	9.90%
Canada: 	9.80%
Jordan: 	9.80%
Portugal: 	9.80%
Palau: 	9.70%
Norway: 	9.70%
Belgium: 	9.70%
Argentina: 	9.60%
Australia: 	9.60%
Malta: 	9.20%
Netherlands: 	9.20%
Sweden: 	9.10%
Brazil: 	8.80%
Italy: 	8.70%
Israel: 	8.70%
Slovenia: 	8.70%
South Africa: 	8.60%
Denmark: 	8.60%
New Zealand: 	8.40%
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 	8.30%
Uruguay: 	8.20%
Nicaragua: 	8.20%
United Kingdom: 	8.10%
Spain: 	8.10%
Croatia: 	8.00%
Luxembourg: 	8.00%
Macedonia, Republic of: 	8.00%
Bulgaria: 	8.00%
Hungary: 	7.90%
Greece: 	7.90%
El Salvador: 	7.90%
Colombia: 	7.80%
Japan: 	7.80%
Suriname: 	7.80%
Turkey: 	7.72%
	
	
	y2008 life expectancy (years) at birth
Macau:  	84.33
Andorra: 	82.67
Japan: 	82.07
Singapore: 	81.89
San Marino: 	81.88
Hong Kong: 	81.77
Australia: 	81.53
Canada: 	81.16
France: 	80.87
Switzerland: 	80.74
Sweden: 	80.74
Guernsey: 	80.65
Israel: 	80.61
Iceland: 	80.55
Anguilla: 	80.53
Cayman Islands: 	80.32
New Zealand: 	80.24
Italy: 	80.07
Gibraltar: 	80.06
Monaco: 	79.96
Liechtenstein: 	79.95
Spain: 	79.92
Norway: 	79.81
Jersey: 	79.65
Greece: 	79.52
Austria: 	79.36
Malta: 	79.3
Faroe Islands: 	79.29
Netherlands: 	79.25
Luxembourg: 	79.18
Martinique: 	79.18
Germany: 	79.1
Belgium: 	79.07
Guam: 	78.93
Virgin Islands: 	78.92
Saint Pierre and Miquelon: 	78.91
United Kingdom: 	78.85
Finland: 	78.82
Man, Isle of: 	78.8
Jordan: 	78.71
Korea, South: 	78.64
Puerto Rico: 	78.58
Bosnia and Herzegovina: 	78.33
Bermuda: 	78.3
Saint Helena: 	78.27
Cyprus: 	78.15
United States: 	78.14
Denmark: 	78.13
Ireland: 	78.07
Guadeloupe: 	78.06
Portugal: 	78.04
Albania: 	77.78
	
	
	y2001 expected healthy years (OECD)
Japan:  	73.6
Switzerland: 	72.8
Sweden: 	71.8
Australia: 	71.6
France: 	71.3
Iceland: 	71.1
Austria: 	71
Italy: 	71
Spain: 	70.9
Norway: 	70.8
Luxembourg: 	70.6
Greece: 	70.4
New Zealand: 	70.3
Germany: 	70.2
Finland: 	70.1
Denmark: 	70.1
Canada: 	69.9
Netherlands: 	69.9
Belgium: 	69.7
United Kingdom: 	69.6
Ireland: 	69
United States: 	67.6
Portugal: 	66.8
Czech Republic: 	66.6
Poland: 	64.3
Slovakia: 	64.1
Mexico: 	63.8
Hungary: 	61.8
Turkey: 	59.8
	
	
	infant deaths per 1000 live births
Singapore: 	2.3
Sweden: 	2.75
Japan: 	2.8
Hong Kong: 	2.93
Macau: 	3.23
Iceland: 	3.25
France: 	3.36
Finland: 	3.5
Anguilla: 	3.54
Norway: 	3.61
Andorra: 	3.68
Malta: 	3.79
Czech Republic: 	3.83
Germany: 	4.03
Switzerland: 	4.23
Spain: 	4.26
Israel: 	4.28
Korea, South: 	4.29
Slovenia: 	4.3
Denmark: 	4.4
Austria: 	4.48
Belgium: 	4.5
Liechtenstein: 	4.52
Guernsey: 	4.53
Luxembourg: 	4.62
Netherlands: 	4.81
Australia: 	4.82
Portugal: 	4.85
Gibraltar: 	4.91
United Kingdom: 	4.93
New Zealand: 	4.99
Jersey: 	5.01
Canada: 	5.08
Ireland: 	5.14
Monaco: 	5.18
Greece: 	5.25
San Marino: 	5.44
Taiwan: 	5.45
Italy: 	5.61
Man, Isle of: 	5.62
Cuba: 	5.93
United States: 	6.3
Faroe Islands: 	6.46
Croatia: 	6.49
Belarus: 	6.53
Guam: 	6.55
Lithuania: 	6.57
Northern Mariana Islands: 	6.72
Cyprus: 	6.75
Poland:  	6.93