Universal Health Care is going to be in the news again when Hillary Clinton proposes Universal Health Care on Monday, September 17th, according to the New York Times in Clinton to Propose Universal Health Care .
According to WikiPedia Universal Health Care is:
"…..Universal health care is a state in which all residents of a geographic or political region have access to most types of health care."
Universal health care is provided in most developed countries, and many developing countries across the globe. In the 1880s, most Germans became covered under the mandatory health care system championed by Bismarck. National Health Service in the United Kingdom was the world's first universal health care system provided by government. It was established in 1948. The most comprehensive today is in France, and the second most is in Italy[citation needed]. Other examples are Medicare in Australia, established in the 1970s, and by the same name Medicare in Canada, established between 1966 and 1984. Universal health care contrasts to the systems like health care in the United States or South Africa, though South Africa is one of the many countries attempting health care reform.[1]"
Is the WikiPedia entry saying the German's are more than 100 years ahead of the archaic American Medical Insurance System? Sure looks that way. Also the Connecticut Coalition for Universal Health Care has a fact sheet showing the longer the United States stays on a Private Insurance or no insurance plan, the lower life expectancy and higher Infant Mortality rates go.
Myth One: The United States has the best health care system in the world.
- Fact One: The United States ranks 23rd in infant mortality, down from 12th in 1960 and 21st in 1990
- Fact Two: The United States ranks 20th in life expectancy for women down from 1st in 1945 and 13th in 1960
- Fact Three: The United States ranks 21st in life expectancy for men down from 1st in 1945 and 17th in 1960.
Interestingly, the Associated Press just put out an article that outlines each Presidential Candidate position on Universal Health Care in Presidential Candidates on Health Care.
However, I think it's much more interesting to look at the Blogosphere to see which candidates are dominating an issue, and Hillary Clinton is dominating Universal Health Care as shown by BlogPulse:
Comparing the buzz on Universal Health Care (The Mayo Clinic jumped into the national debate on improving health care yesterday, calling for every individual to have basic universal insurance as a step toward gradually replacing the current employer-based system) with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama shows, in it's spikes and dips, that Hillary Clinton is shaping, or in line with the debate more than Barack Obama.
On the other hand, political candidates trailing Hillary Clinton are often dominating their messaging on the issues rather than dominating the issues; at least, that's the way it looks to me.
Oh well, it's a quiet Sunday, after all, though the debate about Universal Health Care is going to heat up again, on Monday when Clinton Proposes Universal Health Care.