1) 46 Million American have NO health insurance.
2) 9.4 Million children have No health insurance.
3) Insurance costs are outpacing income by eight-fold.
4) Every year one Million Americans lose their coverage.
5) The cost of health care causes bankruptcy every 30 seconds.
6) By the end of 2009 1.5 Million people are going to lose their homes due to illness.
7) America spends twice as much per person on health care as other rich countries.
8) Americans spent $2.2 Trillion on health care in 2008.
9) 1/3 of the US population under age 65 has NO health insurance.
10) US Health care costs are twice the GDP of India.
11) Americans life expectancy is 2 years less than Europeans.
12) Projected health care costs by 2012 are $3.1 Trillion a year.
13) Health care cost are 4 times higher than our national defense.
14) America spent 17% of it’s GDP on health care in 2008.
15) By 2017 Americans will be spending 20% of GDP on health care.
17) Premiums for employer based health care went up by 5% in 2008, small employers premiums went up 5.5%, small business with less than 24 workers went up 6.8%.
18) Annual premiums for family coverage eclipsed the gross earnings for a full time, minimum wage worker ($10, 712) per year.
19) Health insurance is the fastest growing expense cost component for employers, health care costs will over take profits.
20) Health insurance premiums have grown four times faster than wages.
April 17, 2009 at 10:05 am
The real problems with the Healthcare system are:
1. The Medical Cartel which limits the number of doctors, “a baseline for doctors should established, if a person can meet that baseline and be able to meet those costs (scholarships or loans, they should be accepted in Medical School period. No more limiting the number of doctors in order to protect the monopoly.”
2. Insurance, because insurance allows costs which exceed the normal free market rate for services. No longer will doctor fees alone reach and exceed 5 and 6 figures ($10-$100K). Hospital charging $10K+ for operating rooms etc. (competition controls costs we are already seeing this in India, doctors treating visiting patients.
3. Liability and lawyers, Look there are no absolute guarantees, Doctors, Nurses, Hospitals will make mistakes. No one including lawyers and critics are perfect. Establish no litigation for medical & emergency services. Government review boards made of professional should review complaints and remove and/or punish bad behavior and incompetence.
In closing, the current conditions will continue to deteriorate until finally it collapses or something new emerges such as technology based computer-robotic-doctors. which will be able to MRI a patient down to the molecular level to see everything including viruses, prescribe drugs with effective feedback and monitoring of patient. Engineer specific virual and minute treatments for cancer and other diseases. Operate more precisely, quickly and even under more rigorous conditions then human doctors. and finally re-engineer the very DNA to improve the Health, Longevity and Viability of Humans. Sorry for the diverge thoughts, but I believe it to be the most likely path to solving the “medical problem.”
May 6, 2009 at 5:57 am
It is a shame that Americans live in a country where healthcare for the population is a privilege.
May 9, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Great points Insurance is expensive so is the care. A lot to be worked out.
September 1, 2009 at 2:42 am
I’ll post the same information to my blog, thanks for ideas and great article.
September 30, 2009 at 1:10 am
It is a shame that no one realizes- the payments for Healthcare will go to the government – we the earner will bear the cost from our labor and the government will “make the $,” talking it away from most other companies that are involved now, if, the big O has his way. My opinion is that the Pres. is a shill for big government business – consolidate these monies ( 20% of banks, 20% of healthcare, and more of your tax dollars – in the hands of the government… and who gets paid in the end. THE Federal Reserve for loaning us all the $ in the first place to pay for all the programs. Who is the Federal Reserve ? Not Americans, big foreign Banks. So nice plan work us like a little ant farm and consolidate yet more “Government Corporation” profits to the foreign banks. Somebody is going to get rich, and it is not private enterprise, i.e. you and me – it is other people. They’ve got the greatest salesman they’ve bought so far.. the big O.
He will turn the very poor against the almost poor and take away our hard earned money in an inefficient system, but not inefficient for him – this guy is the biggest money maker for foreign interests since the Fed began. Where do I see Americans doing well for themselves. Gimme – never replaces – I earned it. Life lesson. Follow the money Folks.