We pay twice as much for health care than other countries

[SoutherDem]

But we serve less.

The market place working like a fine oiled machine. Gota love Capitalism.

[quinnox]

1. yet this is some kind of great victory

to be forced to buy shitty insurance from greedy for profit health insurance corporations, who do their darndest to deny care.

[Igel]

3. With single payer the amount spent in the US would decrease.

A big chunk of the amount is for tests that wouldn't be done in other countries, as well as for heroic measures in the last year or two of life.

Most other countries wouldn't spend $300k for the last 8 months of life of a 86-year-old woman with cancer and Alzheimer's. The US would.

[spin]

2. That's what you get with the best government money can buy.

(source: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2011/04/12/how-would-you-fix-the-health-care-system.aspx)

(source: http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA547ComparativeHealth.html)

The life expectancy and infant death charts are interesting but other factors such as life style could be contributing factors.