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Originally Posted by Maru
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Yes the figures I saw were also /1000 but the stats I saw earlier were quoting 9.x/1000 for a couple of states which is close enough to 10/1000... Which is 1 in 100? Those links quote 8.5 and 8.9 in 1000 for Alabama and Mississippi which is lower than what I saw before, but only marginally, and way below the wealthier US states and every other "1st world" country (which tend to sit 1 in 200). It is similar to a number of struggling African nations. That quite clearly demonstrates a quite serious wealth divide in the US as a whole and I'd be very interested to see the stats when it comes to low income vs. medium to high income in wealthier states, because I'd hypothesise based on this that there IS a significant difference. Those stats don't seem to exist, however, or at least aren't readily available.
I also quite clearly stated that it's a great place for those that are "doing OK"... I didn't say that you need 5 PhD's. Middle income and above - and especially those who are in any job that comes with built in insurance - it's a perfectly functional system. However, it's a system that leaves behind a large chunk of the population... But that's how capitalism works, I guess. But it's also a system that adds the stress and anxiety of worrying about funding (even when there turn out to be no problems securing it) at times when that's the last thing people should have to be thinking about.
Basically there is abundant economic dense that decent, well managed universal healthcare across the board results in better outcomes than insurance based models. But pharma and medical care are huge industries that a lot of people have an interest in so they're pushed, hard. I mean ffs... We're at the point where they have American parents wetting their pants over bloody CHICKEN POX with massive amounts of peer pressure to "buy" yet another vaccine. Chicken pox!