Sunday, November 03, 2013

Health care. There is no going back.

...Thomas Roy Reid III (click here) grew up in Michigan and went to Princeton before joining the Navy, later starting a freelance writing career in Japan that would lead to work at the Washington Post and a stint as the paper's London bureau chief. He never expected to become a voice shaming a society that doesn't provide universal, affordable health care, even to the most needy.

"I got into it because my other books were flops," Reid joked. "Actually, we had experiences overseas while raising our family in which my wife and I realized there was a much, much better way for advanced nations to provide health care to everyone."...

...After only four days in London, a daughter got an ear infection and was treated quickly and efficiently at a "casualty center," the equivalent of a UK emergency room. When he tried to pay, he soon found out that the cost was nothing.

"Back home, it would have been $500 minimum," Reid said. "That's when my wife and I knew there was a better system."

Reid's book, documentary and lectures explain how four different health care systems work around the world, and how the United States' system has a little, but not necessarily the best, of each.

"Other advanced countries have universal care at a reasonable cost," Reid said. "They actually spend less and often have better outcomes. And that's what our country can provide.

"I know we can do it."

Every other First World nations started somewhere to provide universal health coverage.

...When you graph it out, (click here) clusters appear. Rich, East-Asian countries like Korea and Japan have 80+ life expectancies with below-average spending. Western Europe clogs the middle, with Sweden and Switzerland enjoying the longest lives (Sweden relies on public insurance, while Switzerland relies heavily on private insurance). The U.S., however, barely fits on the map....


The U.S. has a system [that] does have a poor cost-benefit ratio. I mean, 40 million people lack insurance; another 30 [million] or so are underinsured. The people who are insured do have to worry whether they are able to pay the bills. People become bankrupt because they cannot pay the medical bills, and there are vast differences in the quality of care depending on how much you are prepared and able to pay. I think the system is not working well.