Here is a great graph from 2003 of per capita medical spending and life expectancy among countries. It is an eye opener!!!
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2008/01/odd-chart-of-th.html

The USA is #27 in life expectancy (just beating out Cuba) but by far #1 in per capita medical spending: $4500 per person in 2003 beating Switzerland by $2000 yearly per capita. I'm sure that the statistics are worse for Americans now in 2008 as medical inflation is almost as bad as petroleum inflation.

So many of us have a double gripe. My self-employed insurance deductible is $2500 per family member. I don't have $2500 in savings (except for retirement), so we just pray that we don't get sick.

My insurance costs $2400 a year for two people, and I cannot begin to list all of the exclusions which include all psychological ailments, drug dependency, carpal tunnel, and TMJ.

Beakybird

[This message has been edited by Beakybird (edited 06-11-2008).]