Health and the Class War in America

[Mairead]

(a lecture by Steven Bezruchka MD)

...

Stated very simply, societies with a bigger gap between those on top and those on the bottom will be less healthy than societies where there is a smaller gap. To illustrate this, let us look at the health of the United States of America, measured by life expectancy, say, the average number of years lived in this country. Fifty-five years ago, we were one of the healthiest countries in the world by this measure. Today, there are some 25 countries that are healthier than we are. Think of it, all the other rich countries are healthier than we are, and a number of poor ones as well. It isn't just this one measure of health--life expectancy-- in which we do poorly, but in every other measure, when we rank ourselves with other countries. We are living longer but not so long as people in 25 other countries, all of them poorer than we are. For example, we have the highest infant mortality rate, the highest child poverty rate, the highest teen pregnancy rate, the highest child abuse death rate, and so on. There are no indicators in which we excel, except in spending money on health care, for we spend half of the world's total health care bill. Think of it - for every dollar in the world spent on healthcare, 50 cents is spent here. Yet our citizens are less healthy than those in all the other rich countries. And by less healthy, I don't just mean in how long we live, but in so many other indicators of health, such as teenage pregnancy rates, such as in homicides, or incarceration rates. Indeed we house one quarter of the world's prisoners in America, which says something quite significant about how we deal with petty crime in this country.

What has happened to cause this huge disaster? Stated simply, it is because we have changed the rules in this country as to who gets what share of the pie. Back fifty years ago, it was the poorest families that saw the biggest gains in income. Now, as you all know, it is only the rich and super-rich that are seeing gains in income, while the rest of us all have to tighten our belts. This may not seem right in explaining the reason for our poor health, yours and mine. However, it is true, it is because we have changed the rules in society and created many more poor people and that is why your health and my health is not as good as it could be.

...

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=10&ItemID=4647


More evidence that we need to elect Kucinich or Sharpton.

[economic justice]

1. Wow....EXCELLENT read

This is a long piece, but well worth the time. Talk about cutting to the bottom line truth.

"So my main point is that the culture of poverty, the culture of inequality that surrounds us is what has the most significant effect on our health. Let me clarify this idea a little bit. Those at every rung of society's ladder from the top to the bottom will have their health determined by where they stand in the ladder of social status in society. The poorer you are the worse your health in comparison to others."

Thanks, mairead!

[Kanary]

2. Just in time!

I'm involved in a discussion about health care in another forum, and you posted this at just the right time. Pithy and quite on target.

As I've been thinking and talking about this issue, and those who would deny adequate health care for those on the bottom rung, as the good dr says, one phrase keeps ringing over and over in my head...."By their fruits shall you know them." The fundies who are promoting the discrimination against the poor are definitely showing the world the value of their beliefs.

Thanks so much for posting this!

Kanary

[Mairead]

3. bump

[terryg11]

4. good article, tanks

nt

[IrateCitizen]

5. Mairead, this ties in well with a book I'm reading now...

The Way We Never Were by Stephanie Coontz. One of the things discussed is how the period of greatest economic mobility in our nation's history was also the same period with the biggest "relief" programs for the poor. In the same sense, economic mobility became nearly non-existent as programs for the poor decreased after the late 1970's. The economic situation in black communities in Detroit circa 1992 (when the book was written) was actually much WORSE than the situation that spawned the riots of the late 1960's.

Health care is just another aspect of this. It's sickening the way that we fail so many people on this front in the supposedly "richest country in the world". :grr:

[Mairead]

6. I haven't read that book yet, but it's on my list

There was an article by a British MP a few years ago remarking on Swedish profitability. Until the conservatives got into power and started dismantling things, Sweden had outstanding corporate profitability because the workers were secure, healthy, and relaxed --the ideal workforce.

We have a chance to move toward the same thing, if only people would wake up.