So Sad... We Can Do Better

In one of the wealthiest, most powerful nations in the world, 50 people die every day from a lack of health insurance. The sobering statistics below, for those most vulnerable, those we should make SURE that we take care of, newborn babies, should make us hang our heads in shame. We care more about killing kids in other nations (as witnessed by our defense budget), than we do about making sure our own are born healthy.

Racial disparities impact infant mortality
Tuesday, May 9, 2006

CHICAGO (AP) — America may be the world’s superpower, but its survival rate for newborn babies ranks near the bottom among modern nations, better only than Latvia.

Among 33 industrialized nations, the United States is tied with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia with a death rate of nearly 5 per 1,000 babies, according to a new report. Latvia’s rate is 6 per 1,000.

The U.S. ranking is driven partly by racial and income health care disparities. Among U.S. blacks, there are 9 deaths per 1,000 live births, closer to rates in developing nations than to those in the industrialized world.