Would You Notice If Half Of The Fans Of Your Favorite Team Did Not Show Up To Cheer For A Playoff Game?

#Healthcare fact: 45,000 people die in the US every year due to a lack of health insurance?

That's like more than 50% of the Cowboys fans suddenly disappearing during a game with Washington's NFL team. Or 2/3 of the 67,000 fans known as the Seattle Seahawks' beloved "12th man" not showing up to cheer for their Superbowl Champs. A few weeks ago, Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Richard Burr (R-NC), Chair and Ranking Member, respectively, of the Primary Health and Aging Subcommittee (Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee), held a Hearing on "Access & Cost: What the U.S. Health Care System Can Learn from Other Countries".

Now before you dismiss the premise of this Hearing thinking that the United States has the best healthcare system in the world, think about this: The United States has the highest per capita health care costs of any 1st world country, but it lags far behind these countries when it comes to health outcomes. In fact, France, which spends 1/2 of what the U.S. spends per capita in healthcare costs, has the highest longevity for women. Only Japan ranks better in this measure. Infant deaths per 1000 live births are almost 50% less in France than the U.S. France, Denmark, Canada, & Taiwan offer universal health insurance coverage. On par, their health outcomes are significantly better. And again, their costs are less.

One substantial complaint about health care in the previously mentioned countries is the wait times for treatment. During the Hearing, one witness testified that her mother died of colon cancer because of a late diagnosis. She attributed that to the fact that the doctor was unwilling to order the necessary tests because of her mother's age. The fact that anyone would die because they did not receive available care that would have prolonged their life is sad and regrettable. While it's true long wait times can adversely affect health outcomes, overall Canada has better health outcomes than the U.S. 

The Affordable Care Act (#ACA) gets us closer than we have ever been to providing universal coverage. According to News reports today, if you try to sign up by the deadline of March 31st and you encounter problems, the Obama Admiinistration will extend you additional time to complete the process. (Check healthcare.gov for further information.) Let's make sure we take advantage of this opportunity to ensure we not only have access to healthcare, but also have access to screenings and advanced diagnostics tests like MRIs.