4 responses to “Socialized Death”

1. 

   Hal

   March 21, 2004 at 3:23 pm

   Not that I would defend the Canadian system, but let’s put a bit of perspective on this.

   New England Journal of Medicine 336, no. 11 [1997], They concluded that almost 100,000 people died in the United States each year because of lack of needed care–three times the number of people who died of AIDs.

   Would that we could hold our own system to the august standards that you judge the Canadian system to.

   We have the most expensive health care system in the work and about 45 million of us don’t have access to any of it – most of the children.

   Something about “taking the log out of our own eye” before we ridicule the moats in the other system comes quickly to mind.
2. 

   Chris Lawrence

   March 21, 2004 at 9:04 pm

   We have the most expensive health care system in the work and about 45 million of us don’t have access to any of it – most of the children.

   Not having health insurance is not the same thing as not having any access to health care. Indeed, part of the health care problem is that the people who don’t have health insurance clog up the emergency services–because they can’t turn anyone away.

   (Mind you, many of those who don’t have health insurance can’t be bothered to apply for Medicaid or state programs like TennCare.)
3. 

   Little Miss Attila

   March 22, 2004 at 2:11 am

   Also, a lot of young people don’t have health insurance, and just pay for services on an “as needed” basis. I did that for most of my twenties.

   We also have a lot of people in this country who don’t seek health care because they are living on the margins by choice. Sadly, a lot of drug addicts fall into this category.
4. 

   McGehee

   March 22, 2004 at 9:48 am

   Chris, please — don’t try to confuse Hal with facts.

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