John, the real question when assessing healthcare is not the length of life, but the quality.
Actually, you are simply offering a different question, not the "real" question.
Our medical care is the best in the world because it gives better results, and allows people to feel better.
Better results are measurable. Krugman's measurable items are infant mortality and life span. If you wish to quarrel with those, please offer some others. Measurable. With reasonably comparable comparative data on which to base an argument.
I'm not particularly enamored of the two measures Krugman offers if there are better ones around.
As for "allows people to feel better," that's not measurable, just a hunch you have. Fine.
Is it more expensive? Of course. Our Doctors and medical people cost twice as much. We live in a richer society, they are not going to work for 3rd world money.
Actually, Krugman's comparisons were not with 3rd world countries. Simply other advanced industrial societies. One might ask which. As I recall, he didn't say. And one might ask for clearer data.
When you are sick, you want immediate treatment. You don't get this in other countries. Just look at the number of Canadians that come here for treatment because they don't want to wait, while suffering, for the Canadian Doctors to free up time for them.
I've seen contradictory data on this one. Moreover, it's terribly hard to measure motive. It might be possible to gather data on Canadians who come to the US for treatment. But I doubt it's possible to determine their motives. |
