State of the Union Address: Health Care Debacle

US health care is rationed by the size of a person’s wallet. The US profits-before-healthcare axiom claimed a (relatively) high-profile victim in paraplegic singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt and prior to Obama’s State of the Union address tomorrow, the health service here is perhaps the single most crucial national topic to be discussed.

Since Scott Brown’s defeat of Martha Coakley in Massachusetts, Obama has been rather diffident about where to turn to next. Brown blasted the health care bill in his victory speech but tomorrow, a clear path needs to emerge from Obamas’s speech -  the House ought to put the Bill through as it is and wait until later to iron out the differences between the two houses’ versions of the Bill. That is, if Nancy Pelosi has enough votes to secure this.

What is the international view of the US health care system? It is one of horror and disgust. Interestingly, the Republican right denounced the British NHS system as ‘evil and Orwelian’ last year, deriding the whole process as perjoratively ‘socialist’ in attempts to defeat Obama’s proposals for increasing Government involvement in health. In reality, the UK spends significantly less per head on healthcare but has a much higher life expectancy than the US. The World Health Organisation ranks Britain’s healthcare as 18th in the world, while the US is in 37th place. 37th and last.

Are Americans angry enough for change? One thing is certain: Obama needs to make a definitive decision tomorrow. Specificity is key. If he continues to dither, this disastrous system may never recover.