You Sexyundressedsingers A Porn Sexuality Th 1 Sexy Undressed Singers U.S. Health Spending Breaks From the Pack - NYTimes.com

There seems to me to be an issue that is always left out in any comparison of the relative spending on health care and the quality of the outcomes between the U.S. and other countries: the underlying health habits of the population.

It is my belief that the American emphasis on personal freedom leads to poorer health habits among a sizable portion of our population than in other of the leading industrialized nations. Many of us eat too much, eat the wrong foods, are not sufficiently physically active (because we drive everywhere’and sit parked in front of the TV or computer for a large portion of the day), sleep too little, abuse drugs, settle too many arguments with guns, etc.

With such poor personal health habits, no wonder we end up paying more for health care but have poorer outcomes. If we really wanted to cut medical costs in this country, we would try to make people take more responsibility for their own health and not expect a medical solution to the problems we have brought on, or at least aggravated, by our own behavior.

Rant follows: O.K. I’ve looked at the graphs with all the pretty squiggles. I read all the comments. So will someone please tell me why the (expletive) hell HR676 is dying in committee? Why we all aren’t screaming at our Representatives and Senators? (I just got off the phone with the health care LA for my “liberal” Congressman. It was like punching (expletive) cotton candy). Explain to me Ms Rampell why these facts are buried in some (expletive) blog that probably never appears in the print editions? Why hasn’t the (expletive) Times had some analysis of the basic facts? Why not a series comparing our health care with those of other countries–France, England, Switzerland, even the (expletive) UAE? How about an article on the Medical Loss Ratios of the big insurers? Let’s have one on physician and patient compliance costs! What about (expletive) drug companies (expletive) marketing? Why does your editorial board have to screw up its collective face and take a deep breadth to support a public (expletive) option which will not pick up the half trillion a year savings from the elimination of for (expletive) profit making insurers? This is just what we need–another (expletive) pool of high risk individuals–the poor and the sick.

Well, I’m 70; I won’t be around to what a (expletive) mess this country is rushing toward just to make a bunch of already rich (expletive) bastards richer.

Number 14 is absolutely correct!! Why doesn’t the NYT publish articles explaining why we must have single payer universal health care in the US??

Almost everyone of these comments is worth a page. No wonder newspapers are dying! Do something!!

Come on, tell us!!

In the above short article Catherine Rampell provided some excellent graphical data. Here is the same graphical data provided for only two countries: the USA and Canada. pages/Canada_vs_United_States_Spending#graph

The difference for this additional graph is that it notes on the graph the answer to the dual questions of why is that the U.S. “broke from the pack” and other countries stayed more in control of costs. Take a look at why Canada’s costs stayed under control: it finished its implementation of its national health insurance. Take a look at why the U.S. costs skyrocketed: the private health insurance companies and the associated so-called “managed care” approach with HMO’s and so on. LESS freedom for the patients and MORE profits for the companies.

- Bob the Health and Health Care Advocate

I get angry every time I see a stupid Viagra or Cialis commercial pushing expensive drugs that don’t save lives and only the privileged can afford anyway.

amazing how some read this and find weak excuses.

no, not going to quibble over percentages because those are a lot less benign than showing that we spend more on health care than all of gpd of many those regions combined.