Next up: Personal Genome Sequencing

Latest advances from Stanford:

Genome Sequencing Gets 99.9833% Price Cut

With the cost currently at $50,000 (down from $300 million), it's an official Tech Race.

The cost-efficiency target is $1000 and under one month. At that point it will enter into widespread usage. Checking a person for genetic markers as a normal diagnostic tool and for preventative medicine will be a reality.

1/2 of current health care costs are wasteful

This is the broken system that certain conservative party-liners seek to preserve with crass smoke and mirrors disinformation tactics.

swimming with sharks

At MoveOn.org: Sign the letter calling for a real public option.

Health Insurance as Investment

If you viewed health insurance through the eyes of a finance professional, what kind of investment would it be?

Felix Salmon, in his blog post Conditional probabilities and evil insurers, sees it as a risky one... you have about a 50% chance of collecting (and a 50% chance of getting nothing) if you get really sick.

"if you’re making a series of small payments now on the grounds that you will be paid a large sum of money if something bad happens, you’re running some large and unhedgeable counterparty risk"

The Taunter article (unconscionable math) which he refers to is a clear analysis of health insurer's rescission methods. ie - real and sad and borderline criminal.

The simple numbers of Universal Health Care

The real numbers here: Healthcare costs in U.S. vs. rest of world.

UK, France and Germany... all have universal health care, the "European-style Socialism" feared by U.S. Conservatives.

Those nations pay less than $4000 per capita for health care. In the U.S. it's nearly $7000 per capita (with over 40 million people falling through the big "not-covered" crack.)

Conservatives in Europe look at America's health care shenanigans and wonder what brand of crack we're all smoking. Universal health care doesn't appear to be offensive to even the most conservative of folk on the other side of the pond.

Let's review:
1) Twice the $$$ per capita goes into the U.S. health care system, but many citizens aren't given access to that health care, and those that do have access/coverage can have it rescinded for any odd reason.

2) Universal health care (UK/France/Germany) costs half as much per capita than the U.S. and no one is refused care.

Now... how exactly is Universal Public Health Care worse?

How does universal health care work?

In Europe, Health Care is a basic human right.

In America, Freedom of Speech and the right to bear arms is covered. We got that whole "life, liberty, pursuit of happiness" thing... whatever that means.

But Health Care is a commodity in the U.S., not a basic human right.

What America doesn't want but desperately needs is Universal Health Care. Hear David Sedaris on French health care (Real Audio File). A view from the inside. From NPR's Morning Edition - August 15, 2000

Sadly, the Asshole Health Insurance Cabal and it's 30% skim will likely continue, except with a new infusion of funding from your tax dollars. Thanks Obama. More Socialism for the Rich.