Inequality Forever

NPR: Poor People Are Still Sicker Than The Rich In Germany, Despite Universal Health Care.

The solution is simple: We need to make the rich people more sick for EQUALITY!

As an American health care reporter traveling through Germany, I wanted to learn not only what works, but also where the system falls short. So when I arrived here — in one of the country's wealthiest cities, with one of its largest concentrations of doctors — economists and researchers directed me to two of the poorest neighborhoods: Veddel and Billstedt, both home to high populations of recent immigrants.

Entering these areas felt like stepping into another city, where even though people have universal insurance, high rates of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, depression and heart disease persist.

The same people who don't have the self-control to build wealth also don't see how their diet and (lack of) activity impacts their health. They can win a $10 million lottery tomorrow and then, again, be poor a few months or years down the road. Similarly, opening free hospitals and clinics near them won't magically make them healthy.