Comments on: Stossel destroys the WHO and Commonwealth Fund studies http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/stossel-destroys-who-and-commonwealth.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 23:00:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/stossel-destroys-who-and-commonwealth.html#comment-79463 Anonymous Thu, 23 Aug 2007 18:04:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/stossel-destroys-the-who-and-commonwealth-fund-studies.html#comment-79463 From the FA:<br/>"When you adjust for these "fatal injury" rates, U.S. life expectancy is actually higher than in nearly every other industrialized nation."<br/><br/>If you just ignore all of that "death", the US life expectancy rate is fairly high!<br/><br/>John Stossel has turned from a consumer reporter to a Libertarian ideologue. He concludes that all the problems with the US Healthcare system "stem from departures from free-market principles."<br/><br/>To him, we need more "sink or swim" attitude and less of that anti-libertairian compassion stuff.<br/><br/>So, what facts does he use to asses where the US really does rank. Why none of course! Other than "it strains credulity to hear that the U.S. ranks far from the top"<br/><br/>As with so many, Stossel tries to knock down the WHO ranking but has nothing factual to replace it with. Come back when you do, Stossel. From the FA:
“When you adjust for these “fatal injury” rates, U.S. life expectancy is actually higher than in nearly every other industrialized nation.”

If you just ignore all of that “death”, the US life expectancy rate is fairly high!

John Stossel has turned from a consumer reporter to a Libertarian ideologue. He concludes that all the problems with the US Healthcare system “stem from departures from free-market principles.”

To him, we need more “sink or swim” attitude and less of that anti-libertairian compassion stuff.

So, what facts does he use to asses where the US really does rank. Why none of course! Other than “it strains credulity to hear that the U.S. ranks far from the top”

As with so many, Stossel tries to knock down the WHO ranking but has nothing factual to replace it with. Come back when you do, Stossel.

]]> By: Vijay Goel, M.D.http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/stossel-destroys-who-and-commonwealth.html#comment-79381 Vijay Goel, M.D. Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:59:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/stossel-destroys-the-who-and-commonwealth-fund-studies.html#comment-79381 A lot of the conclusions of these studies are meaningless, as they compare apples and oranges. The US "healthcare system" is primarily a procedure-based sick-care system that looks to diagnose illness and then improve the odds that someone sick may cope with/ recover from a particular ailment.<br/><br/>This has very little to do with public health and lifestyle factors that have the greatest impact on lifespan and population health in the era of antibiotics and vaccines for communicable diseases.<br/><br/>This is also different from "wellness" efforts that would serve to optimize health through diet/ exercise/ healthy habits. Nobody does this well today-- even metrics like the RDA are to ensure minimum levels, not optimum functioning.<br/><br/>Lumping them all together simply goes too far beyond the realm of "medicine". A lot of the conclusions of these studies are meaningless, as they compare apples and oranges. The US “healthcare system” is primarily a procedure-based sick-care system that looks to diagnose illness and then improve the odds that someone sick may cope with/ recover from a particular ailment.

This has very little to do with public health and lifestyle factors that have the greatest impact on lifespan and population health in the era of antibiotics and vaccines for communicable diseases.

This is also different from “wellness” efforts that would serve to optimize health through diet/ exercise/ healthy habits. Nobody does this well today– even metrics like the RDA are to ensure minimum levels, not optimum functioning.

Lumping them all together simply goes too far beyond the realm of “medicine”.

]]> By: MLOhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/08/stossel-destroys-who-and-commonwealth.html#comment-79380 MLO Wed, 22 Aug 2007 17:54:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/08/stossel-destroys-the-who-and-commonwealth-fund-studies.html#comment-79380 Medical tourism overseas is alive and well. The US has many fine medical institutions, but so does Canada, Europe, Asia, etc.<br/><br/>Pax,<br/><br/>MLO Medical tourism overseas is alive and well. The US has many fine medical institutions, but so does Canada, Europe, Asia, etc.

Pax,

MLO

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