Funny -- the educated workers in things that are useful like basic sciences tend to make much less than good hucksters and CEOs in this country. The US fails to value education...
Good. Humanity can live without tracking bugs in their pockets. If Apple and Google both went toes up, Europe and the world would be a better place for it.
I'm against "morality" when "morality" means banning victimless crimes that don't hurt others. The sooner religion and Puritanism are kicked out of public life in the US, the better.
Yep, let's discriminate against people who choose to cohabit, who don't feel they need some schmuck in a frock (judge or priest, same thing) to tell them that their love is legitimate.
30 years ago, the French probably still smoked more -- it was definitely more accepted. I don't remember smoking sections on most US trains in the 80s, but it was common in Europe.
Likely, the real difference is due to lower levels of stress. People who are more secure in their jobs, are given ample vacation time, aren't required to work 50-60 hours a week on 40 hours of pay, and aren't constantly worried about medical expenses will be less stressed. Add to this better diet and lower income inequality (easier to be poor in France than the US), and people will live longer.
Also, sure you can schedule an appointment time online, but real appointment time isn't always when the doctor is ready to see you. Thankfully -- patients shouldn't be allotted to 10 or 15 minute slots. A good doctor actually takes the time to listen and properly examine a patient, even if others have to wait a bit. Humans aren't machines, and can't be treated as such.
Better a state of decent mediocrity when no one goes hungry than a country where people have to slave to avoid hunger. Innovation and hunger == constant stress == lower life expectancies, less enjoyment from life, more illness.
The US has relatively high taxes when property tax, sales tax, and all income taxes are taken into account. They just pay for subsidies to military contractors and mass incarceration. Unless you're a military contractor or a jailer, how does that benefit you more than using the money to provide healthcare for persons such as yourself? It's not only taxation, but what you get back from it.
Tests in the US aren't immediately scheduled either. What's the big deal about going to the ER if it's cheap and relatively well-run -- the reason that American fear "the ER" is largely due to price.
I'd love to only pay $75/mo for insurance -- it's at least predictable, cheap, and one less source of stress in my life.
Before Obamacare, every state had different rules. Some based strictly on age, others used a blind man throwing darts at a voodoo doll tied to a dartboard summed with the output of a random number generator.
Problem is that an entirely government system might actually be cheaper. It wouldn't need parallel systems like Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA. It wouldn't need layers of bureaucrats to determine who's eligible for which services and which subsidies. The US has layers upon layers of inefficiency, both in private and public insurance.
Was the heart problem severe enough to warrant immediate treatment? Were the breast lumps ultimately found to be malignant? (Malignant and benign lumps tend to "feel" different, so maybe the doctor was justified in not panicking immediately.)
No, the babies were beyond hope. "Treatment" would have at best created a brain-dead vegetable. Better to let their bodies die than offer false hope to the parents.
So would I. I'd prefer to live in a country with a decent public education system that also teaches about nutrition, with good-quality food available in close proximity to everyone, etc...
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Funny -- the educated workers in things that are useful like basic sciences tend to make much less than good hucksters and CEOs in this country. The US fails to value education...
Good. Humanity can live without tracking bugs in their pockets. If Apple and Google both went toes up, Europe and the world would be a better place for it.
Doctors end up being paid by the government, same as judges, EPA employees, or anyone else who protects people's "rights."
I'm against "morality" when "morality" means banning victimless crimes that don't hurt others. The sooner religion and Puritanism are kicked out of public life in the US, the better.
Fvck your idea of "morals."
In America, employers can require a piss test for drugs, and they get the result. Not any worse than in the USA.
5 June 2004 was a lovely summer day. May the sayer of these words RIH.
Is honesty a virtue when dealing with thieves?
You should have done more jumping jacks while pregnant to make your baby flip upside down... /s
Yep, let's discriminate against people who choose to cohabit, who don't feel they need some schmuck in a frock (judge or priest, same thing) to tell them that their love is legitimate.
30 years ago, the French probably still smoked more -- it was definitely more accepted. I don't remember smoking sections on most US trains in the 80s, but it was common in Europe.
Likely, the real difference is due to lower levels of stress. People who are more secure in their jobs, are given ample vacation time, aren't required to work 50-60 hours a week on 40 hours of pay, and aren't constantly worried about medical expenses will be less stressed. Add to this better diet and lower income inequality (easier to be poor in France than the US), and people will live longer.
Also, sure you can schedule an appointment time online, but real appointment time isn't always when the doctor is ready to see you. Thankfully -- patients shouldn't be allotted to 10 or 15 minute slots. A good doctor actually takes the time to listen and properly examine a patient, even if others have to wait a bit. Humans aren't machines, and can't be treated as such.
Better a state of decent mediocrity when no one goes hungry than a country where people have to slave to avoid hunger. Innovation and hunger == constant stress == lower life expectancies, less enjoyment from life, more illness.
The French and Germans smoke like steam locomotives compared to Americans, yet still live longer on average...
The US has relatively high taxes when property tax, sales tax, and all income taxes are taken into account. They just pay for subsidies to military contractors and mass incarceration. Unless you're a military contractor or a jailer, how does that benefit you more than using the money to provide healthcare for persons such as yourself? It's not only taxation, but what you get back from it.
What was the cost of your insurance per month (either to yourself or your employer)? What did you pay out of pocket?
Tests in the US aren't immediately scheduled either. What's the big deal about going to the ER if it's cheap and relatively well-run -- the reason that American fear "the ER" is largely due to price.
I'd love to only pay $75/mo for insurance -- it's at least predictable, cheap, and one less source of stress in my life.
Before Obamacare, every state had different rules. Some based strictly on age, others used a blind man throwing darts at a voodoo doll tied to a dartboard summed with the output of a random number generator.
The problem that the idea of a "perfectly healthy lifestyle" changes every few years or so. Is fat the demon? Or is is sugar? Or maybe carbs?
Is a glass of wine with dinner good for you, or should we all be hopping on the wagon with Carrie Nation? How much exercise is too much?
The goalposts keep shifting, and no one has any real idea of what's "healthy." In fact, it may vary by body type and genetics.
Problem is that an entirely government system might actually be cheaper. It wouldn't need parallel systems like Medicare, Medicaid, and the VA. It wouldn't need layers of bureaucrats to determine who's eligible for which services and which subsidies. The US has layers upon layers of inefficiency, both in private and public insurance.
Treatment may have been able to stop the progression of the disease, but it couldn't have revived destroyed brain tissue. Brain-dead is brain-dead.
Was the heart problem severe enough to warrant immediate treatment?
Were the breast lumps ultimately found to be malignant? (Malignant and benign lumps tend to "feel" different, so maybe the doctor was justified in not panicking immediately.)
Generally, they're a percent of your income, so they're more likely to be affordable than the US system.
OK. So don't call it "insurance." Call it a "health plan", a "health system", or simply "healthcare"
No, the babies were beyond hope. "Treatment" would have at best created a brain-dead vegetable. Better to let their bodies die than offer false hope to the parents.
So would I. I'd prefer to live in a country with a decent public education system that also teaches about nutrition, with good-quality food available in close proximity to everyone, etc...