But the metabolic health of Americans used to be much better, so RFK Jnr’s slogan is far from entirely wrong.
A lot of the problem is that many Americans do not trust the US Federal Government to run such a system. Maybe the US is just too big for that? And there are some badly run universal health care systems (the NHS comes to mind). Australia has a good one, but while we are geographically the size of the continental US, we have less people than California, so not are not big in the same way.
Moreover, much of the original problem in US health care came from a decision of the US Federal Government—to allow employers to get around war-time wage controls by offering health care.
I do think your point about distrust of government is important.
I think this cultural trait disables the USA’s government’s ability to resolve social conflicts, and manage systems as complex as health. I think lack of state capacity is more important than the size of the USA, and this is also seen in other areas eg infrastructure.
Possibly so, though SS just hands out cheques and Medicaid has rather specific coverage.
If the US wants to copy the Australian system, that would probably work. We are a geographically large, English-speaking, common law, federal democracy.
But Americans generally never bother paying attention to anything in the Southern Hemisphere. Even though there is a whole range of things that we Australians do better than the US.
Oh, and we do a higher rate of immigration much more successfully. Well, apart from the normal problems with Greater Middle Eastern (Morocco to Pakistan) Muslim migrants.
Australia is a much better guide—British founding, English-speaking, single member lower house constituencies, common law, federal system, high state capacity, lower tax share of GDP, no technical recession 1992 to Covid, avoided the GFC. But we are in the Southern Hemisphere, so get ignored.
Adam Tooze has commented that USA in effect has failed to establish an effective social security system. Its programs are piecemeal. The absence of such a system made a huge difference in the COVID years where countries like Australia used that system to maintain incomes through the economic shock, while the US congress argued for many months over COVID cheques and had no way to administer them efficiently.
1) You don't even mention the two most important factors in public health: diet & exercise.
The diet of the avg Yank is atrocious & most do not engage in any physical activity.
80% of the country is overweight, obese or morbidly obese.
The most xpensive health care in the world is irrelevant in the face of these.
2) "The Affordable Care Act (‘Obamacare’) improved the situation but still left about one in ten uninsured and one in four underinsured".
Obamacare was nothing more than a sop to the health insurance industry, compelling hapless Yanks to purchase useless 'plans' with high deductibles & scores of hidden fees. What does 'insured' even mean when policy holders still cannot afford treatment?
I thought I mentioned obesity and other chronic disease risk factors which are these two. Both these factors are common across high-income societies - so the US still has a problem with its expensive health care, which would remain a problem with the best diets and athletic programs in the world.
On Obamacare, you may be right. I did not want to get into the details. My main point is that despite intentions it failed to deliver universal affordable health care.
It would be political suicide for any Australian Govt to diminish the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. American pharmaceutical giants need to get that through their thick skulls and just give it a rest.
I agree with most of your statements; I cannot when it comes to RFK jr. The war is not old; still very much alive and thriving.
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s slogan to “Make America Healthy Again” resonated in the 2024 election. But it concealed a lie—when was American health ever great? —and is destined to fail. His agenda fights old wars. Kennedy is scarred by the COVID years and too much litigation against Big Pharma.”
The USA had much better health when he was growing up(just like my grandparents) and that is quite the comparison to today’s situation(gmos, overuse of antibiotics, microplastics, growth hormones,excessive sugar, harmful dyes and preservatives, replacement oils, processed foods, MRNA use for humans and livestock, etc.), he sees this change(physical and psychological)and how certain treatments can cause more harm than good. WE SHOULD NOT forget the harm and damages caused by industrial production or pharmaceutical companies! Just because some time has passed since COVID, we should not close our eyes to the fact of our diminishing populations of all ages and how terribly managed our government is. When we forget history we repeat the past. It’s not about sloganeering, it’s about our children’s future and what we leave behind.
As for his views on COVID.
Many are “scarred “ from the COVID years, masses were forced into scary situations with little understanding, regard and protection from pharmaceutical companies. People lost their lives, family, homes, education, jobs and friends. Left and right nonstop bullying and harassment over vax, mask and toilet paper, it was psychologically taxing. How the US government handled the pandemic was horrendous but, useful to create hysteria, profits and drive the main populace into economic crisis.
They are very wise points. Many thanks for voicing them.
On reflection I might amend or expand on what I said.
My sense is RFK Jr has been an effective fighter of Big Pharma through litigation, including his concerns about the COVID vaccines that were in ways borne out by events.
I thought those experiences will not really prepare him to mobilise the institutions of government towards a positive purpose.
But I might have been too harsh?
I agree on the scars of the COVID years. It seems the censorship on YouTube and other platforms is now easing. And dramas and other stories of the experiences of those years are now coming through.
I am thinking of doing something maybe a video reflecting on those times 5 years on. And also releasing the book of poems I wrote then which I call 'Cantos from a Cage.'
It will be very challenging to navigate a broken and manipulated system, either way I know some good changes will come out of him having this opportunity. My hopes are that he can make an impact that involves all generations, he has already inspired many young politicians and voters to care about the right things. Many have criticized him and more will come, it’s expected when you have view points that have been negatively politicized. I know it was hard for him to side with Trump during elections, it was a difficult situation, officials were doing everything they could to keep him from running. You are right, censorship is just now starting to ease, years have gone by and truth is only now being exposed. I don’t trust many politicians, but I do trust someone who cares enough to be the change during a challenging time. We all need healing and we all need hope for change.
I think that’s a great idea and would bring comfort to many viewers. Do you know when you will be releasing your book yet?
I agree with the “We’re all Soviets now “ theme included in Jeff’s article.
Although a diametrically opposed ideology to that of the Soviet Union, the US is determined to pursue its ideologies as grimly as the USSR ever did.
I say” ideologies” because the US has a hybrid of inconsistent if not plain contradictory ideologies. Here are a few
1. Free markets and private enterprise
2. Person liberty
3. Freedom to carry guns
4. The death penalty
5. Significant opposition to abortion on demand
6. Opposition to socialised health care ( or socialised anything)
Is it any wonder that in trying to reconcile all of these strong elements of US political culture, there isn’t much room for a successful system of health care?
Some time ago, as president of the Australian Medical Association (please don’t hold that against me) I attended a meeting of the World Medical Association. At that meeting there was a laudable motion on the agenda to support the notion that doctors should not participate in torture of prisoners nor in executions. The motion never came to be debated let alone voted upon. The US delegation exerted its considerable influence to ensure the motion was dropped form the agenda, lest it be forced to defend the county’s use of doctors supervising waterboarding and other methods of post 9/11 torture, or the use of doctors to administer lethal injections in executions in some US states.
The point I am making is that other countries have made a determined effort to build healthcare systems to do the best they could to look after the health of their citizens.
The US has consistently designed a health care system based around non health related ideological holy grails and sacred cows. The results speak for themselves.
Powerful points. That is a compelling story. There is a theme here about how 'US exceptionalism' - both self-belief and going it alone against the world - have distorted international cooperation on health (your story, WHO, COVID and even disease classification systems) and weakened American protection of its own citizens. Many thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts.
But the metabolic health of Americans used to be much better, so RFK Jnr’s slogan is far from entirely wrong.
A lot of the problem is that many Americans do not trust the US Federal Government to run such a system. Maybe the US is just too big for that? And there are some badly run universal health care systems (the NHS comes to mind). Australia has a good one, but while we are geographically the size of the continental US, we have less people than California, so not are not big in the same way.
Moreover, much of the original problem in US health care came from a decision of the US Federal Government—to allow employers to get around war-time wage controls by offering health care.
I do think your point about distrust of government is important.
I think this cultural trait disables the USA’s government’s ability to resolve social conflicts, and manage systems as complex as health. I think lack of state capacity is more important than the size of the USA, and this is also seen in other areas eg infrastructure.
"A lot of the problem is that many Americans do not trust the US Federal Government to run such a system
Social Security & Medicaid itself belies your assertion.
Possibly so, though SS just hands out cheques and Medicaid has rather specific coverage.
If the US wants to copy the Australian system, that would probably work. We are a geographically large, English-speaking, common law, federal democracy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy#United_Nations_(2023)
But Americans generally never bother paying attention to anything in the Southern Hemisphere. Even though there is a whole range of things that we Australians do better than the US.
"Even though there is a whole range of things that we Australians do better than the US"
I could not agree with you more emphatically!
btw, c'est moi
https://x.com/CrocodileChuck
Great points. Even more provocatively the USA could learn how to run a social welfare state and consensual democracy from Europe!
And finally, my favourite …
https://www.pragcap.com/bank-of-america-a-contrarians-trade/
Australia also does fiscal policy better as well as monetary policy as well as …
https://marcusnunes.substack.com/p/the-wrong-fear-and-the-wrong-cure
Oh, and we do a higher rate of immigration much more successfully. Well, apart from the normal problems with Greater Middle Eastern (Morocco to Pakistan) Muslim migrants.
https://archive.md/1aIDp
Australia is a much better guide—British founding, English-speaking, single member lower house constituencies, common law, federal system, high state capacity, lower tax share of GDP, no technical recession 1992 to Covid, avoided the GFC. But we are in the Southern Hemisphere, so get ignored.
https://josephnoelwalker.com/australias-state-capacity-a-literature-review/
Given the surge in anti-establishment national populism and the EU’s long-term deterioration in relative economic performance, clearly not.
Adam Tooze has commented that USA in effect has failed to establish an effective social security system. Its programs are piecemeal. The absence of such a system made a huge difference in the COVID years where countries like Australia used that system to maintain incomes through the economic shock, while the US congress argued for many months over COVID cheques and had no way to administer them efficiently.
"But the metabolic health of Americans used to be much better, so RFK Jnr’s slogan is far from entirely wrong"
You just emphatically underlined my point.
Americans used to eat better [I know-I grew up there]
They also used to be more active [IBID]
BING!
Which is why I liked your original comment.
Just look at the people in the crowd scenes of this doco of the Harlem Culture Festival, July 1969:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slFiJpAxZyQ
THIS was America in the 1960's!
Sadly, 80% of black women today are obese :(
1) You don't even mention the two most important factors in public health: diet & exercise.
The diet of the avg Yank is atrocious & most do not engage in any physical activity.
80% of the country is overweight, obese or morbidly obese.
The most xpensive health care in the world is irrelevant in the face of these.
2) "The Affordable Care Act (‘Obamacare’) improved the situation but still left about one in ten uninsured and one in four underinsured".
Obamacare was nothing more than a sop to the health insurance industry, compelling hapless Yanks to purchase useless 'plans' with high deductibles & scores of hidden fees. What does 'insured' even mean when policy holders still cannot afford treatment?
Good points
I thought I mentioned obesity and other chronic disease risk factors which are these two. Both these factors are common across high-income societies - so the US still has a problem with its expensive health care, which would remain a problem with the best diets and athletic programs in the world.
On Obamacare, you may be right. I did not want to get into the details. My main point is that despite intentions it failed to deliver universal affordable health care.
The worst of the worst:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/us/chronic-disease-us-americans.html
ps if you are fit, normal weight & eat well you don't need health care. The whole point is staying OUT of the health care system.
It would be political suicide for any Australian Govt to diminish the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. American pharmaceutical giants need to get that through their thick skulls and just give it a rest.
I agree with most of your statements; I cannot when it comes to RFK jr. The war is not old; still very much alive and thriving.
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s slogan to “Make America Healthy Again” resonated in the 2024 election. But it concealed a lie—when was American health ever great? —and is destined to fail. His agenda fights old wars. Kennedy is scarred by the COVID years and too much litigation against Big Pharma.”
The USA had much better health when he was growing up(just like my grandparents) and that is quite the comparison to today’s situation(gmos, overuse of antibiotics, microplastics, growth hormones,excessive sugar, harmful dyes and preservatives, replacement oils, processed foods, MRNA use for humans and livestock, etc.), he sees this change(physical and psychological)and how certain treatments can cause more harm than good. WE SHOULD NOT forget the harm and damages caused by industrial production or pharmaceutical companies! Just because some time has passed since COVID, we should not close our eyes to the fact of our diminishing populations of all ages and how terribly managed our government is. When we forget history we repeat the past. It’s not about sloganeering, it’s about our children’s future and what we leave behind.
As for his views on COVID.
Many are “scarred “ from the COVID years, masses were forced into scary situations with little understanding, regard and protection from pharmaceutical companies. People lost their lives, family, homes, education, jobs and friends. Left and right nonstop bullying and harassment over vax, mask and toilet paper, it was psychologically taxing. How the US government handled the pandemic was horrendous but, useful to create hysteria, profits and drive the main populace into economic crisis.
They are very wise points. Many thanks for voicing them.
On reflection I might amend or expand on what I said.
My sense is RFK Jr has been an effective fighter of Big Pharma through litigation, including his concerns about the COVID vaccines that were in ways borne out by events.
I thought those experiences will not really prepare him to mobilise the institutions of government towards a positive purpose.
But I might have been too harsh?
I agree on the scars of the COVID years. It seems the censorship on YouTube and other platforms is now easing. And dramas and other stories of the experiences of those years are now coming through.
I am thinking of doing something maybe a video reflecting on those times 5 years on. And also releasing the book of poems I wrote then which I call 'Cantos from a Cage.'
It will be very challenging to navigate a broken and manipulated system, either way I know some good changes will come out of him having this opportunity. My hopes are that he can make an impact that involves all generations, he has already inspired many young politicians and voters to care about the right things. Many have criticized him and more will come, it’s expected when you have view points that have been negatively politicized. I know it was hard for him to side with Trump during elections, it was a difficult situation, officials were doing everything they could to keep him from running. You are right, censorship is just now starting to ease, years have gone by and truth is only now being exposed. I don’t trust many politicians, but I do trust someone who cares enough to be the change during a challenging time. We all need healing and we all need hope for change.
I think that’s a great idea and would bring comfort to many viewers. Do you know when you will be releasing your book yet?
I think probably May.
Looking forward to it!
I agree with the “We’re all Soviets now “ theme included in Jeff’s article.
Although a diametrically opposed ideology to that of the Soviet Union, the US is determined to pursue its ideologies as grimly as the USSR ever did.
I say” ideologies” because the US has a hybrid of inconsistent if not plain contradictory ideologies. Here are a few
1. Free markets and private enterprise
2. Person liberty
3. Freedom to carry guns
4. The death penalty
5. Significant opposition to abortion on demand
6. Opposition to socialised health care ( or socialised anything)
Is it any wonder that in trying to reconcile all of these strong elements of US political culture, there isn’t much room for a successful system of health care?
Some time ago, as president of the Australian Medical Association (please don’t hold that against me) I attended a meeting of the World Medical Association. At that meeting there was a laudable motion on the agenda to support the notion that doctors should not participate in torture of prisoners nor in executions. The motion never came to be debated let alone voted upon. The US delegation exerted its considerable influence to ensure the motion was dropped form the agenda, lest it be forced to defend the county’s use of doctors supervising waterboarding and other methods of post 9/11 torture, or the use of doctors to administer lethal injections in executions in some US states.
The point I am making is that other countries have made a determined effort to build healthcare systems to do the best they could to look after the health of their citizens.
The US has consistently designed a health care system based around non health related ideological holy grails and sacred cows. The results speak for themselves.
Powerful points. That is a compelling story. There is a theme here about how 'US exceptionalism' - both self-belief and going it alone against the world - have distorted international cooperation on health (your story, WHO, COVID and even disease classification systems) and weakened American protection of its own citizens. Many thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts.
American here. I buy some prescribed drugs from Canada, saving hundreds of dollars.
That is really interesting. Thanks for sharing that experience.
I