U.S. has lower taxes and poorer health care than most industrialized nations
We hear that we should cut taxes -- they are so high. But we Americans are paying the least taxes since 1960. When taxes in the 1950s were higher than today -- our country had a vibrant and expanding economy.
Today, in addition to paying the lowest taxes in more than half a century, we are paying the second lowest taxes of any other industrialized country. And, we are, according to the New York Times -- paying taxes “that are among the world’s lowest.”
The only industrialized country that pays lower taxes than the United States is Japan. Germany, the UK, Canada, and others tax higher than the U.S.
Of course, most industrialized countries provide health care for all their citizens. People in other places receive both health and dental care. We in the United States do not. Our present health care system costs twice as much as health care in places like the Netherlands.
In exchange for twice the cost of health care, we get: a higher infant mortality rate, and a lower life expectancy. Why? This doesn’t sound like a good plan to me.
When traveling, citizens in industrialized countries buy travelers’ health insurance. These plans protect the owners while out of their native countries. But, the plans do not cover health care for visitors to the United States. An extra health insurance policy is necessary for travelers coming to the U. S. because our health care costs are so much higher than elsewhere. Not only are our health care costs outrageous; we lose many potential tourists.
Margaret R Bennett
Ann Arbor
Comments
Charlie Brown's Ghost
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 5:59 p.m.
Margaret, if you truly our taxes are too low, you undoubtedly send in extra this past April. How much extra did you send?
Bogie
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 5:13 p.m.
Margaret, Have you considered that our corporate tax is the second highest in the industrialized world? Also, your point about 1960, the United States was coming out of a deep recession from 1958, so guess what? Lower taxes- economic recovery. Finally, the reason for our exploding debt is the fact of people cheating the system. There are so many out there "grabbing their backs" and getting "crazy" checks, that we can't afford them now. I'm all for maintaining the current system for our retirees, but it is time to go after these people that are robbing our country blind. End welfare. End SSI fraud. Police our entitlement programs, or abolish them. Finally, I would love to see a study on obesity, and it's relation to government entitlement programs.
David Briegel
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 6:04 p.m.
So, you're ready to go after your neighbor who cheats on his taxes? Are you ready to go after the biggest cheaters of all on Wall St? Bogie, have you considered that NO corporation pays that rate? Their hired hands in the best gov't money can buy make certain of that. Are you ready to end corporate welfare and fraud as we know it? You know, those noble saints who are "cheating the system" and "robbing our country blind"! I would love to see a study of obesity as it relates to Wall Street's entitlement programs!
MeThinksTheyDoth
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 4:23 p.m.
Not sure what the writer's thesis is, but the discussion does not hold together with respect to taxes. Japan has a mixed public/private system and has struggled with messy and inefficient features of the system, yet has the highest life expectancy of any nation.
Basic Bob
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 1:54 p.m.
Americans need to lose weight. That will fix the health care system.
Bob Carlin
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 1:06 p.m.
No doubt about it. Our health care system is broken. A large majority supported real health care reform, but the industry got itself another sweetheart subsidy and it will continue with its huge inefficiency, excess profits and substandard outcomes.
Hot Sam
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 12:29 p.m.
I recently had two short trips to the doctor for a couple of very minor things. I received a bill and via the instructions went on line, created an account, and paid the bill. No problem? I kept getting bills, so I called and was told "the UM system bills the facility and doctors separately, and only one of them is on line" To be noted, is that the first payment I made on line was more than enough to cover a ten minute doctor consultation and the writing of a prescription. Yesterday I went through my file and found that I have 24 pieces of correspondence relating to two ten minute doctor visits. The bureaucracy, excessive management and other nonsense has added untold amounts of money to what should be a much easier process We can afford the health care, what we can't afford is the health care industry...
mmppcc
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 11:47 a.m.
Conservatives are a disease. They are to blame. Unfortunately for the rest of us, they are part of our culture in this country. They claim the accumulation of personal wealth while others suffer is somehow God's plan. I feel dirty just being around them.
mmppcc
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 1:15 p.m.
Lamont, the United States is a wealthy country. Denying our citizens access to quality health care just because it might raise our taxes is barbaric, and using God's name to justify that greed is particularly vile.
David Briegel
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 1:01 p.m.
Lamont, classically conservative. Address how the accumulation of wealth while others suffer is your "God's Plan". You won't. Do you know why? because you can't!
Lamont Cranston
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 12:48 p.m.
Classically liberal. Attack the person, don't counter the argument. Do you know why? because you can't.
Ignatz
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 10:14 a.m.
It seems that not only are we paying less in taxes as in the past, we need to borrow for what we are sending. We currently have 2 wars going on, but taxes were lowered. It makes no sense at all. Our "leaders" chose to put money into death rather than life and quality of life for our citizens. You want to see what we're getting for our lower taxes? Take a look in our emergency rooms and see those who do not have health care. Drive down our roads. Look at our infrastructure. We're falling apart.
DonBee
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 5:03 a.m.
Ms Bennett - Do your tax numbers include: 1) Payroll taxes 2) Local taxes 3) Sales taxes 4) State taxes 5) Government fees that are in place of taxes like inspection fees or license fees There are 30 or more types of taxes in the US. Most international numbers do not take them into account. For instance our Social Security Taxes and Medicaid taxes are separate and normally not counted in National taxes when there is an international comparison. So please tell me which taxes are included in your numbers.
Jacob Bodnar
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 3:18 a.m.
When looking at what country pays the most taxes, keep in mind that looks at the rate is worthless. The highest tax rate in the US right now is 35%, however that bracket really pays about 20%. And somewhere around 50% of families and people pay $0 in taxes, despite the fact that they still have a "rate" attached to their income bracket. It's more worth while to look at the amount of taxes collected and look at the amount per person. The United States, per person, collects about $10,000 in taxes. That's more than Spain, Greece, New Zealand, Japan, Hungary, and South Korea. Worth noting that five of those six countries have universal heath care. The UK only collects $2,000 more per person, but offers considerably more social services. Now, I don't support universal health care or more welfare, however, it's interesting to note that there are six countries that collect less in taxes, yet provide more in social services. So...do we spend too much, or too inefficiently, or do we tax too little? It's pretty clear we spend too inefficiently.
John B.
Fri, Aug 5, 2011 : 10:06 p.m.
No, it's pretty clear that we tax too little. Tax per person means nothing without a frame of reference. You have to look at total taxation as a percentage of income. Ours is quite low (too low...).
1bit
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 3:05 a.m.
When your business is running out of money, you can certainly try spending less but you ultimately need to raise revenue or you'll go out of business. Nobody wants increased taxes, but Ms. Bennett is on the mark when she states that it needs to happen. As for the healthcare bit, well she lost me there. Let's clear this up once and for all: Health insurance is not the same thing as good health or good health care. In the US, roughly 5% of the population consumes roughly 50% of all spending. Roughly 50% of the population consumes less than 3% of all spending. Chronic disease conditions (including those related to obesity) play a role in this. If you want to learn about this further, read something interesting like this recent report: <a href="http://nihcm.org/pdf/NIHCM-Uninsured-Final.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://nihcm.org/pdf/NIHCM-Uninsured-Final.pdf</a>
1bit
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 3:07 a.m.
Here's a better one, from which I pulled the statistics above: <a href="http://nihcm.org/images/stories/NIHCM-CostBrief-Email.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://nihcm.org/images/stories/NIHCM-CostBrief-Email.pdf</a>
Macabre Sunset
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 2:54 a.m.
All those European systems you envy are on the brink of bankruptcy. Greece is already gone. Ireland, Italy, Spain and Portugal are right in its footsteps. Entitlements cost a lot of money. And where we stand out is that more than half of Americans pay absolutely no income tax. It's not just a progressive system, we have a progressive system in which half the people are completely uninvested. So, they can keep demanding more because they know they will never see the bill. We need real health care reform. What we don't need is to ask the public to pay for more of the same.
Think!
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 4:31 p.m.
The United States is on the brink of defaulting on our loans thanks to this non-issue debt ceiling debacle. We are already Greece.
johnnya2
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 12:41 p.m.
" more than half of Americans pay absolutely no income tax." NOT TRUE. You really need to stop watching Fox News. Here is the exact quote that turned into this myth: "The fraction of tax units paying no income tax varies widely by filing status and type of unit. About 47 percent of single filers will owe no tax, compared with 38 percent of joint filers and 72 percent of heads of household. More than half of elderly tax units and tax units with children will pay no income tax this year." That is from the Tax Policy Center "The 51 percent figure is an anomaly that reflects the unique circumstances of 2009, when the recession greatly swelled the number of Americans with low incomes and when temporary tax cuts created by the 2009 Recovery Act — including the "Making Work Pay" tax credit and an exclusion from tax of the first $2,400 in unemployment benefits — were in effect. Together, these developments removed millions of Americans from the federal income tax rolls. Both of these temporary tax measures have since expired." Source Center for Budget and Priorities. Don't let facts get in the way of your lies though. They never do with the right wing.
HerrSnibbens
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 10:58 a.m.
You say "All those European systems" and then mention only the worst economies in Europe. What about Germany? What about France? They are both doing quite well, especially Germany. Certainly a lot better than the US. There are serious differences between European countries and their economies, even though most are in the EU; you can't just say "ALL of those European systems"........
David Briegel
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 2:44 a.m.
Unlike the more advanced and civilized nations the goal of the American Healthcare system is not Healthcare, it is profit. The only "death panels" exist in the Board Rooms of every insurance company in America. We are slaves to a terrible, costly and ineffective Healthcare delivery system.
Basic Bob
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 2:34 a.m.
Our health care system spares no expense with other people's money. When people are sick, they will pay for any tests, procedures, drugs, or doctor visits. Medicare and our private insurance system pays to maintain the never-ending expansion of hospitals and wealth of the highest-paid specialists and pharmaceutical companies. Coupled with an aging population that we have never had in this country, no incremental tax increase can fix this problem. As a country, we need to get back to real productive work (not Wall Street), stop relying on imported goods, increase our savings, and limit our spending on health care (somehow).
John B.
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 2:32 a.m.
Margaret, you are absolutely 100% correct! We are way under-taxed in this country, and it shows. Our healthcare costs are the highest in the world, yet our outcomes are about 23rd best, last time I checked. That's unacceptable, and should be an embarrassment to our Federal government (but it's not). We are the only nation that permits bankruptcies due to healthcare expenses, and that is now the leading cause of bankruptcy in the USA. Scandalous.
Mike K
Thu, Aug 4, 2011 : 8:05 p.m.
Speak for yourself John B. This household forks over > $50,000 in compulsory taxes (i.e. have to pay them or the government will come after me), and we are by no means "rich". The US has the best colleges, doctors and hospitals in the world because they get paid for being the best.
Jacob Bodnar
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 6:42 p.m.
@BenWoodruff <a href="http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/commentary/canadian-health-care-we-so-envy-lies-in-ruins-its-architect-admits/" rel='nofollow'>http://www.studentnewsdaily.com/commentary/canadian-health-care-we-so-envy-lies-in-ruins-its-architect-admits/</a>
BenWoodruff
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 5:38 a.m.
That would be a real trick if the "guy who designed Canada's Universal Health Care Coverage" wanted to overturn it...All three of the main players are, and have been DEAD for quite a few years...Google Tommy Douglas (Canadians polled named him the Greatest Canadian of all time), Justice Emmett Hall, and Premier Lester B. Pearson. They are acknowledged as the founding fathers of Canada's Health Care system.
Jacob Bodnar
Sun, Jul 31, 2011 : 3:21 a.m.
The "outcomes" you site I'm assuming are the WHO rankings. Those rankings include how many people are covered and the "fairness" of that coverage. We have the best care, that's without questioning. They just began rationing surgeries in the UK, and they've using a system called Ambulance Stacking or Patient Stacking for quite sometime, where they don't admit people to the ER, they leave them in the Ambulance for up to 4 hours. Meanwhile the guy who designed Canada's universal health care coverage wants to overturn it. We have the best care, hence why people from all over the world come to work in our health care system, research in our health care system, and be cured by our health care system.