A Country Where Anyone Can Buy and Sell Firearms

If you were to describe America in a single phrase, you could say it's a country where pistols walk around.
Pistols can be freely bought and sold for self-defense. America is the only developed nation where this is guaranteed by the constitution.

In Japan, even carrying a large knife is regulated by law. The difference between Japan and America is like night and day.
If you feel threatened, you pull the trigger of a pistol without hesitation. This can be called the very backwardness of America.

40 Million People Without Health Insurance: Can This Be Called a Developed Nation?

America's total population is just over 300 million (Japan's total population is 177.7 million), but about 40 million of these people do not have health insurance. A country without universal healthcare can be considered on par with developing nations.
This is hard to believe for Japanese people, for whom universal healthcare is the norm. It seems to reflect the American mindset that self-reliance is everything, and one should not depend on the state.
The thinking is that one should earn their own money and enroll in private health insurance, and those who cannot are simply losers, so there's nothing to be done about it.

The worship of money and the results-oriented culture of the economy are reflected in the health insurance system.
Basically, those with money enroll in private health insurance, while those who lack financial means, i.e., the poor, cannot afford to join. This is the system.
I don't think this can truly be called a democratic nation. However, President Obama has shown strong interest in a universal healthcare system comparable to developed nations and is taking concrete steps, so we can hope for positive change.

America Does Have Public Insurance Programs

That said, America does have two public insurance programs aimed at supporting the vulnerable. To be precise, there are only these two.
One is "Medicare," for the elderly aged 65 and over and for people with disabilities. The other is "Medicaid," for low-income individuals. There are only these two. They cover only about 25% of the population.
Another point not to be overlooked is that many employers in America contract with insurance companies as part of their employee benefits and enroll their staff. However, this is only possible for companies with the financial capacity to bear the costs. For employees of small and medium-sized businesses or the self-employed, there are many cases where they must give up on enrolling in insurance due to financial constraints.

This leads to the sad, or rather, frightening reality that over 40 million citizens are uninsured. It offers a glimpse into the hidden side of the great nation of America.