Calling All Third World Thugs and Dictators

[Vinca]

I was thinking about Hugo Chavez and his cut rate oil and wondered if this might be a solution to our health care woes as well. Cuba reportedly has excellent health care for all, as do most of the Central and South American countries. I would like to publicly invite their leaders to offer health care to those of us currently ignored by the government of our own country. It's a win-win situation. They publicly embarrass Dear Leader, we get desperately needed health care with the side bonus of a quasi-vacation in a foreign land. I'm in. How about the rest of you uninsured?? (Yes, of course this is tongue-in-cheek.)

[Mika]

1. The Cuban Ministry of Health has offered to help in several ways..

.. by offering free med education to American students, and to send doctors and meds to poor underserved areas of the US.


Of course, they were turned down by the US gov.

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. Hasn't Castro offered that to Central and South American countries

and didn't he offer Doctors to come help with Katrina survivors, but Pinhead turned him down?

[Mika]

3. Castro didn't do it. The Cuban Ministry of Health made the offers..

.. and delivered the goods to many Caribbean and Latin American countries.

Fpr two examples, you can google Operation Miracle and/or The Henry Reeves Brigade

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. Thanks for the clarification on that. And for the examples.

:-)

[Selatius]

11. I know Hugo Chavez offered help immediately after Katrina

I think in one interview he said he sent the president of Citgo to Louisiana as well as some Citgo staffers to airlift out survivors in the aftermath much like Al Gore did.

[SammyWinstonJack]

16. Perhaps that is what I am thinking of.

[Poppyseedman]

5. The USA has better health care overall than Cuba

http://www.who.int/ncd_surveillance/infobase/web/InfoBasePolicyMaker/CountryProfiles/QuickCompare.aspx?DM=10&Countries=192%2c840&Year=2002&sf1=mo.cg.000&Sex=3

[Generic Other]

6. But only a select few Americans get decent care

The rest get substandard or none. That is the real point.

[Poppyseedman]

10. Our substandard is better than Cuba

Almost no one can be denied health care in this country. You may not get top notch care, but you are not denied care.

Does our system need to be better for the average american? Yes. Most definitely, but it gets a little tiresome hearing how bad our health care system is while it's the best in the world.

"But only a select few Americans get decent care"

Oh' Horse shit.

A very large percentage of Americans have access to good health care. Those millions that simply cannot afford coverage are on Medicare or Medicaid.

A very select few, the super wealthy get world class care.

[Generic Other]

12. How come everyone I know who has a catastrophic illness

is reduced to poverty by the experience? We are NOT receiving decent healthcare.

My elderly mother had a gall bladder burst before doctors decided it was critical to operate. Her surgeries and care amounted to half a million dollars, and she nearly died mostly because of avoidable mistakes. How much of this bill do you think Medicare covered at 80%?

That is the healthcare available to most elderly Americans.

I bet there are 100 other DUers with stories equally as pathetic. As long as we never need to use it, we have the best health care system on earth.

[Poppyseedman]

17. I'd be the first say our system is far from perfect.

I'm not sure universal care would be a perfect system either. Ask any Canadian. I have.

We still have the best health care in the world

[boolean]

13. Are you high? (nt)

[Poppyseedman]

15. No. I'm not high. Are you?

You think I'm high because I think our health care system still is the best in the world.

Granted our system has many problems and some people don't get the total care they need or special needs care.

There is few other countries in the world where a complete derelict can drop into any public hospital and get totally taken care of their needs.

[Selatius]

14. I think the World Health Organization would dispute your assertion

Per capita, we spend more than all other industrialized nations on health care, roughly 6000/person, but our standard of care falls behind most West European countries, and they spend less per capita than we do. Our health care system is radically inefficient with poorer quality of care. When even Cuba's health care system can boast a lower infant mortality rate than the US, you've got major problems you're ignoring.

[Vinca]

7. Not if you can't access it.

How often do I hear people complain that if we had universal coverage we would have a system like the Canadian system and we might have to wait for a procedure? I have a bum hip. I may need a hip replacement in a few years. Given my uninsured status and lack of lottery winnings, do you expect any hospital will offer me affordable services? Would any doctor be willing to operate at a price I can pay? At least in Canada I would have hope that in a few months time I might get the surgery. After all, it isn't an emergency procedure. The United States may have the best medical care, but I'll never know.

[Beelzebud]

9. People with plenty, overlook those realities.

I too would be shit out of luck if any major health problem came up.

I'd rather have state-funded medical care than no care at all.

[Mika]

8. Those are 2002 comparisons.

Cuba equals the US on life expectancy and has a lower infant mortality rate in 2005/06.


life expectancy

USA
http://www.who.int/countries/usa/en/

Cuba
http://www.who.int/countries/cub/en/

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infant mortality
http://sportsforum.ws/sd/factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html