Yes I do and of course I would but I would be one of the lucky ones who could afford full cover. Just under one in six of the US population have no health insurance at all.
In four years from 2000 to 2004, Americans spent an ever-growing proportion of their salaries on health care and for the most part got a lot less for their money, forcing millions into the ranks of the uninsured or personal bankruptcy, according to US government figures and several independent assessments.
Nationwide, workers' costs for health insurance rose by 36% between 2000 and 2004, dwarfing the average 12.4%increase in earnings since President Bush took office. The number of Americans spending more than a quarter of their income on medical costs climbed from 11.6 million in 2000 to 14.3 million in 2004.
The 2004 figures are the latest I have but you can be assured that thngs have not improved.
Let me give you a couple of personal anecdotes - my late brother-in-law was a US resident for 40 years. He served four years in the US airforce. His widow has had paid for health insurance for years but she now has MS and her cover will run out at a certain level of treatment.
When I was at the Breeders' Cup in Santa Anita a friend, who is English but who lives in the Florida for six months of the year came back to the hotel late at night having had plenty to drink. He fell out of the taxi and broke his arm. he is a wealthy man and has never had insurance of any kind, apart from that which the law dictates necessary. He went straight to hospital wher he was examined, X-rayed, the arm plasterd up and he spent the night in a room (shared with one other man. That was the full extent of his treatment as we were all off to Las Vegas the following day.
The cost of that hospital visit and one night stay? $10,000!
There is a lot wrong with out health service and this current government's various schemes haven't helped it but I know which system i tink better.
