U.S. health care deemed 'dysfunctional'

[cal04]

The U.S. health care system is "a dysfunctional mess" and politicians who insist otherwise look ignorant, according to a medical journal essay by a prominent ethicist at the National Institutes of Health.

"If a politician declares that the United States has the best health care system in the world today, he or she looks clueless rather than patriotic or authoritative," Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel wrote in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Emanuel, who supports sweeping health care reform, said the U.S. spends $6,000 per person per year on health care, an amount that is more than 16 percent of the nation's gross domestic product and more than any other country.

(snip)
President Bush frequently has said Americans have the world's best health care system, but Emanuel stopped short of calling Bush clueless in his essay and during an interview with The Associated Press.

http://www.charlotte.com/118/story/122985.html

[Bitwit1234]

1. I have Medicare and BC/BS and a prescription plan

I feel lucky that I don't have to pay for and rely on the medicare prescription plan. What was so frustrating is I took Nexium for about four years because the other products such as zantac or prilosec did not help. My state retirement health plan changed prescription providers, and now my doctor has to practically beg to get them to approve Nexium. Approval has to be renewed every year. The other prescription provider had no problem whatso ever. I have never been denied service, the two plans pay for everything. The even approve most of the cost of eye glasses.

I feel so lucky when I see all the horror stories in the paper and on TV about people without insurance. And when you see the way some insurance companies treat the people who are subscribed to them. We could have the best health care in the world. Just think of all the things that money bush gave to Halliburton and the crooked defense companies for his war.

[area51]

2. k&r (n/t)

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Add to that a report comparing the US with 5 other developed countries

The US came last: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18674951/