How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

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How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby StarchHEFP » Wed May 25, 2016 2:25 pm

This is another example of how our government is bought and paid for, and why meat/dairy have such a big influence:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBZ2V9LMeDk
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby bbq » Thu May 26, 2016 3:02 am

Holy Cow, yet another drama with asbestos and it's like "Déjà Vu" if you ask me:

https://www.drmcdougall.com/about/dr-mcdougalls-story/
Challenging the System — Asbestos in the Rice wrote:My first experience with fighting big business came after newspaper headlines in 1978 warned the citizens of Hawaii about cancer risks from asbestos exposure — a common occurrence for shipyard workers and for children because of schools built with these materials. I wrote a letter to the editor of the Honolulu Advertiser asking: why worry about these minor sources of exposure when our citizens are eating hundreds of millions of tons of asbestos-coated rice annually? After milling brown rice to white, the kernel is exposed and easily spoils. To prevent this spoilage the rice was coated with talc powder. Talc is an amorphous form of magnesium silicate. Asbestos is the same material in a fibrous form. You cannot mine talc without the asbestos. After a yearlong fight with the rice companies, I won and talc was removed from the rice sold in Hawaii, California, and Puerto Rico, and replaced with a coating of glucose. No personal repercussions followed for me.

Yet another flashback for me as well, it's from November 2014:
https://www.drmcdougall.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=45267&p=469908#p469908 wrote:It doesn't even matter what the ideology is, a small group of individuals on Earth will always decide what the fate of the entire planet will look like:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/10102168/Bilderberg-Group-No-conspiracy-just-the-most-influential-group-in-the-world.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/07/189491758/shhh-worlds-powerful-people-are-meeting-in-secret-again

They could easily decide whatever they wanna do since those annual meetings were always off-the-record, and that's all it takes to change the destiny of everyone at the snap of a finger.

It isn't just the fox guarding the henhouse, more like they really ARE the house:

http://www.therichest.com/business/5-lesser-known-facts-about-the-rothschild-family/?view=all

Who cares about how the game is played when a group as influential as that could instantly change the rules at will?

You know what, maybe none of that would be surprising anymore after watching this:

Noam Chomsky Wants You to Wake Up From the American Dream
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/noam-chomsky-wants-you-wake-american-dream

Requiem for the American Dream (Noam Chomsky)
http://youtu.be/mmpWtjVUtRs

Professor Noam Chomsky & Filmmakers - Q&A for "Requiem for the American Dream" (4-22-16)
http://youtu.be/qk9aSQwkMck

Noam Chomsky at the Little Theatre Q & A on "Requiem for an American Dream" Documentary
http://youtu.be/Rq0mlz-6ri4

Noam Chomsky: Requiem for the American Dream | KPFA
http://archives.kpfa.org/data/20160516-Mon1000.mp3
https://kpfa.org/episode/letters-and-politics-may-16-2016/

Famed scholar, activist and political theorist Noam Chomsky talks frankly to Nine to Noon's Kathryn Ryan about politics, society and his new film Requiem for the American Dream.
http://on-demand.radionz.co.nz/ntn/ntn-20160506-1007-noam_chomsky_on_the_death_of_the_american_dream-048.mp3
http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/201799712/noam-chomsky-on-the-death-of-the-american-dream

Requiem for the American Dream Interview
https://archive.org/download/rf150409b_201504/rf150409b.mp3
https://archive.org/details/rf150409b_201504

“Requiem for the American Dream”: Wake Up Call!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-berkowitz/requiem-for-the-american-_b_9203578.html

Review: Noam Chomsky Focuses on Financial Inequality in ‘Requiem for the American Dream’
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/29/movies/review-noam-chomsky-focuses-on-financial-inequality.html

‘Requiem for the American Dream’: Noam Chomsky’s solemn take on financial inequality
http://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/requiem-for-the-american-dream-noam-chomskys-solemn-take-on-financial-inequality/

‘Requiem for the American Dream’ Review: Noam Chomsky Weighs In
http://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/requiem-for-the-american-dream-review-1201740392/

'Requiem for the American Dream': Noam Chomsky takes on America's current messy state
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-requiem-american-dream-review-20160311-story.html

Requiem for the American Dream
http://www.sfweekly.com/sanfrancisco/requiem-for-the-american-dream-documentary-noam-chomsky-film-us-politics-peter-d-hutchinson-kelly-nyks-jared-p-scott-manufacturing/Content?oid=4516069

Meet the 2015 Tribeca Filmmakers #18: Peter Hutchison, Kelly Nyks and Jared P. Scott Compose a 'Requiem for the American Dream'
http://www.indiewire.com/article/meet-the-2015-tribeca-filmmakers-18-peter-hutchison-kelly-nyks-and-jared-p-scott-compose-a-requiem-for-the-american-dream-20150410

AMC Theatres: Requiem For The American Dream
https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/requiem-for-the-american-dream

Requiem for the American Dream - Trailer
http://youtu.be/CyFSvnLnCZ0

FYI - it might not be available on YouTube forever, better grab a copy of the MP4 file before it's gone:

https://www.saveitoffline.com/#https://youtu.be/mmpWtjVUtRs
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby petero » Thu May 26, 2016 7:59 am

bbq wrote:Noam Chomsky
:nod:
It's easy to be a naive idealist. It's easy to be a cynical realist. It's quite another thing to have no illusions and still hold the inner flame. -- Marie-Louise von Franz
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby Spiral » Thu May 26, 2016 11:43 am

While we must acknowledge that life isn't perfect, we don't often appreciate how good we have it here in the United States.

When you go to the grocery store, you have oodles and oodles of food choices, even if you are only interested in the healthy food choices. There are various different varieties of lentils, rice, pasta, potatoes, tomatoes.

But this is not the case in many places in the world. For many people outside the United States, getting enough food is difficult.

Facing Severe Food Shortages, Venezuela Pushes Urban Gardens
Last week, opposition lawmakers in Venezuela declared a "food emergency." That's because Venezuela is facing widespread shortages of milk, meat, bread and other staples. Critics blame the government's socialist economic policies. But instead of changing course, President Nicolás Maduro is calling on Venezuelans to help feed themselves — by starting urban gardens.

Now, you can argue that the Venezuelans are in a superior positon compared to us because they are no longer subject to the power of the big food corporations. But when you have to stand in line for hours hoping to get some food and often end up with nothing because the food shelves are bare, is that really an improvement?

Whenever someone complains about the way things are, it's important to determine if they are proposing an alternative that is better. Most often the alternative is worse, much, much worse.
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby arugula » Thu May 26, 2016 9:16 pm

Cubans enjoyed superior health outcomes compared to USA Americans for decades. That will change when KFC and McDonald's encroach.

Still, it's better to have the choice to abuse one's self.

Education is the key. It needs to be accurate and it needs to start early. It's probably too late for most adults in the toxic food environment to change their ways. Only the most motivated will do it.

I, too, heard the bit about people saying they'd rather die than giving up meat.

My own father actually said that life would not be worth living without it. He made it to 83 but he got Alzheimer's.

I would like to think that a plant-based diet would have helped him. But I was not able to change him in a significant way. He didn't see the need for it while he was lucid, although the Ornish papers impressed him.
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby bbq » Thu May 26, 2016 9:22 pm

Everyone The U.S. Government Owes Money To, In One Graph
http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2013/10/10/230944425/everyone-the-u-s-government-owes-money-to-in-one-graph
Image
http://www.npr.org/news/graphics/2013/10/pm-gov_debt_v-624.gif

http://money.cnn.com/infographic/news/economy/who-we-owe/
Image
http://i.imgur.com/4MgEwoG.png

What Happens If Congress Doesn't Raise The Debt Ceiling?
http://pd.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/atc/2015/10/20151026_atc_what_happens_if_congress_doesnt_raise_the_debt_ceiling.mp3
http://www.npr.org/2015/10/26/452012179/what-happens-if-congress-doesnt-raise-the-debt-ceiling

I really don't mean to be disrespectful or anything like that. Let's take a look at the reality right now, they could always raise the debt ceiling at will just like boys with toys and then maybe they're pretending that's like no biggie at all.

At the end of the day it's just a matter of how to "rig the system" so to speak, keep borrowing while not repaying the debt indefinitely. How about imagining what's gonna happen when other countries start demanding $5.6 trillion (and counting) with or without interests?

Let's do the maths, shall we?

http://www.economist.com/content/global_debt_clock
Image
http://i.imgur.com/FNeqE1y.png

Meanwhile, let's see why they're so desperate in Venezuela lately:

http://fortune.com/2015/11/06/mcdonalds-venezuela-fries/
McDonald's Fries In Venezuela Cost $126 wrote:These prices are down to the South American country’s inflation rate, which is the highest in the world. With crude oil prices dropping, Venezuela has seen its revenue base collapse, since oil accounts for around 95% of the nation’s export revenue, according to Bloomberg. This has caused foreign exchange reserves to dwindle and a shortage of basic goods, leading to a recession and what amounts to a spiking inflation rate.

Image

Vegan In Venezuela On $30 A Month! | Bite Size Vegan
http://youtu.be/D-8N2LLn1Po
Image
http://bitesizevegan.com/vegan-lifestyle-2/vegan-in-venezuela-on-30-a-month/

When they can't borrow (essentially unlimited amount of?) money from other countries while not having some kinda "virtual debt ceiling" if you will, ain't it somewhat natural to be miserable?
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby Spiral » Fri May 27, 2016 4:43 am

arugula wrote:Cubans enjoyed superior health outcomes compared to USA Americans for decades.

I have never believed that a country that is the poorest in the Western hemisphere enjoys superior health outcomes compared to the United States.

Perhaps Castro and his supporters enjoy excellent health care. But does the average Cuban enjoy excellent health care? Common sense would suggest not.

Why would you believe that health care in Cuba is any better than health care in Venezuela?
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby petero » Fri May 27, 2016 5:34 am

Thanks, dailycarbs.

Maybe we should talk about food insecurity and hunger in the United States? I guess the richest country on Earth can do no better than a poor Caribbean nation for many, many people, thanks to the concentration of wealth and power, and the orientation toward private profit. And things are only going to get worse.

(Too bad I'm too old for ELAM, I would go tomorrow.)

bbq, the inflation rate doesn't help, but let's not forget the "capital strike", which is the real reason for lack of basic goods in government stores. It's old news, but you can check out venezualanalysis.com.
It's easy to be a naive idealist. It's easy to be a cynical realist. It's quite another thing to have no illusions and still hold the inner flame. -- Marie-Louise von Franz
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby bbq » Fri May 27, 2016 6:29 am

Hunger in America: 2015 United States Hunger and Poverty Facts

http://www.worldhunger.org/hunger-in-america-2015-united-states-hunger-and-poverty-facts/

U.S. stands out as a rich country where a growing minority say they can’t afford food

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/05/24/u-s-stands-out-as-a-rich-country-where-a-growing-minority-say-they-cant-afford-food/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/28/americas-hungry_n_3345749.html wrote:If you look at the Pew Research Center‘s chart, you’ll see that the U.S. has a bigger hunger problem than many other less-wealthy countries:

Image
http://i.imgur.com/4N9aV8o.png

Wasted: How America Is Losing Up to 40 Percent of Its Food from Farm to Fork to Landfill
https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/wasted-food-IP.pdf

Fixing Food Waste Is A $100 Billion Opportunity
http://www.fastcoexist.com/3057448/fixing-food-waste-is-a-100-billion-opportunity

Why Don’t More Businesses Donate Excess Food?
http://www.triplepundit.com/2014/10/day-city-harvest-dont-businesses-donate-excess-food/

http://catchvideo.net/?url=content.jwplatform.com%2Fplayers%2Fzl2vsj70-VJQztVji.html
http://catchvideo.net/?url=content.jwplatform.com%2Fplayers%2F0h48LYK2-VJQztVji.html

About The Film | Just Eat It
http://www.foodwastemovie.com/about/

Just Eat It - A food waste story (Trailer)
http://youtu.be/zkASAZGIuu0
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby Spiral » Fri May 27, 2016 11:54 am

petero wrote:Maybe we should talk about food insecurity and hunger in the United States?

You've got to be kidding me.

Have you seen poor people in the Untied States? They are more often fat; they are rarely dying of starvation.

As for health care in Cuba, be honest. If you were to need medical care, would you really go to Cuba to get it?

Do you really think Cuba is a great place to live? Be honest. Don't let your ideology blind you to what is really happening.

And as for Venezuela's capital strike. That proves the point I was making. If you enact public policies that discourage capital formation, you get less capital investment and then you get more poverty.

Again, be honest. If you are a tomato farmer and the government says that you can't sell tomatoes for anything more than 1 penny per pound, are you going to continue to grow and sell tomatoes?

We have to use some common sense.
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby dailycarbs » Fri May 27, 2016 3:38 pm

Why should we compare Cuba (a small, poor country) to the US (the wealthiest, most powerful country)? Perhaps this is a better comparison. Scroll down to some of the health statistics.

http://country-facts.findthedata.com/co ... n-Republic
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby Spiral » Fri May 27, 2016 4:13 pm

dailycarbs wrote:Why should we compare Cuba (a small, poor country) to the US (the wealthiest, most powerful country)?

I wasn't the one who decided to introduce Cuba into this conversation. It was others, including you, who were arguing that Cuba's policies were to be applauded.

But why would the Dominican Republic be the best country to be compared to Cuba? Why not Costa Rica? Why not Chile? Why not Columbia? Why not Mexico?

Also, given the fact that criticizing the government of Cuba can land you in prison, how much credibility can be given to the information we get from Cuba?

But getting back to my point: Venezuela. Venezuela did not always face widespread food shortages.

Do you think that when the Venezuelan government imposed price controls on certain items that this caused shortages of these items? In other words, do you think the principle of supply and demand applies to things like food and toilet paper?
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby dailycarbs » Fri May 27, 2016 4:59 pm

Spiral wrote:
dailycarbs wrote:Why should we compare Cuba (a small, poor country) to the US (the wealthiest, most powerful country)?

I wasn't the one who decided to introduce Cuba into this conversation. It was others, including you, who were arguing that Cuba's policies were to be applauded.


Go back and read the thread in chronological order. I did not "introduce Cuba into this conversation." I provided a single, solitary link after your comment? And it was from Forbes (a socialist rag :D). And, I added no comment of my own to the link. The fact you took it and ran with, adding your voluminous comment—comparing their health care system to the US vs a comparable country in size, gap, etc...well, that was all you, my friend.
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Re: How our government is corrupt and big food always wins

Postby Spiral » Fri May 27, 2016 8:40 pm

Here is a look at various health care systems from the developed world. We'll look at France, Japan, Norway, Netherlands, Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany and Canada.

France

Although the French system is facing looming budgetary pressures, it does provide at least some level of universal coverage and manages to avoid many of the problems that afflict other national health care systems. However, it does so in large part by adopting market-oriented approaches, including consumer cost sharing.

The French health care system is the world’s third most expensive, costing roughly 11 percent of GDP, behind only the United States (17 percent) and Switzerland (11.5 percent). Payroll taxes provide the largest source of funding.

The private insurance market in France is in many ways less regulated than the U.S. market. For example, while 20 U.S. states require some form of community rating or put limits on health insurance premiums, private health insurance in France is largely experience rated. No regulations specify what benefits must be included in coverage or mandate “guaranteed issue”; and pre-existing conditions may be excluded.

Although reimbursement levels are set by the government, the amount physicians charge is not. The French system permits providers to charge more than the reimbursement schedule, and approximately one-third of French physicians do so. In some areas, such as Paris, the percentage of physicians who bill above reimbursement schedules runs as high as 80 percent.

The French system works in part because it has incorporated many of the characteristics that Michael Moore and other supporters of national health care dislike most about the U.S. system. France imposes substantial cost sharing on patients in order to discourage over-utilization, relies heavily on a relatively unregulated private insurance market to fill gaps in coverage, and allows consumers to pay extra for better or additional care, creating a two-tier system. This is clearly not the commonly portrayed style of national health care.

Japan

Japan has a universal health insurance system centered primarily around mandatory, employment-based insurance. On the surface, Japan’s national health insurance program defies easy description, comprising some 2,000 private insurers and more than 3,000 government units.

The vast majority of hospitals and clinics in Japan are privately owned, but because the government sets all fee schedules, the distinction between privately and publicly owned is irrelevant for patients. Reimbursement for both hospitals and clinics is on a fee-for-service basis, with the government setting fees and prescription prices.

The fee-setting system has had serious corruption problems. Because the fees for each of more than 3,000 procedures or services are set individually and adjusted every two years on an individual basis, it is possible to manipulate particular fees without attracting much attention. In 2004, a group of dentists was indicted for bribing the fee-setting board. In addition, the reimbursement schedule for physicians creates an incentive for them to see as many patients as possible. The result is assembly line medicine. Two-thirds of patients spend less than 10 minutes with their doctor; 18 percent spend less than 3 minutes.

Norway

Norway has a universal, tax-funded, singlepayer, national health system. All Norwegian citizens, as well as anyone living or working in Norway, are covered under the National Insurance Scheme. Norwegians can, however, opt out of the government system by paying out of pocket. In addition, many Norwegians go abroad for treatment to avoid the waiting lists endemic under the government program.

Patient choice of physician is constrained. All Norwegian citizens must choose a general practitioner from a government list. The GP acts as a gatekeeper for other services and providers. Patients may switch GPs, but no more than twice per year and only if there is no waiting list for the requested GP. Specialists may only be seen with a referral from the GP.

The Norwegian health care system has experienced serious problems with long and growing waiting lists. Approximately 280,000 Norwegians are estimated to be waiting for care on any given day (out of a population of just 4.6 million). The average wait for hip replacement surgery is more than four months; for a prostectomy, close to three months; and for a hysterectomy, more than two months. Approximately 23 percent of all patients referred for hospital admission have to wait longer than three months for admission.

Netherlands

Aside from Switzerland, the Netherlands has perhaps the most market-oriented national health care system in Europe. That was the case even before 2006, when a series of reforms introduced even more market mechanisms.

The old pre-2006 Dutch system resembled Germany’s. Dutch workers with annual incomes below 32,600 euros were required to enroll in one of 30 government-controlled “sickness funds.”

Those with higher incomes had the option of enrolling in the funds if they wished, or opting out of the government system and purchasing private insurance. Sickness funds were financed through a payroll tax and a flat-rate, per-capita premium.

The new Dutch system operates on the theory of managed competition like Switzerland. Both the social health insurance program and the alternative private health insurance option were replaced by a requirement that all Dutch citizens purchase a basic health insurance plan from one of 41 private insurance companies. Although a fine may be imposed for failure to comply, there is no comprehensive system for identifying citizens who do not meet the mandate. An estimated 1.5 to 2 percent of the population is currently uninsured.

Great Britain

Almost no one disputes that Britain’s National Health Service faces severe problems, and few serious national health care advocates look to it as a model.

The NHS is a highly centralized version of a single-payer system. The government pays directly for health care and finances the system through general tax revenues. Except for small copayments for prescription drugs, dental care, and optician services, there are no direct charges to patients. Unlike many other single-payer systems such as those in Canada and Norway, most physicians and nurses are government employees.

For years, British health policy has focused on controlling spending and in general has been quite successful, with the system spending just 7.5 percent of GDP on health care. Yet the system continues to face serious financial strains. In fiscal year 2006, the NHS faced a deficit of 700 million pounds, according to government figures, and as much as 1 billion pounds, according to outside observers. This comes despite a 43 billion pound increase in the NHS annual budget over the past five years. By some estimates, NHS spending will have to nearly triple by 2025 just to maintain the current level of services.

And that level of services leaves much to be desired. Waiting lists are a major problem. As many as 750,000 Britons are currently awaiting admission to NHS hospitals. These waits are not insubstantial and can impose significant risks on patients. For example, by some estimates, cancer patients can wait as long as eight months for treatment.

A small but growing private health care system has emerged in the UK. About 10 percent of Britons have private health insurance. Some receive it through their employer, while others purchase it individually.

Switzerland

Of all the countries with universal health care, Switzerland has one of the most market-oriented systems. Indeed, the Swiss government actually pays for a smaller amount of total health care expenditures than the U.S. government, 24.9 percent versus 44.7 Percent.

The Swiss system is based on the idea of managed competition, the same concept that underlay the 1993 Clinton health care plan and Mitt Romney’s reforms in Massachusetts. Managed competition leaves the provision of health care and health insurance in private hands but creates a highly regulated artificial marketplace as a framework within which the health care industry operates.

Insurers cannot reject an applicant on the basis of health status, and all policies are community rated within a geographic area, meaning that the healthier pay higher premiums to subsidize the less healthy.

One exception to community rating is for nonsmokers, who can receive premiums as much as 20 percent lower than smokers. A formula adjusts premiums based on sex and age.

The geographic variation can be significant, with premiums differing as much as 50 percent between cantons.
Unable to compete on the basis of managing and pricing risk, and required to offer nearly identical basic benefits packages, insurers compete primarily on price. Since they cannot reduce costs by risk management or benefit design, they generally manage prices by varying the level of deductibles and copayments. Individuals can purchase expensive policies with very low deductibles and copayments, or far less expensive policies with high deductibles or extensive copayments.

Thus, premiums vary according to their cost-sharing attributes and plan type, running from $1,428 per year for a plan with a deductible of approximately $2,000 to $2,388 for a plan with a $250 deductible. Because employers do not pay for workers’ health insurance, the Swiss are exposed to the full cost of their insurance purchases.

As a result, many Swiss have opted for high-deductible insurance. Thus, with high deductibles and extensive copayments, the Swiss pay out of pocket for 31.5 percent of health care, twice as much as in the United States.
The Swiss generally seem pleased with their system. Earlier this year, Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to replace the current system with a single-payer plan; more than 71 percent of Swiss voters turned down the proposal in a nationwide referendum.

Germany

National health insurance in Germany is part of a social insurance system that dates back to Bismarck. All German citizens with annual incomes under 46,300 euros (roughly 60,000 dollars) are required to enroll in one of approximately 250 statutory “sickness funds.” Those with higher incomes may enroll in the funds if they wish, or may opt out of the government system and purchase private insurance.

About three quarters of workers with incomes above the statutory limit choose to remain in the sickness funds, which currently cover approximately 90 percent of the population. Overall, insurance coverage is nearly universal. However, the number of uninsured has been rising, roughly tripling in the last 10 years to 300,000 people. About 9 percent of the population purchases supplemental insurance to cover items that are not included in the standard benefits package.
Sickness funds are financed through a payroll tax split equally between the employer and employee. The size of the tax varies depending on which fund the worker has chosen, but averages around 15 percent of wages.

Germans seem aware of the need to reform their health care system. In a 2004 poll, 76 percent of Germans thought health care reform was “urgent,” while an additional 14 percent thought it was “desirable.”

However, Germans are split nearly down the middle about what that reform should be. Roughly 47 percent would like to see an increase in private health care spending, whereas 49 percent would not. Similarly, 45 percent of Germans believe that more patient choice would improve health care quality, whereas 50 percent do not.

Canada

Few serious advocates of universal health care look to Canada as a model because as Jonathan Cohn puts it, “Nobody in the United States seriously proposes recreating the British and Canadian system here—in part because, as critics charge . . . they really do have waiting lines.”

Although Canada is frequently referred to as having a “national health system,” the system is actually decentralized with considerable responsibility devolved to Canada’s 10 provinces and 2 territories. It is financed jointly by the provinces and the federal government, similar to the U.S. Medicaid program.

In order to qualify for federal funds, each provincial program must meet five criteria:
1] universality—available to all provincial residents on uniform terms and conditions;
2] comprehensiveness—covering all medically necessary hospital and physician services;
3] portability—allowing residents to remain covered when moving from province to province;
4] accessibility—having no financial barriers to access such as deductibles or copayments; and
5] public administration—administered by a nonprofit authority accountable to the provincial government.

Federal financing comes from general tax revenue. The federal government provides a block grant to each province which amounts to around 16 percent of health care spending.

However, most funding comes from provincial taxes, primarily personal and corporate income taxes. Some provinces also use funds from other financial sources like sales taxes and lottery proceeds.

At one time, all provinces prohibited private insurance from covering any service or procedure provided under the government program. But in 2005, the Canadian Supreme Court struck down Quebec’s prohibition on private insurance contracting. Litigation to permit private contracting is now pending in several other provinces.

In addition to the public hospitals covered by the government, many private clinics now operate, offering specialized services. Although private clinics are legally barred from providing services covered by the

Canada Health Act, many do offer such services in a black market. The biggest advantage of private clinics is that they typically offer services with reduced wait times compared to the public health care system.

Physicians are also in short supply. Canada has roughly 2.1 practicing physicians per 1,000 people, far less than the OECD average. Worse, the number of physicians per 1,000 people has not grown at all since 1990.

And while the number of nurses per 1,000 people remains near the OECD average, that number has been declining since 1990.
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