Ireland has Universal Health and high score of 86 spends half of U.S.

Alright, I see once again someone cannot make a comment without it being taken the wrong way. First I would like to clarify my previous post was NOT making a stance on the public health care issue. It was clearly stating that we need different evidence to base our ideas off of, not other nations.
For those of you who questioned using the philosophers and called it either old theory or called me ignorant of its infallibility: I was not stating that these are how we should plan out our policies merely that this nation was built off these values and they are still eminent in our make up as a nation. Also, you call for a questioning of the philosophers of then but then one should question the philosophers of now, what makes them infallible?
For those that think we SHOULD compare with other nations: We shouldn’t. Plain fact. What works in one instance does not work for all. The greatest thing about liberals who call to use other nations as our guide is how much of a hypocrite they are. Those of you calling to look to other nations for health care ideas are the exact same people calling for the United States to pull out of other nations because “their cultures and beliefs are much too different for us to change, that we don’t understand those nations and that what works for us won’t work for them. That forcefully implementing our ideals will not change them; that they must change on their own.” Then you turn around and try to say that other nation’s plans will work for us!? What the hell… Use your own philosophy, America is far too different than European nations to have programs that worked for them simply perfectly fit into our public policy. What we need is something specific for our cause, for our culture, and for our political and economic systems. America and Europe look the same on the outside, yet are very different. Almost every European intellectual does not understand the American. Our views on work, on art, on sexuality (for example America seems to be one of the only nations in which politicians are destroyed by sex scandals), on human rights, on offensive language, etc. shock them. Americans are one of the most unique people in the world; therefore we must solve our problems in our own unique way. As a Russian Major once told me “Americans view the people of the world as superficially different but really the same deep down, while Russians view the people of the world as superficially the same but different deep down.” This one little difference changes the face of almost everything that our two nations will go through. Yes, Western European nations are much more like us than Russia is, but I guarantee you there are differences between us that change almost entirely how we view, analyze, and react to our problems. Because of these differences we cannot merely use someone else’s solution. Can we merely forcefully implement a health care system because it worked in France, Ireland, or Canada for America? NO. We need our own unique solution to our own unique problems.
And as for the asshole (Locutus) who seems to not be able to hold intellectual conversations without insulting someone :
Mature a little. You don't know me. So you have no right to post about me. “It is cute that you are taking a political philosophy elective (no doubt mom and dad are proud!), but your post is bull shit”. First off I’ve taken MANY political philosophy classes and none were electives, they went directly to my degree. So you’re wrong there, “don’t ASSUME because it makes an ASS out of U and ME”. Second, thank you, I am very happy to let you know that my parents are very proud of me and I’m glad you recognize this. They are proud of me for a lot more too if you’d like to know. They’re proud of my college education, my service, and the way I can hold intellectual conversations and not take personal stabs or make insulting comments that start my post off with ignorance, thus destroying the intellectual value of all my following comments.

Americans need worry about healthcare no more! Walmart is taking over. Soon you will be able to go to any Walmart - not just for underwear and groceries - but for chest pain or the flu. You know they will undercut everyone and have the lowest prices too!

That's a straw man. Ireland has one of the highest immigration rates in Europe, our population and healthcare system has had a huge sudden influx of legal and illegal immigrants from Africa and Eastern Europe, and only in the last decade. A healthcare system fails everyone if it can't cope with growth.

maybe we spend more then anyone else but thats because we have a lot more people and people that are here but are not accounted for, that need to look for a legal way to get here

Ireland is certainly not socialist, as has been pointed out. Our healthcare system isn't perfect either - but I know if I get sick, I'll get treated no matter what, and it won't cripple my family's financial future.

What is a government's function if not to ensure the welfare of it's citizens?

What is a Gallup personal health index? I think this measure may be bogus, because the WHO (World Health Organization) has France rated as having the best health care, and the US at 37, just above countries with no health care at all. This graph would diminish that fact.

Ins't Gallup a conservative U.S organization, which would explain it's measure being biased toward making the US look much better than it is? You can skew statistics to any direction you'd like to if you measure what you want to. But the WHO is considered the touchstone standard in health care around the world, which makes this post so much right wing propaganda.

Dispite the figures presented in the article it doesn't seem as though there is a healthy and wholesome response to the current healthcare model in the U.S. obviously. People want universal healthcare, instead of squandering funds on unjustifiable wars, allocate that funding to healthcare, illiminate the necessity for insurance companies and create a fixed universal healthcare system, The U.S. is a 400( 4 year) old babie, France is much older, and has successfully applied a healthcare system based on tax appropriation! Wake up! throw away your damn Oxford medical cards!

The story is important, but the post is an EPIC FAILURE.

This should not be comedy, the headline is botched. (Hint: if you need to tell your reader it is a joke, chances are it is a poor joke, and better left out).

This a prime example of how not to post a story. Every one wishing to begin posting stories on current should be referred to this post so as to see how one can ruin an interesting story by trying to be clever and failing miserably..

Who tagged this as comedy?

For those who are confused by the headline, it's sarcasm.

Ireland has one of the freest market systems in the world, freer than the U.S. by some accounts.

And similarly, they're a democratic republic that guarantees its people civil liberties.

The joke of the headline is that the right-wingers would call them communist for having socialized medicine regardless of any other consideration.

Yo Yo 402Chicago

What we need is representation that actually represents "we the people", not whores for corporate interests.
What we also need is a universal health care plan, everyone in no one left out.
The hypocrites in Washington will look you in the eye and deny you the same coverage that they enjoy at the taxpayers expense.
These are the same hypocritical SOBs that say they won't support a public option or a plan that is not deficit neutral but at the same time continue to the occupation of Iraq, an expense that could fund health care for all.
These same people that supported Bush's lies that took us into Iraq, where they deconstructed Iraq's infrastructure, sold it off, rewrote their Constitution that INCLUDED a health care plan for all and then "we the people" of the US get the bill!

And it is very reasonable to compare and contrast our situation to like nations of the G20, otherwise the meatheads in congress will spend the rest of their unnatural lives trying to come up with a convoluted plan that in the long run will be inadequate.

Pull out of Iraq & Afghanistan, stop building bases around the world and we will have enough to pay for Medicare For All..

imo
http://opinionsandreasons.blogspot.com/

All of the pro-health care reform people in this country need to stop using other countries as evidence for how well national health care can work. This is the worst argument to hold in America and is why you're not getting anywhere. American ideals and values are based off philosophers like Locke, Montesquieu, and Hobbes (and yes Montesquieu more than the others, and Locke more than Hobbes...). the interesting thing about these guys : all understnad that one situation will never be the exact same as another. In fact Hobbes' clearly states that no government should EVER base its decisions off a neighbor. What we need is a proven METHOD not proven INSTANCES. and we need a mehtod that works for the values, beliefs, and social/political construct of America.

Awaiting the right's rebuttals on this one...

Damn Mexico, you surprised me. Good Job.

I don't think they're communist, but on the other hand we should look at other countries healthcare systems, regardless of their Politics and religion and take what works best for them and try to piece together our own healthcare plan.. That works for us.

Look at Mexico. Least amount spent but healthier than the U.S. How is that possible? We need copy them. Everyone go join a cartel.

Please remove communist from The Title, it's misleading, politically incorrect and offensive.

If the insurance companies and their puppet congressmen had their way you would not be allowed to see that report. I'm sure though that they will find some sort of lie to say about Ireland like "They let people die waiting to see a doctor" or some other type of lie.

I think the bottom of the graph should read:

Total overpriced healthcare and insurance ripoff expenditure per capita.

whatever ireland is, and the other countries...

they have some better health care systems and don't blow billions on war or an ineffective system

Ireland is neither socialist nor communist.

Ireland is a republic, parliamentary democracy

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ei.html

Ireland is socialist, not communist. But still a great article anyway with eye opening information just advise you change the title to prevent confusion.