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A chronically under-recognized point is buried in the article: It's not a simple picture. Critics have complained that Cuba has begun to sacrifice the health o
by ctdonath 12y ago
A chronically under-recognized point is buried in the article:
It's not a simple picture. Critics have complained that Cuba has begun to sacrifice the health of its citizens at home to make money sending medical workers abroad, and the conditions for these medical workers themselves have been criticized
- guard-of-terra 12y agoCuba now has roughly the same life expectancy as the USA - a bit more than 79 years. I.e. it doesn't seem that they sacrificed a lot.
- ecocentrik 12y agoThe US isn't exactly setting the bar for healthcare.
- funcSoulBrother 12y agoIt's not about the United States being the best, it's about them being the "reference standard" for life quality in developed nations. Everybody compares themselves to the US from economic metrics to quality of life, as one will do when a superpower has dominated geopolitical dynamics for as long as the US has.
- danohuiginn 12y agoIn many areas, yes. But from Europe at least, the US healthcare system seems so obviously broken that it's relatively rarely used for comparisons. Sweden is more common, I'd say. Now if we're talking about innovation, technology, culture -- THEN there will be wistful comparisons to the US
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- grecy 12y ago> Everybody compares themselves to the US from economic metrics to quality of life Which unfortunately, these days, is dragging a lot of countries down. I see Australia and Canada doing it every day, and it's actively making life in those countries worse, because it's coming "down" to US standards.
- rdtsc 12y agoThey think they are though and convinced themselves and many others that they are.
- Xylakant 12y agocutting back on health care will not necessarily have immediate effects on the life expectancy, just as investing won't. At least if you can still provide a good basic level of service.
- randomafrican 12y agowhat if the supply of medical workers in Cuba allows it to send so many abroad with little effect on the local conditions ?
- ctdonath 12y agoSeems it's not "little effect": Cuba has begun to sacrifice the health of its citizens at home
- randomafrican 12y ago"Critics have complained" No data, no study on the effect.