Bottom line for me was that you don't return a boy to a country run by perfid commies, regardless of whether they have decent healthcare or not
Why ever not? Cuba certainly has a bad record on fair trials and other important issues, but the healthcare and life expectancy is interesting, no? It suggests to me that maybe this is a communist regime that is actually trying some form of communism, as opposed to arbitrary rule by and in the interests of the apparachniks. Probaly they could do a bit better if Uncle Sam hadn't spent the last 40 years trying to [perform a sex act after which it may be uncomfortable to sit down] on them.

I'd disagree with this in principle, but its also worth adding that Castro will die shortly, whereupon Cuba will no doubt be immediately opened up to exploitation by sugar producing multinationals paying well under the US minimum wage, just like the good old days. Why, I bet they'll even have those foreign owned casinos open again soon. So Elian will get his chance to live in a capitalist paradise anyway.