I rarely quote my father because he's a crusty old racist Republican warmongering white guy with a closed, narrow mind.
But, years ago when I was a teen, he said, "Whenever you go to a huge city and see the skyline, the tallest buildings will usually be insurance companies because they are the richest, crookedest bastards there are."
Dad was right.
Now we have a president who's trying to find a way to provide health care for all Americans, and opposing him are Senators and Congress Representatives who receive millions of dollars in contributions from insurance companies--the richest, crookedest bastards there are.
Here are all the facts you need to know:
(Reuters) - The United States spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world but has higher rates of infant mortality, diabetes and other ills than many other developed countries.
Here is a comparison of the United States' healthcare costs versus those of selected other countries in 2006:
UNITED STATES: 15.9 pct of GDP, $6,657 per capita
BRAZIL: 7.9 pct of GDP, $371 per capita
CANADA: 9.7 pct of GDP, $3,430 per capita
CHINA: 4.7 pct of GDP, $81 per capita
FRANCE: 11.1 pct of GDP, $3,807 per capita
GERMANY: 10.7 pct of GDP, $3,628 per capita
INDIA: 5.0 pct of GDP, $36 per capita
ISRAEL: 7.9 pct of GDP, $1,533 per capita
JAPAN: 8.2 pct of GDP, $2,936 per capita
MEXICO: 6.4 pct of GDP, $474 per capita
SOUTH AFRICA: 8.7 pct of GDP, $437 per capita
SWEDEN: 8.9 pct of GDP, $3,598 per capita
RUSSIAN FEDERATION: 5.2 pct of GDP, $277 per capita
UNITED KINGDOM: 8.2 pct of GDP, $3,064 per capita
(Source: The World Bank)
And don't get me started on health stats- America is about 16th on the list, behind Morocco.
It's pretty simple, really.
We don't have to spend that much unless we want to keep forking over our money to the richest, crookedest bastards there are.
They need to lower their rates and eliminate loopholes.
They need to compete with the Feds--a not-for-profit organization.
It's okay if Big Insurance makes a profit, they just need to do it legally and stop fucking American consumers.
Anyone who tells you America does not need drastic healthcare reform is either:
1. A politician who's in the pocket of big insurance companies
2. An idiot
3. A Party of No member (GOP)
4. Against anything Obama is for because they are partisan racists
5. Heartless and selfish
6. All of the above
