American Thinker Blog: Killing the best medical system in the world:
I study biomedical science for a living. I've also sampled foreign medical care myself, in Italy, Mexico, Israel, the Netherlands and Sweden. And the United States, needless to say. I've never had better treatment anywhere in the world than here in the US, even as a college student, when I was completely broke. I've often seen inferior care in other countries, though I respect most of their doctors and medical professionals for their benevolent intentions."
Monday, March 15, 2010
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I'm glad that you, "Freedom Isn't Free," had "the best medical treatment" here n the U.S., but I have not--and I would argue that if we include (as we should) accessibility as part of defining what is the best treatment--the U.S. fails. And it fails miserably. What good is the so-called best treatment if you can't afford it? What good is it if you can only access it through the emergency room and have minimal access to preventative care? [Note: people die in this country due to that. Also, Arizona just today (11/17) took 90 people who had been accepted for life-saving organ transplant off their list due to costs. That effectively sentences many to die.]
ReplyDeleteDue to an emergency (not a lack of preventative care), I've spent 5 hours in a Taiwanese emergency room and received excellent care. I had X-rays, blood work, IVs, etc. I also was seen by a doctor and nurse. My bill? Twenty-eight dollars. Yes, $28. I repeat: $28.It's kind of amazing, no? And...I paid $15/month for their national health care. As you well know, $28 in the U.S. in the hospital buys 1/2 an aspirin. I've seen a doctor in a Swedish hospital after hours for $35 total. And the list goes on. We may have fabulous, expensive machines (but tell me why a CAT scan costs $4400?), but unless EVERYONE has access to consistent health care, the best is reserved for those who have health insurance, who can afford health insurance. That, sir, is a health care system for the rich and fortunate--not one that's "the best medical system in the world." It doesn't work if it doesn't help everyone. It's that simple.