Title: 2010 Freedom Index -- Canada more Free than U.S. Source:
Heritage Foundation URL Source:http://www.heritage.org/index/Ranking.aspx Published:Oct 22, 2010 Author:staff Post Date:2010-10-22 17:46:19 by jwpegler Keywords:None Views:49776 Comments:100
15 freest countries:
Hong Kong
89.7
Singapore
86.1
Australia
82.6
New Zealand
82.1
Ireland
81.3
Switzerland
81.1
Canada
80.4
United States
78.0
Denmark
77.9
Chile
77.2
United Kingdom
76.5
Mauritius
76.3
Bahrain
76.3
Luxombourg
75.4
Netherlands
75.0
U.S. drops from "free" to "mostly free". As usual, Hong Kong and Singapore are on top.
don't all the countries on that list, except the U.S., have universal health insurance?
It depends on what you mean by that. They all have very different systems. Most of these countries have some mix of public and private, that includes some form of mandates on minimum coverage. For example:
New Zealand recently moved from a fully public system to a mixed public / private system. Everyone gets catastrophic insurance paid for by taxes that covers "accidents". Most incidental medical costs (like visits to general or family practitioners) are paid out of pocket.
Singapore also has a mixed private / public system, but it is all based on mandatory individual medical savings accounts. You have to save 8% and buy a catastrophic plan. You can use whatever is left over to pay incidental medical costs. Public hospitals have strict means testing with subsidies ranging from 40% to 80% of the bill for the poor.
Switzerland also has a mixed private / public system. The government mandates that everyone buy a basic health insurance plan. If basic insurance plan cost more than 8% of your income, the government will provide a cash subsidy to cover the rest. You can buy additional coverage if you'd like and also pay fees that aren't covered out of pocket.
Hong Kong also has a mixed private / public system. Users of government hospitals complain of long waiting times, an indifferent service attitude and lack of choice, while those who go to the private sector face high costs and variable service quality. The government just announced it will increase spending in an attempt to reduce wait times in public facilities.
I can go on and on with this.
No one has the kind of Utopian government run system that the American left dreams about.
No one has the kind of Utopian government run system that the American left dreams about.
The US ranks 37th. Certainly we can do better than that.
Sixty-two percent of bankruptcies in the US have a medical cause according to The American Journal of Medicine.
Medical bankruptcy does not exist in countries with universal health coverage like Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Taiwan, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Finland, and France, just to name a quick dozen.33; But, here in the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world, medical debt forces many people into bankruptcy.
The "Utopia" you claim the left dreams of has been achieved in all first world countries where people don't have to chose between health care and bankruptcy.
The US ranks 37th. Certainly we can do better than that.
We can if not for leftist loons running amok and completely f***ing the country up with its ever gargantuan over governance and regulations, it's obsessive "diversity-is-our-strength" mantra, its socialism, it's moral relativism, its sabotage of education, the economy, and American industry during the last 20 years or so.
Medical bankruptcy does not exist in countries with universal health coverage like Japan, Canada, Great Britain, Taiwan, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Finland, and France, just to name a quick dozen.33;33; But, here in the wealthiest, most powerful country in the world, medical debt forces many people into bankruptcy.
Yes, but those countries are basically racially or nationally monolithic, and of whom don't have to cover 30 million illegals invaders, and NEVER have to spend a fraction of their GNP on national defense. WE'VE ALWAYS paid for theirs. Moreover, their health care is grossly INFERIOR. Especially in the non-Scandinavian countries and Switzerland.
You have also discounted the regulatory nightmare, liability (thanks to lawyers), and rampant fraud and lawsuits here in America.
Guess they do pay a fraction of their GDP on defense. Just for comparison, the US spends 4.6% GDP and ranks 25th. Twenty-four countries spend a higher percentage of their GDP on defense including Singapore which spends 4.9% GDP.
Moreover, their health care is grossly INFERIOR. Especially in the non-Scandinavian countries and Switzerland.
Okay - same list: Japan, ranks 10th; Canada, ranks 30th; Great Britain,ranks 18; Taiwan*, Germany, ranks 25; Italy, ranks 2; Switzerland, ranks 20 (second highest cost after the US) Sweden, ranks 23; Norway, ranks 11; Austria, ranks 9; Finland, ranks 31; and France ranks number 1.
* Taiwan gets healthy; America should look to Taiwan as a model on healthcare. After all, Taiwan based its successful new system on US Medicare.
You have also discounted the regulatory nightmare, liability (thanks to lawyers), and rampant fraud and lawsuits here in America.
Of course your talking corporate fraud and doctors suing their HMO employers and drug companies suing each other. A lot of that suing and fraud stuff going on in the private sector.
