Despite faring poorly in metrics that compares the American health care system with other countries, the public may fear the unknown that radical change brings.
Prominent economist Uwe Reinhardt (via The Health Care Blog) provides some insight in a recent interview.
There is little question that the United States provides the best specialist-based care in the world. As Mr. Reinhardt says, “people imagine having the worst illness, and if you are really very sick in the U.S., you generally do have more hope than in any other country if you are very sick, particularly if you are well insured.”
The image of ready access to cutting-edge experimental treatment, MRIs and PET scans on a whim, or the ability to obtain opinions at multiple world-renowned medical institutions, tends to have more resonance than the better access to primary care that other countries provide.
He also skewers the entitlement mentality of Americans, describing them as “people who want the best health care, [but] they don’t want to pay high premiums, don’t want to pay taxes.”
Any radical reform plan will require both limiting the amount of care most well-insured Americans receive, and paying more to cover the uninsured.
Are the American people willing to make those sacrifices necessary to enact meaningful reform?
Related posts:
- Most Americans have health insurance, and what health reform is going to do for them
- When it comes to health care reform, winners and no losers?
- The difficulty with radical health reform
- Do Americans really want health care reform?
- How health care reform can improve public health
- 10 health reform posts you may have missed
- Will the public limit the degree of health reform?
{ 5 comments }
As a person who waited 6 months to have a gallbladder removed, 7 months for heart ablation, 2 years for hip replacement I beg to disagree with the article linked. The difference is in the Province in which you reside. The Canada Health Act doesn’t stipulate which services to provide and how quickly they are provided. I have found (from having friends in Quebec) that the province of Quebec, Montreal in particular offer better services than lets say Ontario or New Brunswick. Currently I’m waiting for a foot surgeon (1 1/2 year) and a Retina surgeon (6 weeks)…ciao
The majority of Americans are satisfied with the current system.
The Uwe Reinhardt’s of the world invariably point to health outcome that is really related to genetics and public health. Laudable goals, but not related to medicine.
When I look at medical systems, I for one am more interested in…..when I’m sick, where is the best place to get better?
Not infant mortality, but where is the best place to treat a 25-week-old preemie? When I have cancer, where is the best place to treat it?
I’ll take care of my own infant mortality by making sure family members eat properly and don’t do drugs. I don’t need a “health care system” for that.
scalpel – “The majority of Americans are satisfied with the current system.”
Indeed. That’s why you get the statistics that most Brits are satisfied with the NHS, etc.
Provide better primary care under these systems (NHS, etc.) translates into votes. The average person’s encounter with the healthcare system is a PAP smear or similar. If it’s free, I guess it’s a great system. The rare person denied a cancer treatment…..well, that’s not that many votes.
SCALPEL, the majority of Americans are not satisfied with the current system. Insurance companies exploit our health care system to the detriment of all other players in it. For too long, insurance companies concerned themselves with their bottom lines and shareholders, while forgetting about patients. If you are interested in implementing change and working toward a FAIR reform to America’s broken health care system. Go to http://www.fairmanagedcare.org and sign up to be a member.
FAIR is an emerging national grassroots movement focused on changing the debate about health care costs and holding managed care companies responsible for their behavior.
Become a member. Fight back.”
Comments on this entry are closed.