122 Americans Die Today for Lack of Health Care while You Watch the "News"

I think we are really lucky in New Zealand to have good health care.. I really feel for your Country... :(

Jon,
You are correct... the system is broken and needs to be fixed but its still the best system in the world by comparison. The US is where all of the other countries people come when they need a life saving procedure asap before they drop dead on a waiting list, and with the best doctors in the world... if they can afford it. There are solutions to make our system more efficient and affordable to the tax payer by privatizing the healthcare system, similiar to auto insurance, and allowing people to shop out of state, with Gov. fair practices over view (that seems like an oxymoron "Government overview.") The problem is, "the Gov. is unable to run anything efficiently, they waste and spend without regard for the bottom line." The Gov. seems to have no accountability to anyone it seems... they need money they print it, a company needs money they become more competitive and better so they can survive. Competition is what drives innovation not bureaucracy. The Gov. does not create jobs, they are there to support the infrastructure so that business may thrive. Hey Jon, if we pull our troops out of over half the countries in the world and stop fighting the battles for rouge dictators we could afford to provide healthcare for everyone.

No one can be legally turned away from the emergency room in the United States, illegal or legal citizens for that matter. Unfortunately hospitals are closing due to the lose of tens and hundreds of millions of dollars each year in free care. Our country spends more money on social services and charity care than any and all counties put together. Did you know that the catholic church is the 2nd largest provide of funds for free health care in the US 2nd to the US government? Crazy right?

I ride an ambulance and work in an emergency room. No one is turned away and the huge majority we see in both venues are not emergencies. I do see some, one just last week, who died due to refusing care and some left AMA (against medical advice) but I have never seen anyone refused care.

blah blah blah the most expensive health care costs are the last year of life. if people weren't so selfish it would be a lot cheaper for everyone.

Great video! This is the reality! @twinite....great post....your list is the facts. There is no excuse why this country can't have Universal health care. I have seen "SICKO." So many sad stories. Obama did not get us health care reform. But we sure have money for stupid wars, don't we?! This country is too damn greedy to have health care for all.

If the Government TRULY cared about the health of the nation, they'd make FDA, the USDA work properly.

The prison population has more access to health care than a person walking on the street. America has failed her citizens health rights.

Most people would frown on fire departments being run as a for-profit business. Why is saving lives with doctors and nurses different than saving lives with firefighters?

The insurance company business model that has become the de facto gateway to care in this country isn't in need of reform, it is in serious need of replacement. Coupled with wall-street, the goal of healthcare businesses in the US is all about profit.

While most businesses who offer a service should be free to compete against each other and be rewarded by profit when they perform that service better than their rivals, when that free-market model for a humanitarian service is designed to retain as much money as possible at the expense of people's lives, something has to change.

If the people of the US don't get Health care like other Country's, everyone should band together and demand that the Congress and the Senate lose their free Health Care.

The Upside of the american health care system is that the some of the best innovations and techniques and treatments in health care are created in the U.S.

On the flipside of the coin a lot of people have to die or suffer and fall through the cracks.

The Best System is going to be one that somehow combines private health care and a public one so the money is still going into the system but everyone at least can get basic care.

Let me tell you first hand universal health care has hell of a lot of faults as well , but americans cannot continue this dog eat dog mentality, i know most people on this site hate any religious reference at all but a country full of people who understand being a "Good Samaritan" should be part of everyday life , is a country on the right path.

Medicine is big business in the United States.
I think we're the only country that still practices medicine for profit.

Great post Jon. I am one of the 50 thousand and I know a hundred more. Somehow WE must make the machine work for all the people. Simple flat health care tax and start health education in elementary school. Soda pop and salty canned foods combined with high does of estrogen from pregnant cows are the cash cow for a health profit system. This shit has got to change.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1140416911696&set=a.1140410631539.176...!/album.php?aid=176897&id=1265619068

I've gone to a health care for all rally. It's pretty sad to watch people get arrested for a cause that will benefit me and all I know and they know nothing about me.

The US ranks 37th in healthcare....37th. Ahead of us are

Rank Country
1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica

Why is this okay with ANYONE ??

I don't get it. Why wouldn't one want everyone to have health care if not for purely selfish reasons? It just doesn't make sense. Beyond the expense of paying emergency care costs for those who don't have health care, I'd want my neighbor to be healthy so they don't pass their crap on to me. With the ability to move around the world as we can now, there are little to no buffer zones in a pandemic.

While Obama's health care reform may not have been the perfect answer to the health care woes for millions of uninsured Americans or those ineligible for health care insurance coverage due to pre-existing conditions, neither Republicans or health insurance companies seem to give a damn about solving this problem as long as they can receive campaign donations or profit from the perils of other less fortunate Americans!

I don't see too many elected officials giving up the health care coverage they enjoy that their constitiuents pay for but are denied to them! Go ahed, repeal Obamacare, and keep paying the ever-increasing and unregulated cost of health care insurance you might enjoy today but may not tomorrow when you need it because of a pre-existing condition!

If someone didn't have to pay for it, I'd be all for it. To think that adding 40 million people and have it save money is pure ignorance. There is no way around it.

I'm sure, just like Obama saved 3 million jobs by spending $850 billion on stimulus. More unprovable leftist garbage.

i wonder how many people who DO have health care died today

I don't have health care, I'm 62 yrs old, my husband was laid off 2 yrs ago, we
were forced to "retire" so now we get SS, not our plan. I totally believe in being
healthy thru herbal supplements, eating healthy & yes I eat meat. I try to not go nuts about this. Just common sense. Exercise helps as well. So far it seems to
be working, I don't get colds or flu, my dr. gets a blood test every 6 mths to ck
my thyroid and cholesteral, he works with me about charging for office visit.
So if i got cancer, or any life threatening illness, I too would probably die because of no health care, what would i do if even with my "healthy lifestyle"
I have a heart attack??? I'm to young for medicare.
I do wish that pharmaceuticals would stop telling people that herbal supps
don't work. Imagine what would happen if people started to get healthy,
not need meds as much.
IF, the numbers are correct and some of those people had tried a healthier
lifestyle, would they still have died??? I almost can believe those numbers
because of the economy.

Whether or not you could ever statistically correlate a significant number of people dieing to their lack of insurance (given the EMTALA), the fact remains that healthcare in this country is mostly driven by profit.

I would like to know how people who defend this healthcare-for-profit model square their objections to the idea of a single payer healthcare system with The Act for the Relief of Sick and Disabled Seamen of 1798?

http://www­.history.n­ih.gov/res­earch/down­loads/1Sta­tL605.pdf

Keep in mind that the Fifth Congress, lead by Thomas Jefferson and still many of the Founding Fathers, were quite aware of the Constituti­on's intents and limitation­s, including the President that signed the act, John Adams.

The Act basically collected premiums for the purpose of funding a government­-run healthcare system, The Marine Hospitals of the United States for the benefit of privately and publicly employed seamen.

Not that there wasn't objections at the time:

http://mem­ory.loc.go­v/cgi-bin/­ampage?col­lId=llac&f­ileName=00­8/llac008.­db&recNum=­86

But the majority at the time decided this was the best system, and it filled a urgent and pertinent need for care for a vital worker in early America's labor market. They concluded then, as we should now, that a healthy worker is vital to economic growth, and that the least expensive method of obtaining this goal should be employed.

People are dying because of the lack of health care? Quick Tea Partiers... Tell me how I should be thinking about this!

[Sarcasm Insurance.]

This is America... People don't watch the "News". They watch Jersey Shore and blame the president for the ills of society (which is caused by the capitalist corporations, the industrial prison and military industrial complexes).

Please, someone give me a reason to keep caring about our self-destructive race of humans.

Where are you? why don't you reply?

the bill Obama made up is the wrong fix people ..it need to start at the Admin level IE it the bean counters at that run the hospitals and Medical groups and the Pharmaceutical companies not the insurance companies.. The insurance companies are paying what the medical groups charge.. look at you fracking bills it those people that need to gone after .. forcing people with unconstitutional mandate to have medical insurance is wrong it is unconstitutional and will be tossed. go after the real people who are killing people not those who have not funds . States are broke the US gov is broke we have not money and you want to million on free health care that isn't free and more will die as the care will be sub care and poor . The biggest lie is that your kids can stay on you insurance .. not true on all carriers if your policy is written the wrong way you don't get to have your kid to stay on.. I talked to the IRS and they say teh rule they got was that if you do not buy into the healthcare insurance you will be dinged on you taxes if you do not pay it goes up .. once it reaches over $600 you will be taken to court and you assets taken to pay it .. so what they going to do with homeless people ? what about the million with jobs and losing their homes?
how can they on EDD buy into a health plan that in Calif alone will cost more than get to cover basic care.. the bill cover the wrong problem and the insurance companies would go broke covering 100 of thousands of people if the have to pay out unlimited coverage IE if go in for $10k surgery but it turn into $200K they have to pay.. how long do the insurance company pay this if you just paying $50 an month ? not going to happen the math said they would go broke fast paying out billions in claims .. this will do 2 things wipe out many insurance carriers and those left will have to raise rates and make coverage higher .. I did note that some of the insurance companies that sign on to teh bill but only if the bill forced everyone one to buy insurance and they mean everyone. so some private companies will profit from this bill ..hmm sound like no matter what it look like the healthcae bill is nothing but miss direction and lies and is about Medical group profiting and some core groups of PRIVATE insurance groups.. so it bad and need big re-write or to be just dropped and start over ..this isn't healhcare it just another big spending bill that in the end will kill more people .

Read the dam bill then go look at you last bill from the doctor or hospital see who is charging you then look at the HC bill again.. wrong fix people that simple..

CC
in the word of real journalist Good night and Good luck .. Edward R Morrow

Who did you work for? What was the story you were not permitted to investigate? Who was your boss that denied the American people the truth?

Well how do you know they died? Did you get these stats from the same government agency that tells us about jobs that have been "saved"?

THEY aren't permitted? How about 10 names? Are you not permitted?

Tell me the names of these statistical people!

Stop whining, you whiny @sses, you wanted "smaller" and fiscally responsible government, you got it last November. Reap what you have sown. Wal-Mart has a cheap health care plan; $250 for a revolver and a dollar for a bullet.

dog- eat-dog mentality. yes sir, that's the way to go. and make sure the stats are so unbelievable that people actually believe it's not true.( even though it is) then there's the truly pathetic- "death is a part of life. "

It's an abomination! A vile state of our times!

I know it sounds cold but people die every day. some from hunger others in car wrecks still others by their own hands. death is a big part of life.

Phony numbers for easily duped morons. Do you people actually believe these lies. They are trying to scare you, to make you see evil in your own countrymen and women. Make people believe your political enemies are evil, step 1. Tell them only the gov't can fix it, step 2......and so on. Don't be a sucker!