A quick hit-and-run, but something that should be picked up by one of our health care specialists for greater analysis.
An article on CBS News discusses something that should come as no surprise: that the US is
behind its closest competitors because of health care that costs too much and delivers too little
More on the flip...
Update: As so often happens, multiple diaries hit within seconds of each other. Refer to DrSteveB's diary for the requested "someone with expertise in this field".
Not exactly news to those Kossacks who focus on health care, but what is different about this story is it's source:
The report from the Business Roundtable, which represents CEOs of major companies, says America's health care system has become a liability in a global economy.
The study is said to focus on the value received by the health care consumer, and identifies the value gap we experience relative to other advanced economies:
Americans spend $2.4 trillion a year on health care. The Business Roundtable report says Americans in 2006 spent $1,928 per capita on health care, at least two-and-a-half times more per person than any other advanced country.
[snip]
The United States is 23 points behind five leading economic competitors: Canada, Japan, Germany, Britain and France. The five nations cover all their citizens, and though their systems differ, in each country the government plays a much larger role than in the U.S.
The CEO Reports' conclusion? Change is needed to increase the value of what we pay for, or to reduce the cost of what we receive. However, they stop short of recommending the solution taken by the leading providers, which is socialized medicine.
It would be great for someone with expertise in this field to pick this up and do a serious analysis.