"Moreover, there is one American health statistic that is strikingly above average: life expectancy for Americans who have already reached the age of 65. At that point, they can expect to live longer than the average in industrialized countries. That’s because Americans above age 65 actually have universal health care coverage: Medicare. Suddenly, a diverse population with pockets of poverty is no longer such a drawback."
That's fascinating. What's fascinating about it is that he uses it as an argument for the US having terrible health care and either doesn't see that it contradicts his point or is trying to fool us. Let's dissect that point. His implication is that if you compare the segment of US population that has universal coverage with the equivalent foreign populations, we are the best, ergo, if we had universal coverage, we would have the greatest life expectancy across all segments of the population. Universal coverage is the critical difference.
So, is that the critical difference? Well, he's right that there aren't many differences to choose from. Both populations use the sames doctors and hospitals, who provide the same protocols and treatments for the same ailments, with a few exceptions such as gerontologists, obstetricians, and pediatricians. So, unless our obstetricians and pediatricians are uniquely incompetent, our doctors and hospitals and protocols and treatments must be the best in the world and foreigners with bucks are right to come here for treatment.
What other differences are there. Well, there is age. And the behaviors that relate to age. Do our younger people behave differently than their foreign counterparts. We know that they murder each other more often. We know that they work longer hours and are more stressed. They smoke less. Do they drive better or worse? Are they more or less promiscuous? Dunno. In any event, it's hard to tell how much of a factor those behaviors would be.
Assuming that he's correct, though, that the critical difference is coverage, then why aren't we taking a straight line to getting universal coverage? And why are we making changes that would damage our best-in-the-world health care? |
