re: Someone today told me that the US had the best healthcare system in the world

We have the best healthcare in the world.

We have the worst healthcare payment system in the world.

That's the direct result of government getting involved in paying for people's healthcare.

It’s that time of year when ObamaCare goes after low information Facebook users. Insurance =\= healthcare.

I have access to good health care, it’s just that I spend enormous amounts and can’t use it as I work with a small business.

Go see a specialist for this…yeah $250 copays for fishing are not ideal

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I have access to good health care, it’s just that I spend enormous amounts and can’t use it as I work with a small business. Go see a specialist for this…yeah $250 copays for fishing are not ideal

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If you lived in Denmark you would have an income tax rate of 55% once you make over 70k. If you make 70k you would pay the same percent in income tax as a billionaire in Denmark.

But hey, you wouldn’t have a copay!

Be honest, would you rather have that? At least under your current set up you don’t pay a copay if you don’t see a specialist. In Denmark you would pay the same taxes every year wether you saw someone or not.

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Look at the category called “collective services”. Notice how it’s 10% more than every country? Collective services includes bullshite government programs that have to do with housing and daycare and nonsense that isn’t healthcare.

When you back out that 10% of spending we are all of a sudden much closer to the other countries in percent of GDP.

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1.) Other countries have that too and they have much more robust offerings by and large, so again, America fails in that capacity as well. Largely for the same reasons. We do everything piecemeal and often the bulk of it through states, which simply creates 50+ bureaucracies all largely performing the same tasks.

2.) the US still, by your own data, if we ignore that line, is spending more in tax dollars and getting far less for its populace. It's a real problem.

As for obesity, that's certianly a more complex problem, but one of the issues very much is that a large chunk of the population, typically the population that tends to gravitate toward unhealthy foods because they are cheap and maximize calories and minimize time required to obtain and consume, or live in food deserts where lots of cheap healthy options arent as readily available, are amongst the population most likely to be getting inadequate healthcare and have long gaps in coverage.

It doesnt help that America decided to subsidize farming in the ways in which we did so that it is now cheaper to go buy a burger at Mcdonalds and some fries and soda then it is to get a healthy 1800 calorie daily intake from healthy foods. And that component is certainly an issue probably even moreso than healthcare access.

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What?

We just proved this wrong.

We pay way less in taxes. And the poor pay way more in taxes in Europe.

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I dont think you are reading your graph right?

That is breaking down total percentage of healthcare related spending in sub category expenditures, which you assert(and I will take at your word) includes things like child services, it says nothing about comparative total spending.

But if we remove the 16% in collective services costs, even if we leave it in for every other country, we would still be paying 8400 per person on a PPP basis according to Jyoungs other OECD data graph on total healthcare spending. Still making us the top spender in tax and overall dollars. And by a large margin

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That is breaking down total percentage of healthcare related spending in sub category expenditures, which you assert(and I will take at your word) includes things like child services, it says nothing about comparative total spending.

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I know how to read the graph.

My point is the numbers are being manipulated so that we look as bad as possible.

The difference between the US and these countries you think are better is basically 16% gdp vs 11% gdp spending.

I’m saying that it can easily be explained by removing costs that aren’t actually healthcare and accounting for all the extremely obese people

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The difference between the US and these countries you think are better is basically 16% gdp vs 11% gdp spending.

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That is still a very big gap. Especially when all these other countries provide some mechanism of birth to death full comprehensive healthcare, often on top of more robust child services, and America does not.

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Food deserts? Really? Come on man that’s absurd. Healthy food is not more expensive than bad food. It’s just not as conveniently and tasty and we are lazy and spoiled.

Obesity is not a poverty problem. Period.

The problem is you and writers at the New York Times equate “eating healthy” with going to Whole Foods.

It’s nonsense

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I feel like we are getting to the point where talking points and tribalism are taking over your brain and this place becomes insufferable when that happens.

You can literally get 2000 calories for about 5 dollars at McDonalds. Find me the "healthy" equivalent that provides the same caloric intake for that price?

Also, convenience is a huge consumption driver. The most unhealthy food in our country also happens to be the most convenient. If you are simply going to ignore these factors than you are demonstrating an inability to have a rational conversation

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How do we not have birth to death healthcare?

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The ER not being able to turn you away is not birth to death universal comprehensive healthcare. We also are rather unique in terms of the amount of people that go bankrupt in this country from healthcare costs.

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Someone making 70k a year pays 55% income tax.

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You are exaggerating a bit there
LINK

But that isnt simply for healthcare. Danes also get comprehensive child service benefits, they have paid college, much more generous unemployment benefits, much more robust social security and retirement benefits, and cost of living is cheaper compared to the US.