America comes up short.....

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

A broader explanation would be that contemporary America is a society that, in a variety of ways, doesn't take very good care of its children. Recently, Unicef issued a report comparing a number of measures of child well-being in 21 rich countries, including health and safety, family and peer relationships and such things as whether children eat fruit and are physically active. The report put the Netherlands at the top; sure enough, the Dutch are now the world's tallest people, almost 3 inches taller, on average, than non-Hispanic American whites. The U.S. ended up in 20th place, below Poland, Portugal and Hungary, but ahead of Britain.

Whatever the full explanation for America's stature deficit, our relative shortness, like our low life expectancy, suggests that something is amiss with our way of life. A critical European might say that America is a land of harried parents and neglected children, of expensive health care that misses those who need it most, a society that for all its wealth somehow manages to be nasty, brutish-and short.

http://www.pnhp.org/news/2007/june/america_comes_up_sho.php

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

Okay............America is far from perfect. We know this. Our childhood obesity epidemic is well-documented, as is the fact that our diets are often nutritionally deficient, physical education classes are disappearing from our schools, and there is rising insecurity of middle-class families when it comes to health care.

But even with all of that, I'm tired of all this America-bashing. I frankly don't CARE that Europe is better at some things than the U.S.; if I wanted to live under a European system, I'd move there. I've never made a secret of the fact that I despise the current Administration, or that I believe this country can, and should, take better care of its own citizens.........especially the veterans of the Armed Forces who have served us in combat!!

But comparing the U.S. with Europe is like comparing apples and oranges..........we aren't Europe, and Europe certainly isn't US. And bashing America doesn't help solve ANYTHING.

Getting down off my soapbox now.

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

I am very deeply patriotic with a deep belief in service to others. I don't post critical articles to bash our country. I do criticise my country not out of dislike, disrespect or ingratitude but because I believe that we can and must do better.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I know you believe this nation can and should do better, Viking, as do I. We simply differ in our approaches to solving its problems.

Personally, I don't trust the government to take out my trash, let alone deal with something so complex and so crucial to our national well-being as health care. Especially not THIS government! If there's anything you and I agree on, it's the megalomania, the corruption, the cronyism, and the general incompetence of the Bush administration.........do you really want them running health care?

I certainly don't. Even if the next administration is an improvement---and almost ANY administration would be!---I don't trust the feds to get this right. I would much rather see health care managed at the state level, by a panel of medical professionals and financial experts along with ordinary citizens. The government should only be involved for the purpose of collecting taxes (and the insurance industry would be long gone from health care if I had my way, saving not only billions but the agony and frustration of dealing with thousands of different plans); it would be up to this panel to administer the available funds and make decisions as to where that money should best be spent.

I say the state level is better because they're generally more in tune with what their residents' health needs are. Look at Florida and the millions of elderly who live there, or Alaska and New Mexico with their relatively high populations of Native Americans; the federal government just cannot handle the diverse needs of these cultures and populations as well as they can be handled at a more local level.

Anyway, that's my two pence worth.........I do support changes in the way health care is funded, I support taking the insurance companies and fat-cat CEOs completely out of the equation, and I support the establishment of a basic health plan for all citizens of this country (NOT for illegal immigrants, sorry). But I don't want federal bureaucrats 3000 miles away making decisions about health care, any more than I like having insurance executives who've never even been to medical or nursing school making those decisions.

JMHO.

[Jolie, BSN]

Okay............America is far from perfect. We know this. Our childhood obesity epidemic is well-documented, as is the fact that our diets are often nutritionally deficient, physical education classes are disappearing from our schools, and there is rising insecurity of middle-class families when it comes to health care.

But even with all of that, I'm tired of all this America-bashing. I frankly don't CARE that Europe is better at some things than the U.S.; if I wanted to live under a European system, I'd move there. I've never made a secret of the fact that I despise the current Administration, or that I believe this country can, and should, take better care of its own citizens.........especially the veterans of the Armed Forces who have served us in combat!!

But comparing the U.S. with Europe is like comparing apples and oranges..........we aren't Europe, and Europe certainly isn't US. And bashing America doesn't help solve ANYTHING.

Getting down off my soapbox now.

:yeahthat:

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

on this point I think we agree......

Who will run the health care system?

There is a myth that, with national health insurance, the government will be making the medical decisions. But in a publicly-financed, universal health care system medical decisions are left to the patient and doctor, as they should be. This is true even in the countries like the UK and Spain that have socialized medicine.

In a public system the public has a say in how it’s run. Cost containment measures are publicly managed at the state level by an elected and appointed body that represents the people of that state. This body decides on the benefit package, negotiates doctor fees and hospital budgets. It also is responsible for health planning and the distribution of expensive technology.

The benefit package people will receive will not be decided upon by the legislature, but by the appointed body that represents all state residents in consultation with medical experts in all fields of medicine.

http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php#run_healthcare_system