Wednesday, June 06, 2012

This map is instructive


Source: The Economist
It shows very high adult mortality from non-communicable diseases in the former Soviet Union and large swaths of Africa.

For those not concerned with U.S. health services, note that our adults of working age die more frequently than do those in Canada, Australia, Sweden and Norway, not to mention France, Spain and Italy. Those people have socialized medicine! We do not!

Note that medical insurance become common as a benefit offered by big companies to attract employees in the labor shortages during World War II. People here are still unwilling to leave jobs that offer health insurance and when they don't have health insurance look for jobs where they acquire it through their employer. Is is surprising that the people who benefit most from our corporate culture tend to oppose health insurance as a right guaranteed by government?

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