Comments on: Why isn’t the richest country in the world the healthiest?

By: Steven Singleton

Steven Singleton — Sat, 21 Jul 2007 13:18:03 +0000

I agree with all of the mentioned cost saving measures as well as the evidence that our results are not the best. As a former medical professional I offer that if physicians were on a salary that medical procedures and the associated costs would drop by 30-40% immediately, and outcomes would be the same.

By: Weldon Berger

Weldon Berger — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 05:17:30 +0000

Paul, two points: first, Canada spends only slightly more than half what we do per capita. The problems with their system stem from inadequate funding. Second, there have actually been surveys done of hospitals and clinics in border regions to determine the number of Canadian patients seeking care as an alternative to that provided by the provinces. The data in the one I've linked is a bit stale, but even allowing for a several hundred percent increase during the past decade, the numbers would still be small. There's a more recent one out which reaches similar conclusions and included a survey of top American hospitals that attract foreign clients, but I don't have the link handy. At any rate, the phenomenon you describe is, on the scale you propose, mythological. And there's a third point, which is so obvious that I initially forgot to mention it: the quality of our health care is irrelevant to those who can't afford it or are otherwise denied it.

By: Paul Elvig

Paul Elvig — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 04:57:00 +0000

May I ask … just ask; if the Canadian medical system is so great, why are the parking lots of hospitals in boarder towns on the American side so filled with Canadian license plates? I wonder this every time I visit St. Joes Hospital in Bellingham, Washington. And, checking a little closer, I found they are not visiting the American sick … they are the sick wanting American’s second-to-none health care. Just a wonderful system in Canada, isn’t it?

Paul Elvig

By: dan

dan — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 02:27:37 +0000

my wife and i spend all our social security benefits on healthcare[insurance and drugs]
thanks god, we were wise enough to accumulate some money for retirement.
i guess, if congress had the same health benefits most americans have, the problem would be solved long ago.
lobbiing by drug companies to prohibit price control is nothing, but bribery.
the medicare part D medication program is nothing, but fraud
IT IS ABOUT TIME FOR A COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR ALL AMERICANS.

By: thomas

thomas — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 05:01:52 +0000

The U.S. is not the richest country to start with. We are the largest Debtors in the world with 50 trillion dollars of debt throughout the economy in 2007(Trade, Government, Consumer, Corporate, Etc).

The Debt is increasing 3.4 trillion yearly with 6 dollars of new debt for every dollar of new GDP!

The U.S. is selling it’s assets off To Europe and Asia.

The average U.S. citizens lifespan is ranked 47th in the world with the Japanese number 1 and many of the European Countries ranked highly.

U.S. Healthcare is ranked 37th in the world by the World health organization.

The U.S. has the shortest vacation time in the Industrial world and actually is not required by law to give any employees Vacations!

The U.S. has very weak Welfare benefits.

The U.S. has 8 million citizens in it’s Correctional System( Parole, Prison, Probation, Etc)

The U.S. worker works the most hours in the industrial world and their average pay is ranked 20th by the Mercer Survey.

U.S. Inflation has been higher then most other industrial countries since the early 1980’s.

U.S. Educational standards are substandard- especially primary education(K-12) and College Tuition is the highest in the world.

Also the U.S. has a very weak vocational training system.

U.S. did not sign Kyoto and so we have very high levels of pollution.

Also falling behind in Renewable Energy.