Missouri: Ranked one of the "Most Depressing States"

Wow.

Tough news, there, Missourians. Sorry to break it to you this otherwise beautiful morning but here goes.

The state of Missouri is ranked one of the "Most Depressing States" by Health.com.

The thing is, though, first they say we're one of the top most depressing states in the Union, of the 50 states, then, this is all they really have to say about us:

"Missouri isn’t at the bottom of the barrel in any one measure of mental health, but it gets very low marks in several areas, including the rate of serious psychological distress (13%)."

It seems cowardly or inconsistent orr non-committal or something.

Anyway, this is what they say it's based on:

"Using data from federal health agencies, Health.com has identified the 10 states with the highest rates of depression, psychological distress, and other indicators of poor mental health."

They also listed the states alphabetically and not by best to worst or vice versa so you don't really know who ranks where. That said, Mississippi and West Virginia are on the list so what's that tell you, with their poverty rates?

Just an educated guess.

Final note: Once again, several of these states on this list for negative note are Right Wing, "Conservative", Republican-leaning "red" states, it's worth mentioning.

How's that no-changey thing goin' for ya?

Links: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20483493_7,00.html

On the US, "heroes" and our non-functioning systems

From yesterday's New York Times Sunday Review section: "As the national narrative shifts from the war on terror to the specter of decline, the uniform performs another psychic function. The military is can-do, the one institution — certainly the one public institution — that still appears to work. The schools, the highways, the post office; Amtrak, FEMA, NASA and the T.S.A. — not to mention the banks, the newspapers, the health care system, and above all, Congress: nothing seems to function anymore, except the armed forces. They’re like our national football team — and undisputed champs, to boot — the one remaining sign of American greatness." --William Deresiewicz, essayist, critic and author of "Solitude and Leadership", an address delivered at West Point in 2009 and widely taught in the armed forces. Link to original post: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/opinion/sunday/americas-sentimental-regard-for-the-military.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=our+sentimental+regard+for+soldiers&st=nyt

Note to the Missouri GOP

The US' health care system is broken.

It doesn't work.

It's not affordable.

It is the most expensive health care system on the planet.

We're ranked 37th--behind Rush Limbaugh's Costa Rica, for pity's sake--internationally, when considering mortality.

It needs fixing.

You've never tried to fix it and this President is trying to, just like Democrat Harry Truman, before him and too many Presidents since, including Bill Clinton.

Get over it.

The President is right on this one.

We need help and it will take help, structurally, from the government to do it.

No other country on the planet lets the markets decide who gets health care and how.

We're dying out here.

Literally.

For statistics on America's health care system, click here.

Still don't think we need health care reform?

If you still don't think we need health care reform here in the US, consider these three facts and all the supporting data:

1) In the U.S., health care costs run nearly $7,000 per person. But in Cuba, they spend around $251 per person.

•United States health spending per capita is $6,697 per person according to Catlin, A, C. Cowan, S. Heffler, et al, "National Health Spending in 2005." Health Affairs 26:1 (2006). As with the number of uninsured, the number continues to increase and is projected to be $7,092 per capita in 2006, $7,498 per capita in 2007 and reaching $12,782 by 2016, according the Department of Health and Human Services Center for Medicare and Medicaid Expenditures, National Health Expenditures Projections 2006-2016,
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/downloads/proj2006.pdf
•The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report says Cuba spends $251 per capita on health care. (Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006. http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/statistics/indicators/52.html)

2) In Cuba, access to health care is universal.

•"Cuban dissatisfaction with their personal lives does not mean they are negative about the revolutionary government's achievements in health care and education. A near unanimous 96 percent of respondents say that health care in Cuba is accessible to everyone. Gallup polls in other Latin American cities have found that on average only 42 percent believe health care is accessible." Gallup/ Consultoría Interdisciplinaria en Desarrollo, "Cubans Show Little Satisfaction with Opportunities and Individual Freedom Rare Independent Survey Finds Large Majorities Are Still Proud of Island's Health Care and Education," January 10, 2007.
http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/brlatinamericara/
300.php?nid=&id=&pnt=300&lb=brla

3) Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate and a longer average lifespan than the United States.

•The 2006 United Nations Human Development Report's human development index states the life expectancy in the United States is 77.5, and is 77.6 in Cuba. Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, 2006 at 283. http://hdr.undp.org/hdr2006/pdfs/report/HDR06-complete.pdf.
•According to the United Nations Statistics Division, Population and Vital Statistics Report, the rate of infant deaths per thousand in Cuba is 6.2 per thousand, and in the United States is 6.8. "Table 3, Live births, deaths, and infant deaths, latest available year, June 15, 2007."
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/vitstats/serATab3.pdf

And there is a hell of a lot more where this comes from.

Senators Bond, Mitchell and McCain were way out of line

If you haven't read the front page story of The Kansas City Star today, you need to.

The three Senators listed above were in town and held a very small (100 people), "invitation only" meeting to discuss health care reform here in town at Children's Mercy Hospital.

What chutzpah.

They all said "compromise with Democrats hasn't been found."

Well, no kidding.

And why would it?

If the Republicans won't compromise, how can you get a compromise?

They were, it seems, in effect, blaming the Democrats for not giving them the compromise they were denying and wanting to deny.

Talk about blaming the victim.

"They blasted President Barack Obama's vision of health care reform, calling it outlandishly expensive, and predicted it could lead to rationing and outsized budget deficits for years to come."

There they go again--putting out nothing but fear.

Oh, and that rationing? We already have that, since rich people can and do get care and the poor and uninsured don't.

Get this beauty from Sen. McCain: "No country can continue to spend more than it takes in..."

That's good, coming from the Republicans. How come we got those huge deficits from that last 8 years of Republican rule, then? Where was the concern then?

Then there's this: "McConnell, the Senate minority leader from Kentucky, said if government got into the insurance business, it would wipe out the private insurance industry."

Ah, NOW we've struck on what--and whom--they're really concerned about--the insurance industry.

Their benefactors.

These Senators aren't concerned about you and me, ladies and gentlemen.

The insurance corporations are spending thousands and millions of dollars to make sure government stays out of the insurance business because then they won't be able to keep increasing our premiums while reducing care, all across the country.

What's stunning is that Sen. McConnell would even blurt that quote out for the press. He should know better than to make it clear who he's really working for.

"The three Republican senators said they are more interested in incremental health care reform..."

You bet they are. That way they can say they did something about health care in the US while ensuring that the insurance companies and other big business operations continue to clean the financial clocks of Americans.

But real, far-reaching, intelligent, all-encompassing health care reform that addresses the problems of the American public, their constituents?

No way.

Let me point out three simple, brief statistics, to show we need health care reform:

1) We have, above and beyond, the most expensive health care system in the world;

2) We rank, internationally, in mortality rates, 37th--behind Costa Rica and

3) Nearly 50 million Americans have no health care insurance or coverage at all and the number is growing daily.

There are more statistics available, quickly and easily. (See some here: http://www.michaelmoore.com/sicko/_media/SiCKO_sickofactoids.pdf)

So lets stop putting out all the fear, untruths and misrepresentations.

The health care system in America is broken. It is badly broken. It is financially breaking both households and businesses.

The Republicans need to stop being "The Party of No" and get behind a fix for this mess.

It's irresponsible to not offer true solutions and put the American public first and it's plainly bad for the country now and into our future.

Link to story: http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1417107.html

This is why we need a government insurance option--and badly

I received this email, this morning, from my sister. It's from a friend of hers.

This is the insane, financially and morally bankrupt "health care system" the American people are subject to and people defend.

It's insane.

It's irresponsible.

It's heartless.

It's health care for the corporation.

It's indefensible.

(Posted with no corrections).

"Hey everyone, if i could afford it i would post my insurance billing statement in the local newspapers. As most of you know, i've had two cancer surgeries in the last two months....both at the wonderful CTCA in Tulsa, Ok. Although their financial dept. has bent over backward to help us, i cannot say the same for our local "preferred" providers.
Julys surgery involved over twenty staples in my abdomen. So that i could return home a few days after the surgery they gave my daughter a staple remover so it could be done at home. Well....it turned out to be too painful. My first call was to my family doctor who said they would just give me a sedative because they didn't have numbing gel. i stated i didn't want a sedative. i then went to "urgent care" owned also by Heartland Health System in St. Joseph. At first they refused me care. When i reminded them that it was not legal to turn me away they let me see a doctor. He told me he could not remove the staples that a surgeon would have to do it. By the way, a surgeon, also from Heartland, that had done previous work on me refused to take the staples=2
0out because "he did not put them in". SO...finally i went to the E.R. at Heartland. A nice Nurse Practioner and a sweet young nurse put numbing gel on my staples and pulled them out after about fifteen minutes. i was there less than an hour. Here's the kicker. They charged my
insurance company THREE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS!!!!! Our insurance paid TWO THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED!!! for something the CTCA thought our seventeen year old daughter could do at home! WHO says our medical system does not need reform?!?!?!?"


I couldn't have said it better myself.

Have a great weekend, y'all.

More proof of right-wing, Conservative insanity

Charles Krauthammer had a column in the Kansas City Star yesterday showing how over-the-top looney the right wing and Conservatives have become since our last, November election.

He took the stance that "Preventive care's savings.." are an "illusion."

Really?

You want to take the stance that keeping yourself healthy and properly-fed and properly-nutritioned and properly-exercised is not a good way to help stave off more serious illness and disease?

What are you thinking?

If you emphasize a few statistics, you know we need health care reform.

Let me repeat:

--We have THE MOST EXPENSIVE health care system in the world, literally. We spend 2.5 trillion dollars per year, for pity's sake;

--We rank 37th, internationally, in mortality rates. We're behind Costa Rica;

--We have nearly 50 million people uninsured and without any real health care in this country. A

And that's just 3 of many, many more statistics and facts that are available.

Everything else is smoke and mirrors.

Our health system is broken, ladies and gentelmen. We spend WAY too much on it and a lot of us are still without health care of any kind. Thousands of us are taking bankruptcy because of this crappy health care system.

It's insane.

This needs to be fixed.

And the time is now.

Link to story:
http://www.kansascity.com/273/story/1389037.html