Archive for September, 2009
Prerequisites for Engaging in the Health Care Debate
I’m tired of engaging with ignorant people in the health care debate. Here, in my opinion, are the prerequisite facts you must know before you’re allowed to have an opinion:
- The number of Americans who died in 9/11.
- The number of Americans who die every year due to lack of health care.
- The number of Americans who do not have health insurance.
- The number of American children who do not have health insurance.
- The number of American jobs that do not provide health insurance.
- The number of Americans who are not able to work, due to disability or age.
- The number of Americans who lose health insurance because they become too sick to work.
- The percentage of the federal budget that goes towards military spending.
- The dollar amount of our federal budget that goes towards military spending.
- The percentage of the federal budget that goes towards health care.
- The dollar amount of our federal budget that goes towards health care.
- The federal budget for healthcare reflected as a percentage of the federal budget for military spending.
- Total U.S. health care spend per person.
- Total health care spend per person in other industrialized nations.
- The average overhead for U.S. private insurers.
- The average overhead for government run Medicare.
- The average overhead for Canada’s national health insurance.
- The average salary of a CEO of a health insurance company.
- The salary of the CEO of Aetna.
- The infant mortality rate in the United States.
- The infant mortality rate in other industrialized nations.
- Which has the lowest infant mortality rate: the U.S. or El Salvador.
- The average life expectancy in the United States.
- The average life expectancy in other industrialized nations.
- The percentage of health insurance fees that go towards administration and advertising.
- The percentage of personal bankruptcies caused by medical bills.
- The annual number of personal bankruptcies due to health care costs in the U.S.
- The cost of COBRA for a family of four, as a percentage of total income.
- The number of claims denied by private insurers in California annually.
- The cost of the average premium for health insurance today.
- The projected cost of the average premium for health insurance in 2016.
- The out-of-pocket costs on top of health premiums today.
- The amount health care companies spend lobbying congress annually.
- The amount health care companies have spent lobbying congress in 2009.
- The amounts individual congressman have received from the health care industry.
- The percentage of Americans who say the U.S. health care system needs to undergo fundamental change.
If you don’t know these basic facts, you’re too ignorant to participate in the debate. Go do some basic learning, and then we’ll talk.
links for 2009-09-11
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official canon support page.