Is Congress Even Listening? How Other Nations Stack Up to American Health Care

Why do the radical left-wing majority Democrat Party want to change our current “total enonomy choice” Health Care system and damage it with a “government run” ObamaCare? – Oscar Y. Harward

by Johnny Alamo

http://jdlong.wordpress.com/2010/03/21/is-congress-even-listening-how-other-nations-stack-up-to-american-health-care/

You may have received an e-mail like this recently, as relayed to me by the World-Famous Amazing Buck Ashcraft:

Very Interesting Statistics

A recent “Investor’s Business Daily” article provided very interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization.

Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis:
U.S. 65%
England 46%
Canada 42%

Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months:
U.S. 93%
England 15%
Canada 43%

Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months:
U.S. 90%
England 15%
Canada 43%

Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month:
U.S. 77%
England 40%
Canada 43%

Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people:
U.S. 71
England 14
Canada 18

Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in “excellent health”:
U.S. 12%
England 2%
Canada 6%

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want “Universal Healthcare” comparable to England or Canada.

Moreover, it was Sen. Harry Reid who said, “Elderly Americans must learn to accept the inconveniences of old age.”

Being intrigued, and being the kind of guy who doesn’t want to look silly when some spam e-mail turns out to be a hoax, I did a little research, and found the apparent source article at Investor’s Business Daily HERE. The true, unedited statistics are even MORE frightening:

How U.S. Health Care Really Stacks Up

Facts: A movie has been made solely to criticize it. The left treats it as if it’s an invader that must be repelled. Most Americans, however, are satisfied with this object of so much hate — America’s health care industry.

Manipulative filmmaker Michael Moore says “we have the worst health care in the Western world” and has offered up Cuba as a paradigm for the U.S. to follow.

Former South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle, who was nearly named the administration’s health and human services secretary, says the “flaws in our health care system are pervasive and corrosive.”

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic presidential candidate, called the current health care market “predatory capitalism.” Some Democrats go so far as to say the system is racist.

The kindest thing most Democrats will say about health care in the U.S. is that it’s broken. Their talking points to back up the claim revolve around costs, America’s low position (37th) in World Health Organization rankings and the number of uninsured.

The last is a useless measure, since only a small portion of the uninsured are chronically without coverage. So are the WHO rankings, which can’t be trusted because of disparities in how countries compile statistics, demographic and cultural differences, and the WHO’s leftist bias.

Which leaves us with the issue of costs.

Yes, with $2.5 trillion expected to be spent this year, health care in the U.S. is more expensive than in any other country, including Great Britain and Canada, whose nationalized, universal care systems are held up as models .

But what we spend isn’t thrown down a rathole. The National Center for Policy Analysis has published a study, “10 Surprising Facts About American Health Care,” that shows how Americans get something for the extra dollars they lay out. To wit:

“Americans have better survival rates than Europeans for common cancers.” Breast cancer mortality: 52% higher in Germany and 88% higher in the United Kingdom than in the U.S. Prostate cancer mortality: 604% higher in the U.K., 457% higher in Norway. Colo-rectal cancer mortality: 40% higher among Britons.

“Americans have lower cancer mortality rates than Canadians.” Rates for breast cancer (9%), prostate cancer (184%) and colon cancer among men (10%) are higher than in the U.S.

“Americans have better access to treatment of chronic diseases than patients in other developed countries.” Roughly 56% of Americans who could benefit are taking statin drugs. Only 36% of the Dutch, 29% of the Swiss, 26% of Germans, 23% of Britons and 17% of Italians who could benefit receive them.

“Americans have better access to preventive cancer screenings than Canadians.” Nine of 10 middle-aged American women have had a mammogram; 72% of Canadian women have. Almost every American woman (96%) has had a pap smear; fewer than 90% of Canadian women have. Roughly 54% of American men have had a prostate cancer test; fewer than one in six Canadian men have. Almost a third of Americans (30%) have had a colonoscopy; only 5% of Canadians have had the procedure.

“Lower-income Americans are in better health than comparable Canadians.” Nearly 12% of U.S. seniors with below-median incomes self-report being in “excellent” health, while 5.8% of Canadian seniors say the same thing.
“Americans spend less time waiting for care than patients in Canada and the United Kingdom.” Canadians and Britons wait about twice as long, sometimes more than a year, to see a specialist, have elective surgery or get radiation treatment.

“People in countries with more government control of health care are highly dissatisfied and believe reform is needed.” More than seven in 10 Germans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and Britons say their health systems need either “fundamental change” or “complete rebuilding.”

“Americans are more satisfied with the care they receive than Canadians.” More than half (51.3%) of Americans are very satisfied with their health care services, while 41.5% of Canadians hold the same view of their system.

“Americans have much better access to important new technologies like medical imaging than patients in Canada or the U.K.” There are 34 CT scanners per million Americans. There are 12 per million in Canada and eight per million in Britain. The U.S. has nearly 27 MRI machines per million. Britain and Canada have 6 per million.

“Americans are responsible for the vast majority of all health care innovations.” The top five U.S. hospitals conduct more clinical trials than all the hospitals in any other single developed nation; the most important recent medical innovations were developed here.

Can the nationalized, universal systems in Britain, Canada or anywhere else improve on this? No, but we can ruin our health care by following the policies of countries where medical treatment is far below the American standard.

My apologies who will throw a conniption fit for my reprinting the article in toto, but it **IS** a year-old article.

Call you congressman now – TODAY. Yes, it’s Sunday — they’re in the

Capital right now awaiting the vote.

On a Sunday. During Lent. To hide the stink of what they’re doing.

Call them Call them now. 877-762-8762, or 202-224-3121, or 202-225-3121.

Remind them strongly that when we vote their sorry butts out in November, they have to come LIVE in your district.

~Johnny~