Published February 12, 2017
Today's post is about healthcare.
There was an interesting infographic about Britain's healthcare system versus the US healthcare system.
The first part covered the percentage of people covered and uncovered.
We have almost 8.6% of people not covered by healthcare in the US. Of those covered, a large percent have been without healthcare, and preventative medicine for years, decades, possibly their entire lives.
In other words, they have not had the necessary healthcare to become, or remain healthy.
The average yearly cost for health care in Britain is $2,008 per person.
In the US it is over $5,000 per person per year.
If we switched to universal healthcare today - it would still take 80 years to have a healthy population.
First - we would have punish abusive employers. Employers who force employees to work more hours than is healthwise safe. If you work more than five hours a day, you aren't getting healthy meals, or a healthy amount of sleep. It isn't possible.
Also, days off. Employers are known for forcing employees to work ten day shifts without a day off. Or overtime pay.
No amount of overtime pay is worth what working more than four to five days a week will do to your body.
We know what we need to do to be healthier.
We need to be able to do those life saving activities. Sleep, eat, exercise, interact with family and friends.
As it is - it will take four full generations before those who are alive will have had access to preventative healthcare, proper diagnosis, and a chance to live a healthy lifestyle. If we fixed the laws today.
Of course, without enough medical staff, it still won't work. Most medical staff work double shifts. And burn out too fast.
There is also another serious issue. One some people mention when they hear about universal healthcare. The time it takes to get an appointment.
If you talk to people that live in those countries - if someone is sick, they have instant care. Just like we do.
However, in only a few instances do they have the access as unbalanced as we do.
A boy child will be seen instantly by a doctor if he even has sniffle.
A girl child - in a day or two.
An adult male - same day, or next day.
A woman with children - within a week.
A woman without children - doctor's offices don't even know when the next available appointment is for someone as unwanted as that.
Our healthcare system is seriously broken.
It needs fixing. For the people who will be born in 60 years. Those who are alive today will continue to bear the costs of the last 80 years without adequate access to healthcare.
Before that, if there was a doctor, they took care of any patients that came to them, if it was possible.
We've seen what 80 years of healthcare for only the rich, and those with high paying jobs can do to the health of our nation.
High paying jobs are mostly gone.
So is our health.
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