> Now, to say that a poor person isn't poor just because they have a DVD player is disgustingly absurd. And these days, a phone is incredibly useful and realistically only costs about $120 upfront and maybe $20 a month ongoing for prepaid service.

The key thing is you need services and tools like cars and cell phones in a developed country.

I have some personal experience with healthcare due to having a chronic condition. There has never been any way for me to get private coverage. And while the drug I need to stay healthy very cheap out side the US, inside the US it costs $500/month. This due to the US's patent and relicensing system. In my case the patent on my medication expired in 2010. And in 2009 the company changed the dose and repatented it for another 20 years. There was a competitor that was going to introduce a generic but the drug company offered them a cross licensing agreement. Which they accepted.