From: harelb@math.cornell.edu (misc.activism.progressive co-moderator)
Subject: The Decline of America: "Strong Family Values" (IV)
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: daemon@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Organization: misc.activism.progressive on UseNet ; ACTIV-L@UMCVMB
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 15:59:44 GMT

The Decline of America: "Strong Family Values" (IV)


We're Number One in percentage of population without health insurance.

             ============================================
                 Percentage of population covered by
                  public health insurance, 1990(25)
             ============================================

                    COUNTRY      PERCENT  

                    Australia      100    
                    Canada         100    
                    Denmark        100    
                    Finland        100    
                    Ireland        100    
                    Italy          100    
                    Japan          100    
                    New Zealand    100    
                    Netherands     100    
                    Norway         100 
                    Sweden         100
                    United Kingdom 100  

                    Austria         99  
                    France          99  
                    Switzerland     99  
                    Spain           99  

                    Belgium         98  

                    Germany         92  


                    United States   21  

Sources: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (Paris),
Health Data file, 1991: U.S.: National Center for Heath Statistics, Advance
Data, No. 201, June 18, 1991.

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"The main reason we're Number One in percentage of population without
health insurance is that we're last in percentage of population
covered by public health insurance. Only about one fifth of Americans
qualify for the main types of public health insurance available in the
United States: Medicare, Medicaid, and veterans' benefits.(2l)

"Of those who don't qualify, many have private insurance.(22) But
almost one in seven Americans (34 million people--most living in
families with a working adult) have no insurance at all, and one in
four (63 million) have been without insurance for a substantial period
of time during the last two years. Many more have inadequate coverage,
meaning that they could be bankrupted by a major illness.(23) In fact,
one health care expert says that because only 1 percent of the
population has private longterm-care insurance, "virtually any
American could be impoverished by a prolonged disabling illness."(24)
Additionally, as many as 40 percent of those eligible for some forms
of public aid do not receive it. These gaps in health care result
directly from the fact that the United States is the only major
industrialized nation (other than South Africa) without a national
health insurance plan providing universal coverage while controlling
costs.

From: 

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  
_We're Number One, Where America Stands -- and Falls -- in the New    
World Order_ by Andrew L Shapiro.   

New York, May 1992, Vintage Books, a division of Random House.   
$10 paperback. ISBN 0-679-73893-2  
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -   

    "America is becoming a land of private greed and public squalor.   
    This book is an indispensable road map through the wreckage. The   
    facts it reveals will startle you. They may depress you. But   
    ideally they'll fire you up to help rebuild this nation."   

                        -Robert B. Reich, author of The Work of Nations   



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Addenda:

============================================================ 
Medical costs as percentage of Gross Domestic Product: 

                1980            1989            increase 

U.S.:           9.2%            12%             + 30 percent 
Canada:         7.4%            8.9%            + 20 percent 
============================================================ 


============================================================ 
Percentage of premiums consumed by overhead: 

Private Insurance Companies:              12% (overhead & profits) 

Public payers (e.g. Medicare, Medicaid):   3% 

Canadian provincial insurance plans:      under 1% 
============================================================ 

================================================== 
Billing, administration, and insurance 
overhead as percentage of total spending: 

U.S.:           22% 
Canada:         13.7% 
U.K.            11.1% 
================================================== 

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