Re: AMERICAN MEDICAL SYSTEM FAR BETTER FOR YOU THAN THE SOCIALIZED BRITISH VERSION

From: Dave King (lefort3_at_verizn.net)
Date: 03/08/05 

Date: Tue, 08 Mar 2005 18:01:31 GMT

On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 22:55:39 -0500, OccamMan <sorry@nospam.com> wrote:

>>> You said overwelming evidence of half the cost and better outcomes:
>>> Prove it.
>

You still havent proved anything.

>Healthcare spending as a % of GDP for some major developed nations:
>
>US: 15%:
>Switzerland: 11%
>Germany: 11%
>France: 10%
>Canada: 10%
>Italy: 9%
>UK: 8%
>Spain: 7%
>Poland: 6%
>
>The entire chart is at http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/3/62/31938359.pdf.
>(The OECD is generally considered to be the best source for these types
>of statistics: it's sole job is to develop statistics for use by its
>members (pretty much all "first-world" countries) to normalize things).
>
>Looking at this chart, you'll see that we spend far and away the highest
>% of GDP on health care of the 25 or so countries. Looking at the next
>chart in the OECD document, you'll see that the US is also number two in
>the rate at which spending is increasing - looks like the rest of the
>world ain't catching up with us soon.

We also lead in innovations and techniques, which has a price.

>
>If you look further in this document, you'll see that we also have fewer
>physicians per capita than than do most developed nations - which is a
>hint as to the poor medical care we get in the US.

I guess you skipped the chart on waiting time for elective procedures.

 My MIL had a knee replacement in December. The only thing that kept
her from doing it the next day, after she finally decided to undergo
the procedure, was arranging coverage and help at her business- under
a week.

A critical situation: I evaluated a fella in the ER to remove his bad
teeth. He came in very short of breath. 10 hours after he came into
the ER he had a new mitral valve.

The per capita thingy is a red-herring. we are talking about
efficiency and thats what you get here.

>
>Take a look at the US Government's official list of life expectancies:
>
>http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html
>
>we are 46the in the world, behind virtually every other developed country.

Explain to me what this has solely to do with healthcare?

>
>Next let's turn to infant mortality:
>
>http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2091rank.html
>
>Once again, our ranking is terrible.
>
>If our health care were good, we'd likely have good numbers for life
>expectancy and infant mortality - but we don't. In fact, we have awful
>numbers. Our bad showing could be due to some other factor - however,
>the US has the lowest prevelance of smokers in the first world, which
>should tend to make our numbers even better.
>

Infant mortality is a relative measure of healthcare performance but
has a direct link to low birth weight. It is measured for many
reasons, including; easy to count, greater economic significance of
foregone production, less influence on behavioural decisions unlike
adult mortality & lastly, gov't policies would seem to have a greater
impact.

Real increases in GDP, education & literacy, woman in the work force,
& greater quantities of medical services have a positive affect on
infant mortality. You hinted 'due to some other factor', which is key
in any of these charts. Regional specifics and influences are what
keeps thses numbers lower. Something specific rather than relative
comparisons, which these charts point to the latter. Diet & drug use
are two specifics and are notably a problem in the US not included in
this analysis that directly affect birth weight.

Your probably a big fan of the Canadian system so here is a specific
example pertaining to low birth weight (2500 grams or lower):
African-American babies are more likely not to survive in comparison
to Canadian babies only at the top of the range. IOW, the lower the
birth weight the better off you will be born to an African-American
family than a Canadian family.

Speaking of Canada, what do you think is the bigger killer, cancer or
HIV? Which do you think gets more funding from the gov't run plan?

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