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Healthcare Crisis

Healthcare in Crisis

Our current healthcare system is not only broken; it is in crisis.

The problems with our current system are numerous. Recently Rand Corporation found that 60% of the care delivered in the United States in sub-standard. This study included some of the best hospitals to be found in this country.

ten year graph
graphic - comparative administrative costs

There are other major problems:

  • There is great inefficiency in the present healthcare system.
  • California has over 1500 insurance plans.
  • With a major portion of health dollars going to "administration" costs, including large executive salaries, commissions, and stockholder dividends, fewer dollars actually go to health care.
  • 7 million Californians are uninsured. Millions more are underinsured
  • Costs are rising for premiums, co-pays, and deductibles for less coverage.
  • People have fewer choices.
  • Hospitals, emergency rooms and trauma centers are closing.
  • Half of personal bankruptcies are caused by medical bills.
  • For-profit managed care maximizes profit (not our health) and rations care.
  • Lack of insurance is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States.
money graph
compare nations graph
  • World Health Organization ranked the U.S. health care system 37th in the world for quality and 55th for fairness.
  • The United States is the only industrialized country that does not have universal health care.