Blog #4 SOC 490

            It may seem like a pretty complex question, how does the United States have the best health care but rank 23^rd in the world in mortality rate? I think the answer is quite simple though to why we are ranked so low for the outstanding healthcare we have and to why other countries that may rank lower in the mortality rate than the United States will still come over for our healthcare.

            The answer to me is timing, affordability, and why people come over to our healthcare is simply technology. Let me explain these points farther and what they have to do with the United States healthcare situation. The United States have the best health care technology in the world. U.S. has the technology to cure a many diseases and injuries that would be fatal in about most other places in the world. They are the most successful in handling diseases that have tormented humanity for centuries and this technology is why people will come over from all other countries. They may have something that in their country you have a very low chance of surviving and have a much better chance in the United States to survive it, so they come here for the medical technology.

            Now if this all true the United States should surly be ranked lower then 23^rd in mortality. Timing and affordability is why we are ranked so high. Countries ranked lower than us give the medical help before their medical problem is serious. Little check-ups are made affordable so before the medical condition becomes life threatening they are threating it right there. In the United States these little check-ups are not affordable and the insurance companies will not pay for something unless its life threatening so people are forced to ignore the small problems. The small problems go untreated until they become life threatening. Furnas even stated that, “Since 1994, the cost per person of American health care has more than doubled, with an annual growth rate regularly more than twice that of inflation.” making these small problems unaffordable for the average American. Now like I said the United States is the best at treating these dangerous diseases but when you have the other countries treating most of their problems before they ever get serious and they have healthcare that will pay for check-ups so people are not forced to wait until something becomes extremely fatal they are of course going to have lower mortality rates.

            That’s why I feel that the answer was simple, if you have affordable healthcare made available for everybody that will pay for seemingly small problems before they ever turn serious, overall people will be healthier. Now if your healthcare and insurance companies are only available to a percentage of the people and these people that are left out‘s insurance companies will only pay for a problem when it becomes super serious more people are going to die. The United States is great at battling these strong diseases but not better than they could be if they just treated these problems when they were small. But like I stated earlier because of this great technology when people do have fatal diseases they will come to the U.S. because they do have the best technology to combat these powerful conditions. The United States morality rate where lower again when every can afford regular health care. “It will not end until we have a national health-care system that covers everyone equally and is paid for by everyone equitably.”- Newhall