Health Disparities in the U.S.

This is certainly puzzling. The March 18 issue of JAMA has an article on health care in the U.S. that reports the U.S. has the 3rd highest poverty rate in OECD countries, below Turkey and Mexico, and that the U.S. poor have such poor health care that some are in poverty because of health expenses. Hmmm. That's odd. "Our poor" have government sponsored and paid for health care--it's called Medicaid, and SCHIP, plus all manner of other benefits under other programs of HHS and USDA. Isn't that what Obama wants for all of us? Obamacare doesn't work you say?

Also, when I read these articles comparing the U.S. health care to other countries, I notice our illegals are not separated out in the census count, even though other countries are much, much tougher (Mexico, for instance) on illegals invading their countries and asking for social services. I wonder how much medical care an illegal Guatemalan receives from the Mexican government? Or how does an illegal Pakistani worker get medical care in Turkey?

As much as I enjoy reading JAMA, it definitely runs like tarbaby through the brairpatch chasing social issues instead of medical cures and disease findings. They haven't a clue how to control obesity, smoking, alcohol/drug abuse or sexual promiscuity, the big four of personal behaviors causing health problems, so they just move on to the economy, job losses, stress, and housing crises. More grant money from the government for the folks with MPH, PHD, and MSW behind their names, so at least their jobs won't be at risk. Just churn out more studies.

Maybe we should have the UK healthcare as reported by users recently in the Daily Mail, per Belmont Club.

Some readers of the Daily Mail sent accounts of their own experience.

“My wife had treatment at this hospital and it was beyond belief. Staff tried to get my wife to believe she had already been given her tablets when they hadn’t; later admitting they ran out and did not want to call out the Pharmacy! People were screaming for the toilet as their requests for assistance went unheeded.”
Mick, Stafford

“My mother in law died at a hospital where her ‘care’ was almost non-existant. She died screaming in pain because nobody could be found to replace her morphine pump.” Claire, Norfolk

“When my father was in hospital for months, he lay in a bed with dirty, torn blankets and grubby sheets. I asked to see the Hospital Manager and was walked through the most plush of offices. I was sickened and told her so.” Sammy, UK

“My sister recently qualified as a nurse. During her training a fellow student commented to a manager that a doctor hadn’t bothered to change his scrubs after undertaking a minor operation on a patient and wore the same ones for his next operation. She was warned any whistle blowing of that sort would result in her being kicked out.” Jo, Middlesex