From sources unexpected

I typically steer clear of the political discussions around here, but this one is driving me nuts. I'll let Bunny's British artist speak for me.

Anyone following me on twitter might be aware that I have become a touch enraged about the US Healthcare debate recently, especially the diversion tactic where my countries healthcare system has been held up as a nightmare scenario of Comrade Obama's Master Plan to Destroy America's Healthtm.

In fact, I suspect we would have been happy to ignore this were it not for the little "Public Healthcare Will Kill Your Granny" spiel.

I'm sorry, I'll just adjust my soapbox a little here.

The problem with this is our health care system is actually generally pretty good (could be improved, could be better funded, lots of things could happen that would make it better, but the fundamental principle is serving us well).

As is the system in Canada. And France. And Germany. And Australia. And Israel. I mean, I could go on.

Each one of those countries appears to have a functioning, responsible, well-run health care system. And they're either wholly or partially publicly funded. Which apparently is some sort of contradiction in terms to some people.

Here's a list to compare. via the Wiki. Will do a better job of describing the pros and cons.

Any combination of those solutions for bridging the gap between people with access to healthcare and people without is viable.

There are social, economic and ethical reasons why healthcare reform needs to happen. You owe it to yourselves, to your neighbour and people who will probably never meet.

But that's really not what's at stake here.

People are out there wilfully lying to get you on board. Mostly because I figure they think you're morons.

For example, the UK Government doesn't runs the NHS any more than it is involved in the day-to-day running of public schools, hospitals, police forces or the fire brigade.

Why would an American Universal System suddenly place have a dollar value on your life and will withhold care if you're too expensive to treat when, US Insurance Companies do this already? If anything, that sort of practice needs to be examined and regulated.

Stephen Hawking is not American and has not been killed by the NHS no matter how much they treat him for life-threatening conditions.

The NHS being a "terrorist breeding ground"? I know it's Fox News, but that's a pretty determined attempt at reconfiguring reality.

Finally some figures to round this off from the World Health Organisation. They're easy enough to find.

UK
Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2006): 2,784
Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2006): 8.4

USA
Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2006): 6,714
Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2006): 15.3

What does the US currently get for that extra outlay per capita at present?
Lower average life expectancy, lower average healthy life expectancy, higher average infant mortality rate. Surely something is wrong? Surely that needs fixing?

Our way is by no means the best way, and it probably wouldn't work in the US for a variety of reasons, but ideology (and probably a fair amount of cash) is overriding serious, reasoned debate about public funded healthcare options and what should be made available.

And I'm done.

His comic is among the oddest on the web but is well worth the daily check in for your daily moment of Zen.

And he apparently has a good head on his shoulders when it comes to the American health care debate.

Our system as it is cannot continue to function. It is broken, and I fear it is broken beyond repair.

We must fix it, and the risk of not fixing it is far worse than the risk of fixing it wrong.

Yes, the current recession / downturn / whatever may hurt us in the short run, but we will come out of it. No one doubts that. They disagree on how long it may take to come out of it, but no one doubts that we will.

The ever-increasing health care costs, however, will flatly kill us in the long run if we don't change the system.

Quibbling over the details, derailing the process with ridiculous lies and screaming, the $1.4 million spent every day by the health care industry to lobby our Congresspeople is doing us no good and only forestalling the eventual finding of a solution - or full destruction of our nation's economy.