Health Care in America: Why are we so proud to be at the bottom

The United States has a very unique health care system….It’s one of the things that sets us apart from virtually all other developed countries. By any measurement our country (as a whole) has a pitiful health care system. It's breathtaking if you look at the numbers. It's an embarrassment. We are at the bottom of all indices. We are the Detroit Lions of health care.

Should a chest beating country that considers itself “great” be content that only the wealthy and privileged get access to health care— that only the wealthy and privileged can have access to a quality education? Well, literally every other developed country doesn’t think so. That is well below their standards of civility.

Health Care delivery in the U.S. is subjected to the same “survival of the richest” paradigm that all capitalism is based on. It gives us “winners” and “losers” but should health and wellness be up for grabs like a football fumbled at midfield? Should health care have “losers”?The insurmountable problem is that obscenely rich corporations, through wealth, power, and cunning, have learned how to make obscene profits at the expense of a health care system that actually delivers health care in a fair, compassionate, and dignified way. If you have enough money then you can get health care...if you don't, then you are completely out of luck. You may go broke trying to buy life saving drugs like insulin. You may lose your house trying to pay for treatment for a terminal disease. You may lose your life. Meanwhile, the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in this country made 69 billion in profits last year. The United States government is on their payroll. It protected U.S. pharmaceutical companies by keeping out competition that was 1/10 the cost in many cases.

What kind of a country operates like this?

Big Pharma spent hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying for their profiteering interests--paying off Congressmen, etc., while americans suffered--americans who can least afford to suffer. American citizens have No similar slush fund they can access to represent their interests. They have nothing. They used to have a vote but that “power” has been circumvented or wasted. We allow our politicians to take corporate bribes. All U.S. senators but one has a “for sale”sign on his back. It is antithetical to democracy. It makes it impossible to enforce Wall Street abuse, pass sane gun legislation that the overwhelming majority of Americans want, and it prevents the implementation of a fair and civilized health care system.

Big Pharma and the NRA and the Insurance companies and Wall Street and the Defense contractors decide how much money they need to set aside to get politicians to support their monetary interests. Wall Street decides they will pay Hillary Clinton 500k to give a closed door speech. Goldman Sachs decides to pay Barack Obama more money than any other Obama donor. The result: NO PUNISHMENT for Wall Street for the 2008 crash that destroyed the lives of countless Americans. It was a bribe. Bernie Sanders (voluntarily) decided to take NO corporate money. He did it out of principle. Remember that now extinct human value? That is why he has more passionate supporters than any other Democrat candidate by far. He said “no” to the madness. But, back to health care.

Health care is like a piece of red meat that the U.S. gov throws up in the air. The lions and tigers driving the Rolls Royces get all the meat. No Surprise! Welcome to America where your health care is up for grabs like a piece of meat. No other developed country has a similarly heartless and greedy system....not even close! It’s a disgrace.

Imagine if the United States allowed rich corporations to have control of the water supply and charge whatever prices they wanted based on "profit only" considerations. Dying of thirst would simply be one of the spoils of capitalism as usual. Now imagine if your U.S. government kept water out (by law) from other countries that offered water at a much lower price. That’s how we have protected the pharmaceutical industry. Protecting billionaires is a trend all too American. Nothing gets in the way of profits—not decency, not fairness, not civility, not any “Christian” principles.

The Insurance companies and Pharmaceutical companies will continue to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to lobby for their interests. It’s a home cooked recipe for success. The American citizens have no money or voice to fight back. Only Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are saying that the system is corrupt and needs complete overhaul. They can easily be overcome by the rich and powerful spending even more money to discredit their ideas and say they are “scary”, “pie in the sky”, “communists” and “impossible”. I remember a time when every country on earth but the U.S.A. thought going to the moon “pie in the sky” and “impossible”. That would be understandable considering no one up to that point had gone to the moon. It was unprecedented. But, trying to convince me that something that ALL other developed countries (34 of them) have been doing efficiently and effectively and much less expensively for decades is “impossible” is an all-American disingenuous lie. Apparently Americans are sufficiently lacking in education to be aware of these facts. They are sufficiently gullible to believe those who have the most to gain by keeping the system (deplorable) just the way it is. Would we, as Americans, be similarly proud to be the last country that believes the earth is round or that the global climate is changing? Gullibility is nothing to be proud of; neither is apathy and indifference, or ignorance.

We are much more concerned with making the ultra rich even richer at the expense of basic health care for our citizens-more profits, more vacation homes in the Cayman Islands, etc.. It's a cruelty and greed that even the Mafia would be ashamed of. Its about as deplorable as being a Columbian drug cartel, and like with the drug cartels the government is an accomplice.

The most disturbing aspect (By far) is that we Americans accept it. We take it lying down on our backs. It’s like all the working class citizens are lined up on a conveyer belt and one by one a man wearing sunglasses, smelling of Dolce Gabbana and wearing an Armani suit with an American flag pinned to his lapel sticks a sock in each one of their mouths as they are dismissed down the line. We put up no resistance. We are in a trance, instead focused on the Kardahsians and our smart phones and ESPN while the politicians are taking bribes and selling out American citizens. 10% of our citizens (our citizens) have no health care of any kind.

Our life expectancy has been going down every year for the last (3). Infant mortality in the U.S. is near the highest for developed countries. In obesity we are #1. We are letting insurance companies and their accomplices drag us through the streets by our nostrils. How can we, as a supposedly intelligent species, be so unable to recognize horse shit when we are sleeping in it. We are like the German citizens in the 1930's and 40's--docile and complacent and lacking in any critical thinking skills. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

Did you know that in the U.S. insulin costs more than 10 times as much as in Canada, yet, our Congress very recently voted against a bill to allow insulin (and other much less costly drugs) from Canada to be sold in the U.S.. Senator Cory Booker (a candidate for President) voted against that bill and it’s no surprise considering that Big Pharma paid Booker (And several other U.S. Senators) more than a quarter of a million dollars to protect their monopoly and deny Americans the ability to buy pharmaceuticals at a fraction of the cost. Booker's vote was bought and paid for. He said, lamely, "we just can't be sure of the quality of these drugs from other countries". I bet that line was written for him by the lobbyists. We are talking Canada here! A country that rates 16th in global health. We rank 35th. Does Booker really think that we don't know that he is taking bribes?

“Booker and some of his Democratic colleagues who opposed the Sanders amendment are longtime friends of the drug industry. As MapLight data shows, Booker has received more pharmaceutical cash over the past six years than any other Democratic senator: $267,348. In addition, significant numbers of pharmaceutical and biotech firms reside in Booker’s home state of New Jersey.”

That’s how things work in the U. S. Of A.. It’s pay to play.

Here are some facts that should be known by anyone who lives and votes in this country:

What if I told you that the United States..the self anointed greatest and most humble resistant country in the world, was the most obese country on the planet? A Full 38.2 % of it’s inhabitants are considered obese…

"According to this year’s America’s Health Ranking Annual Report, the U.S. infant mortality rate is 5.9 deaths per 1,000 live infant births, while the average rate of infant mortality among the OECD countries is 3.9 deaths per 1,000 live births. Compared with other OECD countries, the U.S. ranks No. 33 out of 36 countries. Iceland is ranked No. 1 and has the lowest rate with 0.7 deaths per 1,000 live births. Mexico is ranked last with 12.1 deaths per 1,000 live births. if you live in the United States your baby is 9 times more likely to die in his first year of life than if you lived in Iceland. Hint: it’s not the Ice, it’s apathy. It’s not white wealthy babies who are dying. We spend way more effort protecting the interests of billionaires than we do trying to lower infant mortality. It’s repulsive.
This country is 70% Christian and yet we live lives that are in direct opposition to what Jesus espoused. Did Jesus talk about the virtues of great wealth and greed and selfishness; the joys of apathy and indifference towards your fellow men and women and children?

Matthew:

"for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

I don’t know if Jesus actually existed but I do know The New Testament well enough to know that if Jesus came back to earth he would show no mercy with the United States government and the greed that this country embraces like a teddy bear. He would start vomiting. I’ve never met a Christian who even made the slightest attempt to truly live the life espoused by Jesus. Do you really think Jesus would be a Republican? A good health care system starts with embracing compassion. It takes a village, not a mansion. In a country overflowing with “Christians” you’d think we would have a glorious and effective health care system; one that we could hold up to the rest of the world as the gold standard. We don’t. We are Guatemala. Ours is horrible and that is because, as Americans, we are endowed with the spirit of greed. We are as far away from the Jesus who existed in The New Testament as you can be. it’s a contradiction and hypocrisy that should disturb every American.

Jesus: Americans use him and exploit his name and memory. You don’t have to be Christian to know that is wrong. Anyone who is paying any attention knows that Americans are worshipping money, not Jesus.

Results show the U.S. experiences a higher infant mortality rate, a higher prevalence of obesity and a lower life expectancy compared with most OECD member countries. Even the top U.S. state in each of these measures ranks toward the bottom among OECD countries.

Yet, in Health spending as a percentage of GDP the United States ranks #1.

USA 17%

Marshall Islands 15.6%, followed by:

Tuvalue

Micronesia

Holland

Lesotho

Republic of Moldovo

“Make Micronesia Great Again.“

We are spending obscene amounts of money on health care but only a fraction of it goes towards health. The people who profit the most (by far) from being in the health care chain are the CEO’s of the Insurance companies. This is why we trail even Micronesia.

Yes. In the United States we pay for steak and lobster but we get hamburger helper. Insurance companies don’t care about health. I would say that they are indifferent, at best. Their goal is to pay out the least money in benefits. They are traded on the stock exchange just like Starbucks and Dick's Sporting Goods. It's a business transaction. The United States creates a perfect environment for insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies to be protected and to profit. Pharmaceutical executives are Probably even more unsavory than their insurance counterparts. They have plenty of blood on their hands in spreading the Opioid epidemic. By contrast, that is something at which we rank at the top: Opioid addiction.

According to the 2019 Bloomberg's Healthiest Countries Index, the U.S. ranks 35th out of 169 countries. Even though we are the 11th wealthiest country in the world, we are behind pretty much all developed economies in terms of health. In the Americas, not just Canada (16th) but also Cuba (30th), Chile and Costa Rica (tied for 33rd) rank ahead of us in this Bloomberg study.

We rank behind Cuba!

To answer this layered question, we need to look at the top ranked countries in the Bloomberg Index: From first to 12th, they are Spain; Italy; Iceland; Japan; Switzerland; Sweden; Australia; Singapore; Norway; Israel; Luxembourg; and France. What are they doing right that the U.S. isn’t? In a nutshell, they embrace half a dozen critical economic and societal traits that are absent in the U.S.:

· Universal health care

· Better diet: fresh ingredients and less packaged and processed food

· Strict regulations limiting opioid prescriptions

· Lower levels of economic inequality

· Severe and effective gun control laws

· Increased attention when driving

It's indisputable. The countries that deliver the best health care are all ones that have Universal Health care. So, why do we let people in power tell us that we have something to lose by dumping the horrible system we have now that only exists in a romanticized Norman Rockwell painting from the 1940's?

"When it comes to access to health care, the 34 countries that are ahead of the U.S. in the Bloomberg health rankings are committed to their citizens. This means that preventive, primary and acute care is available to 100% of the population. In contrast, 25 – 30 million Americans do not have health care insurance, and an equal number are under insured. For 15 – 18% of our population, financial concerns about how to pay for a visit to the doctor, how to meet high insurance deductibles, or cash payments after insurance take precedence over taking care of their health. Lack of preventive care leads to visits to the emergency rooms for ailments that could have been prevented through regular primary care follow-up, at a very high cost to our health system. Note: The United States spent $10,700 per capita in health care in 2017, more than three times as much as Spain ($3,200) and Italy ($3,400). Many Americans postpone important medical operations for years, until they reach 65 years of age, when they finally qualify for universal health care or Medicare. Lack of prevention and primary care, health interventions postponed, and the constant worry that medical costs might bankrupt one’s family—none of this is conducive to healthy lives yet, we choose this system.

One of the most baffling questions I have is why is it that so many Americans are being sold (and buying into the lie) that our health care system is great (dripping in red, white, and blue greatness) and not to be tampered with at any cost? How can ANYONE look at these numbers and not realize that the profiteers of this business model are the ones who support and lobby for, and twist arms, and whisper into ears for, this far below average health care system.

These numbers do not lie…..there are no politics to these numbers….It’s as objective as how many days it rained in Cleveland in 1996?

We too often recommend solutions that we, as health care industry participants, can monetize….we are trained to treat acute conditions and too often to ignore chronic conditions….if you get hit by car in the U.S. you are most likely in good hands....we are very good at keeping you alive but, we are horrible at prevention…there is comparatively little money to be made in prevention……we do surgery and we prescribe.

Studies have shown that sleep disordered breathing can lead to ADD/ADHD, anxiety, etc.,….yet, doctors are taught to just diagnose ADD, anxiety, etc. and treat the symptoms....and prescribe meds. We turn our backs on causation. Why?

It is always astounding to me how many people I see in my practice who have sleep apnea but who have never been diagnosed by any health care provider….it’s inexcusable. I recently saw a study that said that 85% of people with sleep apnea go undiagnosed. Holy Cow! No one should leave a dentist or doctor's office without being screened for sleep apena. This is not a difficult disease to uncover. …..It’s 2019. How can this be happening…..sleep apnea kills…

I saw a patient in NYC recently who had what I diagnosed as very classic TMJ symptoms….she, a 24 year old single mom, came in with a giant scar behind her right ear. Her hair still hadn’t grown back yet…..she told me that her doctor told her that she needed brain surgery to treat her problem (classic TMJ). They put a plate within her skull. Insurance paid the doc over 25k and she paid 5 k as her portion…..

She knew immediately after waking that her problem had not been fixed in the slightest…..a few months later her symptoms were completely relieved using neuromuscular TMJ protocols…..

This patient was a victim of a profit based health care system that allowed this doctor to diagnose brain surgery for something that needed a totally non invasive approach. He didn't even return her calls following the failed surgery that could have taken her life. He was lucky that she came to her first....he has a " hammer" and her problem was treated like a " nail". He didn't even think to see if her problem didn't need a "hammer"—if it could have been addressed non invasively by another type of treatment modality; one that isn't totally worthless and doesn't involve entering the skull and the brain.

“I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.“ - Jesus

Universal Health care exists in 34 of the 35 developed countries yet we are told by those honest politicians that it will bankrupt us. We are told by an equal amount of politicians that Climate change is a hoax. Follow the money. There are billions to be made out of keeping us on fossil fuels and ignoring climate change.

Like with the recent college admissions scandal, there are always tons of people who are willing to bribe to get things to go there way. There are an equal and unlimited amount of people who are willing to take the bribes.

Money is blinding! It makes the Truth go away. It makes people ugly. People in this country don’t do things out of principle; they do things for money (or sex). It doesn’t matter if you are a Priest or a Prince or a Prime Minister or a President. The rule applies evenly.

And, here is another stat that the United States is clearly indifferent to: 23% of kids 18 and under in this country live in poverty. That ranks us in a familiar spot---34th out of the 35 developed countries. This statistic should be getting headlines in a civilized society.
If you take away the shiny objects and the flags and trumpets and ESPN you’ll find that the United States is heartless, corrupt....and very easy to sedate.

Let’s stop calling ourselves a “Christian” nation. That is the height of hypocrisy and deception. Can we be honest with ourselves for once?

Where do we go from here?