We hold these truths to be self–evident,I'm sorry, you were saying?
That all men are created equal,
That they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights,
That among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–
That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
Health care costs have been rising for several years. Expenditures in the United States on health care surpassed $2.3 trillion in 2008, more than three times the $714 billion spent in 1990, and over eight times the $253 billion spent in 1980. Stemming this growth has become a major policy priority, as the government, employers, and consumers increasingly struggle to keep up with health care costs. [1](emphasis mine) cite
In 2008, U.S. health care spending was about $7,681 per resident and accounted for 16.2% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP); this is among the highest of all industrialized countries. Total health care expenditures grew at an annual rate of 4.4 percent in 2008, a slower rate than recent years, yet still outpacing inflation and the growth in national income. Absent reform, there is general agreement that health costs are likely to continue to rise in the foreseeable future. Many analysts have cited controlling health care costs as a key tenet for broader economic stability and growth, and President Obama has made cost control a focus of health reform efforts under way.
Although Americans benefit from many of the investments in health care, the recent rapid cost growth, coupled with an overall economic slowdown and rising federal deficit, is placing great strains on the systems used to finance health care, including private employer-sponsored health insurance coverage and public insurance programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Since 1999, family premiums for employer-sponsored health coverage have increased by 131 percent, placing increasing cost burdens on employers and workers. [2] With workers’ wages growing at a much slower pace than health care costs, many face difficulty in affording out-of-pocket spending.
Government programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, account for a significant share of health care spending, but they have increased at a slower rate than private insurance. Medicare per capita spending has grown at a slightly lower rate, on average, than private health insurance spending, at about 6.8 vs. 7.1% annually respectively between 1998 and 2008. [3] Medicaid expenditures, similarly, have grown at slower rate than private spending, though enrollment in the program has increased during the current economic recession, which may result in increased Medicaid spending figures soon. [4]
The US is only of about 3 or 4 nations in the world that people generally want to migrate to. There was a global survey recently on the topic. It is quite literally the case that from a macro perspective it doesn't matter if 10 or 15% of the population dies prematurely (and painfully) annually. There's a guy from Belarus with a medical degree who'd like your passport thanks. And a few million more people like him. Germany and Sweden have to keep their people going 'cause no one wants to go there for the most part. And the French and Japanese have to keep their people going because they don't want you goddamn foreigners.Perhaps a trade arrangement could be worked out, then. HEY GERMANY, SWEDEN, FRANCE, OR JAPAN! Do you want a high school teacher/artist/video guy? He's disabled, but housebroken, and speaks a little of three out of your four languages (plus can do a great Skwisgaar Skwigelf). Email's in profile. Sorry, Belarus, but you scare me.
posted by GuyZero An hour ago [+]
posted by Mister_A at 1:42 PM on June 8, 2010 [13 favorites]