Much of the focus on the healthcare discussion has been status quo versus a single payer system.  The idea being that if we can simplify payments and increase coverage, we can decrease overall costs and provide healthcare to millions of uninsured Americans.  As noble a goal as this might seem, it still ignores a number of fundamental issues.  We currently spend more per capita on healthcare then any nation in the world by a margin of $2000 per person in 2008.  With a total population of 300 million people, that equates to $600 billion dollars a year more than any other nation.  Yet based on The World Health Report in 2006, we ranked 39th for infant mortality, 36th for life expectancy, 43rd for adult female mortality,42nd for adult male mortality, and overall ranked 37th.  Changing who pays for healthcare in this country isn’t going to fix these problems.  The system needs to change. Continue reading About This Blog →