101,000 excess deaths in U.S.

A recent study published in Health Affairs show that there aren't just 18,000 deaths a year because of our idiotic system, there are actually 101,000 excess deaths annually. France, Japan and Australia rated best and the United States worst. The study focused on preventable deaths due to treatable conditions in 19 industrialized nations. The U.S. health care system's shortcomings resulted in 101,000 more deaths than if we'd had a system based on care rather than profit.

Researchers Ellen Nolte and Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine tracked deaths that they deemed could have been prevented by access to timely and effective health care, and ranked nations on how they did.

They called such deaths an important way to gauge the performance of a country's health care system.

Nolte said the large number of Americans who lack any type of health insurance -- about 47 million people in a country of about 300 million, according to U.S. government estimates -- probably was a key factor in the poor showing of the United States compared to other industrialized nations in the study.

"I wouldn't say it (the last-place ranking) is a condemnation, because I think health care in the U.S. is pretty good if you have access. But if you don't, I think that's the main problem, isn't it?" Nolte said in a telephone interview.

Spain was fourth best, followed in order by Italy, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Greece, Austria, Germany, Finland, New Zealand, Denmark, Britain, Ireland and Portugal. The United States comes in last.

Good comment on this at Cronespeaks:

As a Canadian, I do not want to see the USA get universal health care or free universal education. Much of Canada’s increasing economic advantage comes from the malaise and stupidity of directly competing demographic areas in the USA; and we are winning because of our healthcare and educational advantages.

Recently, Toyota chose Ontario Canada over Alabama as a site for their largest manufacturing site. Why?

Toyota cited a much more highly educated workforce and the savings in healthcare costs as the deciding factors in choosing Canada. Please keep your present system in the USA — it’s “Merkan, so it’s gotta be the ‘best’!

It could be that Stuart Butler, Canada's anti-Michael Moore "brilliant" filmmaker, Stuart Browning might sign her on to help him... You think he'd go for that?

Bravo, Ootpoot!