WomenCo.

I watched this show last night called "P.O.V. - Critical Condition". I knew that our health care system needs improvement to say the least, but it was totally different seeing a few majorly affected lives, and the facts outlined throughout the film:

• We have the best science and spend 50% more on health care than any other country, yet we rank 15th in preventble death, 24th in life expectancy, and 27th in infant mortality.


• 2.2 Million Americans became uninsured this year.


• An estimated 22 Million Americans died prematurely this year, simply because they were uninsured.


• 80% of uninsured Americans are from working families.


• Typically, hospitals charge uninsureds 2.5 times more than privately insured patients.


• Uninsured adults are 4.5 times more likely to go without medical care than insured adults.


• 60% of uninsured adults had to forego medical care this year.


• The lost productivity of uninsured Americans, who receive inadequate healthcare, costs the economy $130 Billion per year.


• Covering medical bills for the uninsured increases annual health insurance by $922 per year.


• Each year, 312,000 California citizens seek medical care outside the U.S. (So, just imagine what the national total must be!)


• Cancer patients without insurance are nearly twice as likely to die within 5 years of diagnosis.


• If an uninsured qualifies for SS Disability, then in many cases, they are disqualified from medicaid, no matter if they have thousands upon thousands of medical bills to pay.


• All Americans who receive SS Disablity have to wait a minimum of 2 YEARS to receive Medicare.


• Care is often rationed, based on the ability to pay.

So, if you come down with a disabling and/or deadly disease, lose your job, your insurance, you're basically SOL.

Wow, incredible.  Such a sad situation, and how can this not be taken care of?