Medical Care in the US is the worst in the industrialized world

The Wall Street Journal reports today on a new study that finds 60% of personal bankruptcies are caused by medical bills. Over three quarters of people who filed bankruptcy, the study, claims, had health insurance at the beginning of their illnesses. High deductibles and prescription drug costs drove people over the abyss.

The present economic crisis has led to an increase in violent crimes, domestic abuse, even total family annihilations as people that thought they did everything right saw the world around them collapse. From 2001 to 19007, the study reports, bankruptcy filings rose by 49%.

This is a powerful condemnation of the market. The US is the richest country in the history of human civilization. It spends trillions on warfare, supplies most of the world’s arms and weapons of mass destruction, and has just handed over some $3 to $4 trillion to the bankers and other moneylenders who caused this mess. It has secret prisons all over the world and kidnaps individuals who disappear in to these tortuous hell-holes where they live for years without ever being charged with crimes—but if you get sick in the US and have no money, chance is you die. If you have money when you get sick, you won’t have it for very long.

The Journal had a somewhat different piece yesterday on the massive lobbying campaign financial institutions waged to get accounting rules changed that will allow them to value toxic assets more favorably than their precious market which has dealt them quite a blow.

These financial groups spent $27.6 million in the first quarter lobbying Washington about the rule and other issues, according to a Wall Street Journal. The Journal also reports that they made campaign contributions of $286,000 to legislators on one of the committees relevant to the issue.

Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a Pennsylvania Democrat who heads the House Financial Services subcommittee lobbied for the change. He received $18,500 from coalition members in the first quarter. Kanjorski received $704,000 in contributions from banking and insurance firms, the third-highest total among members of Congress public documents reveal. Naturally, none of these politicians were influenced by these bribes.

We should always use the term, bribes as opposed to lobbying. It is insulting to even use the term lobbying. This $27 million in bribes in the first quarter alone is the tip of the iceberg. The figures are staggering, the best democracy money can buy, as one author put it.

The system is rotten. The recipients of these bribes are rotten. Through their actions, they are responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. The annual cost for health coverage for a family of four in 2007 exceeded $15,000. In 2000 it was a little over $7,400. Millions die in the US each year for lack of medical care. Our health care costs more and provides less; it is the worst system in the industrialized world.