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U.S. - "We're 29th!!! We're 29th!!"... and dropping on infant mortality rates
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by Mikasi | October 16, 2008 at 04:24 am
152 views | 37 Recommendations | 10 comments
And what a sad thing to be 29th and dropping in.
The United States dropped to 29th in the world in infant mortality in 2004, the latest year that data are available from all countries, tying with Poland and Slovakia. The year before, it was 27th. In 1960, it was 12th.
The problem is twofold - other countries seem to be getting better, to their credit, while we have stagnated. According to this news brief our rates dropped from 6.89 deaths per 1,000 in 2000 to 6.86 in 2005. The good news is that we've started this century better than the last. In 1900 it was 100 deaths per 1,000 live births.
The bad news is that this story was only deemed worthy of a news brief by Mercury News.
I wait now with baited breath to see which comic siezes on this factoid to make the most offensive new "dead baby" joke.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (10)
at 06:29 on October 16th, 2008
Mikasi, good stuff. What do you think the US needs to be doing to try to combat infant mortality?
at 12:41 on October 16th, 2008
Since high school my faith has been Taoism. That said, there is no easy answer as to what should be done. Obviously, the USA emphasizes independence and some of that thought sneaks subtley into the health debate as "if you can't afford it then screw you," though very few of us would put it that way.
No, each nation finds its own comfort level in what it supports. While Iceland (which I think made close to number one on the list) might emphasize citizen health care, that is not our emphasis. We have opted to go with the general occupation of "World Cop" and that costs lots of money and doesn't leave a lot for things like socialized or single payer health care. But to be honest, someone has to play "World Cop" because for the dance to work, you need at least two of them. Perhaps we see Russia as the other, or China, though currently we are seeing it as being non-nations like Al Queda or even Hammas.
Now don't take what I have said as a statement of criticism or cynicism because it is not. If some of us in the States are determined enough to get universal health care we may just have to move to Canada, en masse. However, I wouldn't get worried if I were Canadian. The fact is that the vast majority of us in the States may not be happy enough with what we have, but we are at least naive enough to be hopeful that we can change things.
However, should me and mine become discontented enough by the health or "World Cop" scenario please note that we'll be looking you up to act as our sponsors :)
at 08:59 on October 16th, 2008
Which countries got top ranking?
at 12:05 on October 16th, 2008
I am afraid I cannot tell you as the article did not mention what report they cross-referenced the CDC report to. In fact, they did not even give the link to the CDC report. All in all it was pretty shoddy reporting on their part.
at 09:26 on October 16th, 2008
Seems like a partial statistic. What about deliberate abortions?
at 12:30 on October 16th, 2008
No, this report does not cover abortion statistics.
at 10:12 on October 16th, 2008
Mikasi, I like this story. It's good stuff. When there is no reasonable pre-natal health care for all, the future generations are compromised. The wealthiest country in the world should cringe at these statistics.
at 12:53 on October 16th, 2008
I agree that health care should be within the reach of everyone. The very least would could do in the States is have neighborhood clinics for the broke. Our government doesn't even have to pay for it - we can simply write it into the code that every hospital that wants to build and every intern who wants to doctor needs to put in a certain amount of money to build or time to staff hospitals.
at 10:35 on October 16th, 2008
Mikasi, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 10:36 on October 16th, 2008
Mikasi, it is a sad thing to be dropping in. From you headline at first I thought it was a good thing, but then quickly realized... not