The United States does not have the best health care system in the world

[Turborama]

http://www.examiner.com/x-1172-Progressive-Politics-Examiner~y2009m8d3-The-United-States-does-not-have-the-best-health-care-system-in-the-world">The United States does not have the best health care system in the world

August 3, 6:03 PM http://www.examiner.com/x-1172-Progressive-Politics-Examiner">Progressive Politics Examiner Karen Harper

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In fact, it's not even close to being the best health care system in the world.

Republicans have fought President Obama on every bill he has worked on and health care reform is no exception.

Senator http://www.examiner.com/x-5890-Obama-Administration-Examiner~y2009m6d12-Senator-Shelby-is-against-health-care-for-all-Americans">Richard Shelby (R), Alabama, http://www.politico.com/blogs/politicolive/0609/Shelby_Obama_will_destroy_best_health_care_system_the_world_has_ever_known.html">said that President Obama's health care plan is the "first step in destroying the best health care system the world has ever known."

Senator Chuck Grassley (R), Iowa, told a constituent in a town hall meeting that if he wanted health insurance to get a job with the government. http://healthcareforamericanow.org/page/s/job">Perhaps Grassley would like the government to provide 47 million jobs to solve the problem of the uninsured in America.

There are several important aspects about the United States health care system that make it one of the worst of all the industrialized nations.

First is the cost:

The truth is that Americans pay more for health care than any other country in the world and yet the health care Americans receive is ranked by the World Health Organization (WHO) 37th in overall performance and 72nd in overall level of health of the 191 nations included in the 2000 study.

More: http://www.examiner.com/x-1172-Progressive-Politics-Examiner~y2009m8d3-The-United-States-does-not-have-the-best-health-care-system-in-the-world

[flvegan]

1. ...unless you're a member of Congress.

[godai]

3. All Federal employees have the same choices, not just Congress.

And these choices are basically, you get what you pay for, probably not as great as you imagine.

[Beartracks]

2. I've often wondered...

... on what basis of evidence, reports, rankings, etc., do people claim that the American health care system is the best in the world?

Certainly it's not the best simply because it's AMERICA's health system -- although I get the impression that's the "reasoning" of so many reform critics. I DO hear critics state examples of why they think the health care systems of other countries are disastrous, ineffectual, or evil. But I'm sincerely curious as to whether any reform critics have ever explained WHY they say that America's health care system is either 1) the best in the world, or b) the best the world has ever known. Because any objective measure I read about ranks us somewhere down around 40th on many health care factors.

[Greyhound]

8. Point of information, that 37th place ranking was done in 2002 and the system has

deteriorated since then. WHO stopped doing the rankings after that one so we have no objective scale by which to measure any longer.

Edit: Oops, I guess it was 2000.

[colinmom71]

4. But we have the most *expensive* health care "system"...

So according to Republican standards, that makes it the bestest evar!! And that report is UN propaganda! (insert Sam Kenison style scream here)... :eyes:

[ihavenobias]

6. If someone bashes the WHO rankings (which are from 2000 BTW)

just refer to them the Business Roundtable Report On Healthcare which represents CEOs of major companies and is just as damning with the US 23 points behind the top 5 countries, all of which have more government involvement in health insurance/healthcare (and everyone is covered):

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29641091/

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/ihavenobias/22

[godai]

5. Certainly for 50 million uninsured Americans, it's not the best. n/t

[Jennicut]

7. Grassley says get a job, its that simple!

Geez, how do these idiots get elected year after year? Even people with jobs, with good insurance coverage can run into problems. Its far from being a great system.