top | item 22386933

(no title)

markroseman | 6 years ago

That also doesn't factor in the indirect benefits to the economy, like all the people who can't start a new business (etc.), being stuck in jobs they don't want because if they left they'd lose their benefits.

discuss

order

bduerst|6 years ago

Or the boon from not having one of the highest infant mortality rates in the developed world.

harambaebae69|6 years ago

I'm not defending the US healthcare system, which is deeply broken, but the particular statistic on infant morality rate can be deceiving. For example:

"...very low-birth-weight infants who are at high risk of dying within the first day tend to be counted as live births. In countries where the health care system does not place the same emphasis on neonatal intensive care, the outcomes of such pregnancies are not likely to be recorded as live births. Hence, it appears that the more resources a country's health care system places on saving high-risk newborns, the more likely its registration will report a higher IMR" [0]

[0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4193257/