The Atlantic: How Cubans Live as Long as Americans at a Tenth of the Cost
“…Cuba has long had a nearly identical life expectancy to the United States, despite widespread poverty. … All of this despite Cuba spending just $813 per person annually on health care compared with America’s $9,403. The difference comes back to the basic fact that in Cuba, health care is protected under the constitution as a fundamental human right. The U.S. protects unlimited firearms and freedom from quartering soldiers but does not guarantee health care. Instead we compromise, taking inefficient and expensive half-measures to rescue people in serious peril. … [Cuba’s success is] largely done … through an innovative approach to primary care…” (Hamblin, 11/29).