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Over on the homepage, we're taking a look at America's failing health care system. The U.S., it turns out, leads the industrialized world in "preventable deaths." And it seems the nation's ranks of uninsured are a big factor in all of this.

"I wouldn't say it (the last-place ranking) is a condemnation, because I think health care in the U.S. is pretty good if you have access," said one of the study's authors. "But if you don't, I think that's the main problem, isn't it?"

Well, yes.

The red take on all of this is that the American economy has done better without being bogged down by socialized medicine, thank you very much. The summing up paragraph of the Pacific Research Institute essay Ben cited went like this: "American crusaders for “universal” health care — as opposed to universal choice in means of health care — emphasize America’s uniqueness in lacking this characteristic of the modern welfare state. Given the evidence of America’s productivity, perhaps it is a uniqueness we should not rush to abandon."

But who, exactly, benefits from that productivity?

* The 47 million uninsured?

* The 101,000 people who died "preventable" deaths because they were mired in a system that doesn't work for you if you're poor?

* All the people who go into bankruptcy because of unpaid medical bills -- the leading cause of bankruptcy in America?

I'm not advocating socialism. There will always be inequalities. But an economic system that creates as much prosperity as ours has over the years and leaves a significant portion of its citizenry to suffer needs some fixing.

And it might be a spur to our economy.

Malcolm Gladwell made the case a couple of years ago that a national health care plan would relieve America's car makers (for example) of a major burden and free them up to be more competitive in the world marketplace.

Isn't this what we want? Isn't this a win for everybody? Why can't this work?

Photo: Library of Congress via pingnews