Anonymous wrote:

Actually, no, I wasn't talking about the UK alone. While the French may have a great heathcare system, what is the cost? Unemployment is astronomical, and their taxes are too.

Japan is also not the greatest either. They are actually taking away personal rights of their people, and enforcing BMI restrictions on them, as one way to cut costs.

I knew someone who lived in Australia, and still had to pay thousands, because they wanted to get treatment on their own, and not wait the months (in pain) for a procedure.

I actually addressed the question of cost in my posting: "Interestingly, the WHO study also noted that the best-ranked French system, which is considered very expensive in European terms at $3,500 per capita, is still much, much cheaper that the cost of the US system at $6,100 a head." Another study of health care systems, released just 2 or so weeks ago, concluded very clearly that the US health care system is the most expensive in the world.

In addition, I am actually married to Australian and we have spent significant amounts of time there. Everyone in my family has used the Australian health system at some point, and my experience is consistent with the WHO findings that the system is better and cheaper than health care in the US. There is both a public and a private system there, and through the public system, there are waitlists based on medical priority - but please tell me how that is different from the US? My insurance company dictates which doctors I can see, what procedures they will and won't pay for, and when I can have them. My father, for example, had to have an emergency dental procedure a few weeks ago to avoid losing a few teeth. He had to pay out-of-pocket for it because his insurance company deemed it a cosmetic procedure (despite being in pain) or else not get the procedure. How is that any different?

Could someone PLEASE tell me why the US being ranked last in the developing world for healthcare isn't a national embarassment? I don't think it is very intellectually honest to point out much lesser shortcomings in health care systems that studies have shown to be significantly better than ours as a defense of our own broken system.

Anonymous wrote:It's honestly been tough to judge how well McCain has been doing on his campaign given that the mainstream media have been slanting campaign coverage both in terms of time and perspective towards Obama by a landslide. Any semblence of objectivity in the "MSM" has been completely lost this election cycle.

Anonymous wrote:It's really sad how old people (like McCain, compared above to a snapping turtle) are denigrated in this country, instead of admired. Makes me want to move to Japan.