[quote=sdrealtor]I know several doctors that work internationally and spend time in those higher ranked systems. They wouldnt agree with our system not having the best medical care in the world. Alot of it has to do with the lifestyle people live in these countries. Many of these countries citizen’s subsist on diets with far more fresh fish, fruits and vegatables than we eat in the US. They also lead more active lives than we do. The average american lives are far more unhealthy lifestyle and places a bigger burden on the health care system here. When the leaders of those countries get sick, where do you think they go for medical care?[/quote]
I wonder if there’s a chart of “unhealthiness” of lifestyles. Talking about life expectancies is too simplistic. At the very least, we should have an answer, does the US have higher age-standardized rates of CVD, cancer, etc., leading to a lower life expectancy? Or is it less effective at curing CVD & cancer? Or maybe a big part of the gap can be explained away without focusing on expensive forms of healthcare for the elderly, by looking strictly at infant mortality, homicides, and traffic accidents?
Of course, that still does not avoid the question why US healthcare is so expensive. (My own position is that it’s primarily because doctors are severely overpaid compared to all other countries in that chart.)
