Numerous polls indicate that most Americans are very happy with the health care that they receive. Specifically, nearly 90 percent of Americans responded to a poll sponsored by ABC News, USA Today and the Kaiser Family Foundation saying that they were satisfied with the health care coverage that they already have. Such solid information stands in stark contrast to the media hype about the necessity for health care reform and the hysteria promoted by the White House about the dire health care circumstances facing Americans.
U.S. Health Care is First-Rate: Such information also flies in the face of the first-rate care offered throughout the nation — not just at the major medical centers like Johns Hopkins University and the Mayo Clinic. Most Americans live close to a hospital system that provides lifesaving care that is the envy of people in other nations. It is no secret that, even with all the flaws and shortcomings of the U.S. medical establishment, people — close to half a million annually — come to this country from around the world when they need specialized medical care. American doctors and American hospitals provide care that is superior to that found anywhere else, and thousands of people are alive today as testament to that fact. The poorest American citizens have access to care that is far superior to that available to the richest citizens of most nations.
U.S. Leads in Medical Technology: Advances in medical know-how and technology typically occur here in the United States, where the latest drugs and top specialists are readily accessible. In a recent article, Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, pointed out the following facts:
· The two most significant innovations for patient care in the past decade are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerized tomography (CT).
· The United States has 27 MRI machines per million Americans.
· Canada and Britain have six MRI machines per million.
· The United States has 34 CT scanners per million.
· Canada has 12 per million and Britain only eight.
U.S. Health Care Costs are Low, Results are High: The average citizen in the U.S. pays less for health care than citizens in Germany, Japan, Canada, and most countries in the E.U. Yet, with illnesses like cancer and heart disease there are significant gaps in the outcomes for patients in other nations as compared to their survival when treated in the U.S. Again, Fred Barnes offers comparative information that was published in the medical journal Lancet Oncology. Clearly, Americans get better care than citizens in other nations, leading to greater survival rates from the most lethal forms of cancer.
· Survival rate for all cancer patients for Americans — 66.3 percent for men and 63.9 for women.
· Survival rate for all cancer patients for Europeans — 47.3 percent for men and 55.9 percent for women.
· Survival rate for prostate cancer for American men — 99 percent
· Survival rate for prostate cancer for European men — 77.5 percent
· Survival rate for colon/rectal cancer for Americans — 65.5 percent Continued... |