R.I.P. 44,789 Americans last year

[n2doc]

[rurallib]

1. Yep - too bad the artist did not include bankruptcies

and one stone for the idiotic Bushco wars.

I often wonder how many diseases are going untreated that will come back to haunt us in the future?

[Selatius]

2. If a terrorist had killed 44,789 Americans, there'd be a world war fought over it.

But if some guy did the same thing and claimed he was doing it for profit, he's celebrated as a captain of industry.

[G_j]

8. true

and given a bonus..

[TexasObserver]

3. Recommend

[notesdev]

4. Insurance never healed anybody

Stop playing into the insurance meme, providing health care should have nothing to do with insurance, absent catastrophic cases.

Instead of "for lack of health care insurance" that tombstone should read "due to health care industry profiteering".

Focusing on the insurance part is how "health care reform" ended up turning into "health insurance reform" which itself quickly morphed into "pay up, plebes".

[Coyote_Bandit]

5. And this so-called healthcare reform pending in Congress

isn't going to do shit to help most of these folks - even after it takes effect four frickin years from now.

I personally haven't seen a doctor in nearly 15 years. I expect that after leading what will likely be an unnecessarily shortened and diminished life that someday I will be among these folks. The powers that be have determined that I am a throwaway.

[Jamastiene]

7. I'm in the same boat.

You are right.

[Loge23]

12. Even that's part of the problem

It's not just seeing "a" doctor anymore.
You go to a doctor for a specific issue and he/she only refers you to that issues specialist - and on and on it goes from there.
I went recently for my annual 8-minute check up. What a waste! I was advised by the doctor cum traffic cop to go see a Urologist, an Opthamologist, a Dermatologist, and whoever it is that does invasive colonoscopies. And I'm in good shape!!
Needless to say, I passed - save for the Derma (I needed a new prescription for a skin cream - which is hopeless joke in itself, being $300 for a small tube!!).
I wish you good health, but you are probably better off staying away from what passes for health care. Find yourself a good nurse to pal up with - they're the best. Prevention is the key - and really the best way for us to remain in control.

[Coyote_Bandit]

14. Prevention?

Sure that's a great idea. But not everything can be prevented. And eventually we all age and develop health challenges.

Everybody loves to hate insurance companies. Few of us realize just how all the other players in the healthcare industry contribute to its widespread failure.

Thanks for the good wishes. I'm not exactly young anymore. I'm partially sighted in one eye (have been since birth) and really could use a good eye checkup and likely some new stronger lenses. I've got a mouthful of cracked, chipped and broken teeth resulting from a series of auto and sports accidents decades ago - two of them are in immediate need of treatment. And I have reason to suspect I have a chronic genetic condition (extensive family history). I'm not sure preentative care can do much for these conditions. From the looks of things I'm guessing I'd get more empathy (even if it is fake) from the money grubbing faith healing evangelists than I will ever get from the fucking politicians. The evangelists want to exploit me. The politicians want to deny my existence.

[Loge23]

16. I realize that...

and I certainly do not mean to minimize any existing conditions - I have my own as well.
I don't mean prevention as advice as much as I relegate it as our last resort!
Be well, my friend.
...and you are right - the politicians do not care at all about us. At least they could fake it too!

[Coyote_Bandit]

18. I don't mean

to be touchy. I've just encountered too many people who seem to assume that health challenges are the result of poor health and preventative care practices. Sometimes that's true but not always. Eventually we all age and face health challenges - regardless of how diligent we have been in caring for our bodies.

[Jamastiene]

6. As if insurance guarantees health care.

It does not. Americans are dying because of lack of access to affordable health care, not lack of health insurance. Health insurance is no guarantee to accessible affordable health care.

[Fla_Democrat]

9. We could save almost 10X that number

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/index.htm

Smoking and Death in the United States

The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly 1 of every 5 deaths, each year in the United States.1,2 More deaths are caused each year by tobacco use than by all deaths from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides, and murders combined.1,3






I'm just saying. :shrug:

Oh, that's right... there's a tax stamp on cigarettes. :smoke:

[stray cat]

10. 35000 die from the flu and they don't get much publicity

[shadowknows69]

11. Well probably some of them wouldn't have had to die either if we had health care in the U.S.

Instead of a for-profit Insurance machine pretending to "care" for us. I expect there are some overlapping numbers in those figures.

[invictus]

13. K&R

[City Lights]

15. K&R

x(

[area51]

17. 100,000 per year,

according to this link.

[Union Yes]

19. American Health Insurers=Terrorists that kill 40000+ annually. knr nt