Barefoot and Pregnant

Shorter Ross Douthat: Woman would be happier if barefoot and pregnant. We need to find a new way to be sexist about single women without being sexist because we are a kinder and gentler country than we were back in the days when women were happy.

Health Care Around The World

When conservatives use their scare tactics with regards to health care reform they speak of socialized medicine and total government control of health care. Many countries actually have hybrid private/government systems like the United States with one major difference–they also have universal coverage. The Denialism Blog is looking at health care around the world with information on the Netherlands and Australia.

Employees Paying Average of 41% of Health Care Costs

I posted a recent poll showing that Medicare beneficiaries are more satisfied with their coverage than those in employer-paid plans. This is one reason why the survey showed those in employer-paid plans were more likely to have problems with cost and access to care. Those in employer-paid plans are doing better than those trying to obtain insurance on the individual market and those with no insurance, but they are paying an increasing amount of their health care costs out of pocket:

A new national report shows U.S. residents enrolled in employer-sponsored health plans will cover an average of 41 percent of their families’ health care costs this year, the largest share to date, with increased premium contributions rising by 14.7 percent from 2008.