Photo: a.drian

Projected amount of money to be spent on US healthcare in 2009: 2.5 trillion

Amount spent on healthcare a year per person in the US: $5,267
Median amount spent on healthcare in every other industrialized nation in the world: $2,193

Average life expectancy in the US: 77.1 years
Average life expectancy in Japan: 80.7 years
Average life expectancy in Andorra: 83.5 years

Countries that are NOT socialist which have universal healthcare (condensed list): Japan, Andorra, Canada, Germany, France, Taiwan, Australia, United Kingdom
“Socialist” programs in the US currently insidiously at play: Medicaid, Medicare, Veterans Administration, Social Security, Unemployment

US rank in worldwide healthcare: 37
Percentage of US GDP spent on healthcare: 17.6%
France rank in worldwide healthcare: 1
Percentage of French GDP spent on healthcare: 10.5%

Forms of alternative medical practices covered by private insurance in the US: Only a few high-end insurances cover Acupuncture and Chiropractic care, usually after a deductable is paid, and even then, only partial payment is covered
Forms of alternative medical practices covered by private insurance in Germany: Naturopathy, Homeopathy, Acupuncture, Massage, Chiropractic

Percentage of US doctors that back a national health insurance system: 59%

Amount of people who die from pharmaceutical drugs in the US each year: 106,000
Amount of people who die from supplements in the US each year: 5*

Number of Americans who are uninsured: 47 million**
Cost each year for each insured person to pay for the medical costs of the uninsured: $350
Nationwide savings that could come from preventative health measures: $720 billion

The amount that the pharmaceutical industry spends on advertising as compared to research and development: Twice as much

Kaiser Permanente profits (over a five year period): $3.3 billion
Blue Cross Blue Shield profits (3rd quarter of 2008 only): 57.6 million

Amount of US adults that have medical debt: 77 million

Who has the best medical system in the world? Uh…not the US
The amount of people who DIE a year because they have no health insurance: 45,000

The Point of Healthcare…and Wellness

We have an opportunity here to not only lengthen our lives and save money, but also to live better lives. Having health coverage does not mean the government can, or will, control our daily decisions, that people can, or will, be lazy in taking care of their health, or that the country will go bankrupt and the terrorists will take over.

Having health coverage simply means no one will lose their home because they got into an accident, it will keep people from waiting until they are really sick to see a doctor (which can help keep long-term health costs down), and that a country which prides itself on taking care of the world in need will actually be taking care of its own people in the process.

But it is also up to us as individuals to take care of ourselves, push for reform when it comes to unhealthy foods and products, and help in educating others of the health benefits of living a life that takes into consideration the mind, body, and spirit.

*It should be noted that is it hard to identify both the true amount of deaths from prescription drugs and supplements, as many go unreported or unlinked
**This number more than likely includes illegal immigrants