Defend Public Healthcare

Despite the lack of universal public insurance, U.S. governments actually spend much more on health care than Canadian governments.   Public sector health expenditure in the U.S.A. accounts for 8.5% of the economy, 7.9% in Canada, and 6.8% through the OECD (the club of 34 rich nations –  which, unlike the U.S.A., primarily finance health care through the public sector).   Indeed, the U.S. public sector spends more per capita on health care than any other OECD nation except Norway – $4066 per capita (in 2011).   The universal Canadian system spends $3183, while the OECD average is $2,499.   The main feature of the US system that distinguishes it from the systems in other developed countries is that it is highly privatized.   Moreover, it's not that the U.S. hasn't quite got privatization right:   basic problems remain despite multiple reforms to private health care. As the U.S.A. is the leading model of private health care provisi...

Below is a list of the 11 US health corporations on the Fortune 500 list.  They had a combined revenue of approximately $272 billion in 2011.   They make about $15 billion in profits. These aren't your friendly mom and pop businesses.  This is BIG business. Trying to reform America's largely for-profit health care system is bound to come up against these interests.  With such large revenue streams they have incredible power and resources to divert health care reform to match their own interests.  They have (literally) billions of reasons to do so. Corporate health care has not led to good results.  The privatized American system is far and away the most expensive health care system in  the world.  Despite this, tens of millions of Americans have no health care insurance and tens of millions more have inadequate health care insurance. Already, we are beginning to see a similar trend (on a smaller scale)  in the long term care, health ...