Below the Fold - the healthcare rankings are in

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There’s a lot to celebrate at this year’s Olympics. Today we’re celebrating a story lost in the hubbub: A Canadian soccer player became the first trans athlete to win not only a medal, but a gold medal. The 25-year-old midfielder made Olympic history as their team defeated their Swedish opponents last Friday. The Tokyo Olympics overall also set the record for the number of LGBTQ competitors with 182 athletes.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

Kazakhstan is arresting its own people to protect relations with China
Fri Aug 6

How much is a government willing to sacrifice for its economic relations? Kazakhstan and China are becoming the case study in answering this question. After Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1990, the country launched a program to encourage Kazakhs to return to their native land. Flashforward to today, and a number of these Kazakhs are protesting over disappearing family members in Xinjiang, the surveilled state of China where the government has imprisoned 15% of the region’s Muslim population in an extensive camp network that international law experts have called a genocide.

In response, Kazakhstan began fining, threatening, and arresting demonstrators. Why would they punish their own citizens for legally demanding information on what’s happening across the border in China?

Ultimately, to protect the economy. China is a major investor in Kazakhstan’s energy-driven economy. As of 2019, China was involved in at least 55 projects in Kazakhstan with half their investment ($27.6 billion) in oil and gas.
Then there’s the Belt and Road Initiative, an ambitious infrastructure project that would stretch from East Asia to Europe. Kazakhstan is an integral part of this plan, which has already raised concerns in the U.S. over how the project further expands China’s influence.
Still, Kazakhs have continued to protest for 100+ days despite being arrested multiple times. Some only hear of their missing family members in Xinjiang upon their death in detainment.

Though Kazakhstan isn’t the only country protecting China relations. Pakistan has been notably silent, recently denying having any knowledge about the camps. Even Turkey — who historically has been critical of China’s treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang and welcomed those fleeing to Turkey — has taken more active efforts to instead attract Chinese investment. Meanwhile the U.S., U.K., and Germany are among those accusing China for crimes against humanity, though many are saying not enough is being done to put an end to the atrocities.

Our Sources:

→ Extensive coverage: C odastory and The Atlantic
→ China’s investments in Kazakhstan: China Dialogue
→ The Belt and Road Initiative: Center on Foreign Relations
→ Muslim countries protecting relations with China: Al Jazeera
→ Countries opposing China’s camps: Reuters

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HEALTHCARE

U.S. ranks dead last while spending the most on healthcare
Thu Aug 5

Up to 200,000 air travelers visit the U.S. each year for medical treatments, and yet, the country ranks last among 11 high income countries for healthcare. So while it seems the U.S. may have the best of the best in medicine, the system as a whole fails most people. Researchers from the Commonwealth Fund measured the 11 countries under five themes that collectively assessed access to quality, equitable, and efficient care that ensured long, healthy lives. The U.S. ranked last in nearly every category.

The U.S. also has the least affordable care despite spending the most money on healthcare, resulting in a lack of timely and effective care, high rates of mortality, and a high rate of COVID-19 deaths — especially amongst marginalized groups. The biggest factor is primary care, for which every other country on the list ranks highly. In contrast, the U.S. is experiencing a shortage of primary care physicians despite a rise in demand. Here’s what’s going on:

First off, education in the U.S. is much higher than in other countries. For example, public universities are free in Germany, which ranks fifth on the list.
Physicians in the U.S. get paid double that of other countries, but a large gap in income potential exists between primary care doctors and specialists.
As more doctors crippled with student debt choose to specialize, a separate report estimates a shortage of 139,000 doctors by 2033, mainly in primary care.
Solving this shortage leads to massive benefits. Adding just one provider for every 1,500 people in underserved communities could save more than 7,000 lives a year.

The U.S. was also the only country on the list without universal health coverage. Despite the share of Americans favoring universal healthcare growing, with 63% in favor in 2020, the topic’s polarity prohibits a path forward. To learn more about how this would work without the noise of political discourse, turn to this resource from the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Our Sources:

→ Extensive coverage: Washington Post
→ Medical tourists in the U.S.: United States International Trade Commission
→ The primary care shortage: Brookings and USA News
→ Full rankings report: The Commonwealth Fund

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ASCII-ING ABOUT THE NEWS

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Welcome to Norway! We promise urine good hands.



Art Credit: Joan G. Stark

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Below the Fold - the healthcare rankings are in

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Older messages

setting low expectations (of supply chains)

heard on the grapevine…

the great mining migration

Back to school — but yours or mine?

controversy continues in LA

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