Health Care Outcomes

Angry Bear (both AB and Kash) has provided excellent economic data on the Health Care issue:

http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2005/04/health-care-in-us-and-world-part-i-how.html (AB)
http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2005/04/performance-of-us-health-care-system.html (Kash)
http://angrybear.blogspot.com/2005/04/health-care-in-us-and-world-part-ii.html (AB)

Beginning around 1980, the rate of health care spending in the US accelerated, both in absolute terms and relative to other nations. (AB)

Americans spend nearly twice as much as people in other developed countries spend on health care. Our closest competitor for health care costs is Switzerland, which still spends just 60% of what the US spends, per capita. And yet all of these countries achieve better health outcomes: longer lives, fewer dead babies and children, and more quality of life for their elderly. (Kash)

demographic factors do not explain any of the US's bad health statistics. (The US's low level of publicly provided health care does explain about one-third of the US's low life expectancy, however.) The conclusion is that there is something idiosyncratic about the US health care system that results in poor outcomes despite its enormous costs. The average American simply receives unambiguously worse health care while paying twice as much as citizens of the rest of the developed world. (Kash)

The reduced U.S. life expectancy and poor outcomes may be mislaid at Health Care's door. The pertinent data may reside in levels of artificial additives used in American Food products compared to other nations, the rigor of Enforcement of Environmental Standards, and the variable use of communal Health standards(control of Animal populations, disposal of Garbage and Junk, and Personal hygiene). Consider the MWTB issue: the fuel additive is known to contaminate Water supplies, yet the major Political issue is waiver for the Manufacturers of the Product.

The Issue of Health Care Cost should really be examined from the basis of Diagnostic procedures and repetition of Treatments utilized. High-cost Diagnostics are routinely used(every Patient a common Recipient) where only symtom-diagnosed Patients receive such discovery procedures in other nations. Sheer consumption levels of Drugs per Patient may be much higher in the United States than other nations, as American Doctors feel Patients will not understand non-Drug medical treatment, even for nonsensical ills. Real data collection on the Issue need be made (thanks Kash and AB). lgl