Just a quick, and remarkable, graph:

They work.

(from the National Library of Medicine Images From the History of Medicine gallery)

The United States spends more on medical care per person than any country, yet life expectancy is shorter than in most other developed nations and many developing ones. Lack of health insurance is a factor in life span and contributes to an estimated 45,000 deaths a year. Why the high cost? The U.S. has a fee-for-service system—paying medical providers piecemeal for appointments, surgery, and the like. That can lead to unneeded treatment that doesn’t reliably improve a patient’s health. Says Gerard Anderson, a professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health who studies health insurance worldwide, “More care does not necessarily mean better care.” —Michelle Andrews

(from National Geographic’s Blog Central)

Seems like a lot of friends are leaving these days. Here’s a time-lapse compilation in their honor.

Actually, I’m entering this in the Cape Cod Times One-Minute Video contest in hopes of winning an iPod touch. Feel free to go vote once the submission period is over.