5 Truths About Heath Care in America

In five years health care will be one-fifth of the U.S. economy, and per-person; spending will nearly double. The U.S. spends far more money on health care than any other nation. We aren't very healthy respectively but we do make the most medical advances and innovations in the world. For every dollar the U.S. spends on health care 31 cents of it goes to hospital care, 21 to physician and clinical services and 9 to nursing home care. For all this money and energy we rank pretty low on almost every health statistic for developed nations. Our average life expectancy is 77.9 years only 34th in the world. Infant mortality rate is no better, we are tied with Poland and Slovakia as 29th in the world. Out of every 1,000 live births 6.9 babies die, this statistic is linked with economic status and a mother's access to health care. Even with all our great hospitals and research Americans fall far behind in the healthiness of our daily lives. Education, Income and Race and sex are key factors, smoking is on the decline but still half of men with GED diplomas are smokers, but just 6% of men with a graduate degree light up. Americas' top killers; heart disease, cancer and stroke now only account for 5 out of ever 10 deaths, less than the 7 out of 10 in 1980. Prostate cancer in men and breast cancer in women are the most common forms of cancer, but they are also the most survivable. Even with our very interconnected world rural areas still do not have enough doctors available, plus the 45.6 million of Americans uninsured. Almost 32% of Hispanics are uninsured as well as 8.1 million children. America is starting to realize it's extremely poor state of health care, we are no where near our goal but we are getting there, slowly.