Healthcare

I am in America at the moment, and the debate about healthcare is still going on big time. The Republicans are dead set against Obama’s reform plan and are pulling out every trick in the book to prevent Obama being successful.
This includes spewing a lot of lies about American healthcare versus other country’s healthcare systems. Because if you compare the true figures between American healthcare, versus, say, Dutch healthcare, you cannot but come to the conclusion that at the moment American healthcare sucks compared to that of other countries. Not only does the American healthcare system suck, but it costs more money too!
Healthcare in America costs almost twice as much as in the Netherlands, and with worse results, especially for infant mortality, which is almost twice as high as in the Netherlands. If you compare the US with the other industrialised countries, you’ll find that America spends the most, but does the worst. Japan spends much less and is the bestin the world!

Percentage of health spending paid for by government:

America: 45,8%

Netherlands: 81,8%

Government healthspending per capita:

America: $3074,-

Netherlands $3097,-

Total health spending per capita:

America: $6714,-

Netherlands: $3784,-

These resulting in the effects on infant mortality and life expectancy:

Infant mortality rate (per 1000 births):

America: 7,0

Netherlands: 4,0

Life expectancy:

America: 78,0

Netherlands 80,0

So yes Americans, don’t let the republicans fool you: it’s high time for some serious reform!

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