Medical Malpractice

Are America's medical institutions really as bad as liberals make them out to be?

In America we have: Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, UPenn School of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Massachusetts General, Mayo Clinic, The Cleveland Clinic and many other top non-profit medical institutions that put their European counterparts to shame.

Public Comments

1. pics or it didn't happen
2. No one says they are bad. They are just unavailable to the poor.
3. not all are you have to decide for youself
4. I think you need to read up on what the liberals say.
5. Well, ask where do they get there funding from? The Government, think tanks, and the elites...Those on the very top of the pyramid....
6. Michael Moore says Cuba is better and they will treat Americans for 1/4 the price.
7. Yes, I am not a welfare bum, but a college graduate of criminal justice, who never got hired as a police officer because of my bad eyesight. If I was able to get corrective surgery to my eyes I would have got hired. My dreams went down the sink hole because I am not rich. Second, My teeth are in dire straights as most are broken off at gum line and infected, I need an oral surgeon but can't afford one because I am now on disability due to a mental disability.
8. The following quote comes from a Y!A member named Sageandscholar, he deserves credit for it... We have "...the highest healthcare expenses in the world and the lowest life expectancy, second lowest healthy life expectancy and highest child mortality in the developed world..." With all due respect, what do you think?
9. Not the institutions, the availability to pay for care. No wonder Republicans can't win the debate on health care if they can't understand the difference...
10. These dozen or so institutions aren't quite representative of the thousands of others. A sick kid in Los Angeles isn't going to be visiting any of these. How about comparing your local county health center, supposing it hasn't closed (like the one in San Jose). And be careful with your assumptions about 'liberals' and other political groups. Not everyone has a hive mind.
11. No, they're good. That's why people -- even poor people -- should have access to them.
12. Yes, and if you're wealthy or lucky enough, or a ward of the state, you can get treatment at those prestigious hospitals. We also have more because we are a larger nation. Per capita, European nations probably have more impressive medical institutions than we do. And everyone has access to them. And at half the cost. And with more results. And they use less tax money than our system.
13. America's medical institutions are clearly the best money can buy. Why else do major world leaders fly to the US to get medical care? Top Saudi sheiks and royalty from a variety of nations have sought out US medical care. Plus we have a great VA system, the best battlefield medical treatment in the world, the best medical apparatuses in the world, etc. Not bad right? Good Numbers (beyond everything I just pointed out): The US has won a Nobel Prize in Medicine 7 out of the last 10 years. US 5 year survival rate from cancer diagnosis is 62% for women, while in Europe its a mere 55.8% US 5 year survival rate from cancer is even greater for men, 66%, while in Europe its a mere 47.3% The US has exceptional inoculation rates, 97-99% in most places, some of the best in the world. Here's the WTF numbers: The US is ranked 44th in the world in infant mortality, behind Slovenia & Cuba The US is rank 50th in the world in life expectancy The US spends the highest percent of its GDP in the world on healthcare. (double what Japan & the UK spend by comparison) The US spends more per capita on healthcare than any other nation, $7,290, versus $2,992 for the UK. The US finished 14th in healthcare preventable deaths In the US, there is a 20 point difference in cancer survival rates between those who have insurance and those that don't. The US has 40 million uninsured. The World Health Organization ranks the US health care system as 37th in the world based on responsiveness, overall level of health, efficiency & access to healthcare. (though clearly the relative weighting of the different statistics can be questioned) All cold hard facts, none of the liberal spin, or conservative spin. Clearly, our infant mortality & life expectancy are awful for a country so rich that spends so much on healthcare. We also rank extremely high in "healthcare inequality" indexes. In other words, our healthcare for the poor seems empirically pretty bad. On the other hand, we're better at screening for most preventable cancers & have better high end treatments. So our healthcare for the adequately insured middle class and wealthy is hands down the best. Take from it as you will. All the top notch institutions that you mention will pretty much be unaffected in the quality of care they will provide no matter what gets passed. If anything, these top institutions will reap millions from new federal study money & medical school student loan programs that are in the bill - and probably will improve their care marginally with the extra spending in the bill - which they will be perfectly positioned to take advantage of since they have top notch grant writing staffs. Its the thousands of run of the mill hospitals, particularly those in rural states with low medicare reimbursement rates, that the effects of a Democratic healthcare really are going to be measured by. Its really hard to predict if its going to be a disaster or a boon for your average American who has insurance from his employer living in a small town with a community hospital.