Tell you what. I'd buy that argument,
if you in turn accept that we're spending twice as much as other OECD nations, with the same outcomes. That right there suggests we should change systems.
Actually, studies indicate that in 2009 around 45,000 people died as a result of a lack of health insurance. (Note, this is very complex, and life expectancy doesn't tell you about quality of life.) In a population of 300+ million, though, that's not going to make a huge dent in life expectancy statistics, especially as most of those are in older individuals (50+).
Uh... No, that's not even remotely correct.
In 2009, nearly 50 million Americans didn't have health insurance. They weren't all getting good quality care regardless. Those of us who actually know poor people know that access to care was very limited, especially for those not in urban centers. The poor could get
some care by going to emergency rooms -- but that doesn't work if you need chemotherapy, or have diabetes.
And yes, there is a clear link to bankruptcies. Medical bills are the leading cause in bankruptcies in the US:
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100840148
Uh huh
The federal government requires that anyone who shows up at an emergency room must get care. They're partially compensated by the Disproportionate Share Hospital program. Guess what that falls under? Medicaid. It costs around $12 billion a year -- and that's only 1/3 of the cost. The hospitals soak up 2/3 of those costs. (There is some debate whether they pass on some of those costs to insurers and/or those who can pay.)
BZZT not even close. In 2008-2011, it was less than 50% -- and falling.
Another issue is that a reliance on employer-based care results in "job lock," where people don't want to change jobs, or quit and start a business, because they can't get health insurance.
It
is true that most Americans
want to get insurance from an employer. That doesn't prove that it's the best option. It's just what Americans are accustomed to.
hahahaha
Yaay, yet another conservative myth, backed up by an unsourced anecdote.
Guess what? Americans also have to wait for care. This is compounded by issues inherent in our system, such as a shortage of general physicians and an excess of specialists (as the latter earn more).
And again, you yourself stipulated that outcomes in those other nations are essentially the same as the US. So, which is it? If equivalent life expectancy proves that Americans aren't dying left and right because of a lack of health insurance, then it also proves that Canadians aren't dying left and right because of wait times.
