--- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- In [email protected], "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > <snip> > > > The chances of an American administration > > > and/or an American Congress being able to resist the > > > pressure and often outright bribes made by these > > > companies is, in my opinion, slight. It's almost as > > > if it'll require junking the entire system and start- > > > ing over to fix it. And how likely is that? > > > > As the Common Dreams guy notes, though, the French > > have to pay significantly higher taxes in return for > > their excellent health care. So it's not just the > > pressure from those who profit from the current > > health care system the legislators would have to > > resist, but from the taxpayers as well--especially > > the upper-income taxpayers who are less dependent > > on good health insurance for their medical care. > > Actually, for most folks, taxes in France are not > *that* much higher than in the US. The primary > difference is that the Federal tax revenue covers > basic essentials such as health care for everyone, > as a given. In the US, these costs ("emergency" > health care for the uninsured) are absorbed by > individual state and local governments, which then > have to raise *their* taxes, resulting in a higher > and higher *total* tax bill to the taxpayer. The > illusion of lower Federal taxes becomes just that. > It's just passing the buck.
One reason the France may get much more bang for their health care franc relates to one of your (unc's) prior observations -- The french on average are far more slender and apparently fit than Americans. When 40-50% of americans are obese, its not a huge leap to understand why average american health costs are also obese. So its not just the differnece ih health care structures, it also has to do with diet, nutriton and exercise which are often shaped culturally. And all that sex the french have probably helps too. To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
