# USA: Best medical system in the world? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 11, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638 "2009-09-11T01:46:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/1 "2009-09-11T01:46:27Z")
I just heard this on the tv again. I have no complaints about my medical treatment, but I wonder, by what metrics do those who say this support such a claim? Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![StaudtCJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@StaudtCJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StaudtCJ)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/2 "2009-09-11T01:51:09Z")
They support the claim with evidence of new medications and new technology being developed. Admittedly, if you’ve been catastrophically injured and need emergency medical care, and have really really good insurance, or you have a child at 23 weeks gestation, then you probably want to be in the U.S. If you want to control your diabetes or give birth at term, you probably want to be elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Yeti08](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yeti08](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeti08)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/3 "2009-09-11T01:53:54Z")
I’ve wondered the same thing since health system ratings from organizations like WHO are not particularly stellar (US was 37th I believe). The only thing I can think of is that the expertise, procedures, drugs, and equipment (like the machine that goes “ping”) are all top notch, but only for those that have the money. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/4 "2009-09-11T02:36:58Z")
> [@Yeti08](#): > > I’ve wondered the same thing since health system ratings from organizations like WHO are not particularly stellar (US was 37th I believe). The only thing I can think of is that the expertise, procedures, drugs, and equipment (like the machine that goes “ping”) are all top notch, but only for those that have the money. The machine that goes “ping” (monitor?) is the only item I’m familiar with, and it’s used worldwide. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/5 "2009-09-11T02:40:09Z")
I remember, from a while back, that Cuba was up there. That’s old though. ---
**Author:** ![Yeti08](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yeti08](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeti08)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/6 "2009-09-11T02:42:23Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > The machine that goes “ping” (monitor?) is the only item I’m familiar with, and it’s used worldwide. Sorry, bad attempt at humor on my part. I was actually referring to the Monty Python [bit from The Meaning of Life](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arCITMfxvEc). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/7 "2009-09-11T03:29:58Z")
We have shitty infant mortality and an awful birth process in general, if you’re interested in that. We have a c-section rate more than twice the WHO recommendations, and in some places much, much higher. ---
**Author:** ![Notassmartasithought](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c0e974/32.png) [@Notassmartasithought](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Notassmartasithought)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/8 "2009-09-11T03:46:55Z")
So are there metrics? $ spent on health care and life expectancy seems an obvious one. Can any metric be translated across national boundries, so we can compare the US, France, Canada, Britain, Norway, Switzerland? All with slightly or greatly differing systems. The teeming millions want to know! ---
**Author:** ![StaudtCJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@StaudtCJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StaudtCJ)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/9 "2009-09-11T03:58:04Z")
Some things can probably be taken across boundaries, like infant mortality rate, maternal deaths per pregnancy, obesity percent of the population, life expectancy, and dollars per capita. Other things are more subjective, depending on definitions. Things like “cancer survival rate” can be ambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/10 "2009-09-11T03:58:27Z")
One very relevant metric IMHO is access: [http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Performance-Snapshots/International-Comparisons/International-Comparison--Access---Timeliness.aspx](http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Performance-Snapshots/International-Comparisons/International-Comparison--Access---Timeliness.aspx) > [@](#): > > In a 2005 survey of sicker patients conducted in six developed countries, the United States ranked last on four measures of continuity of care and access problems reported by patients. The U.S. patients reported relatively longer waiting times for doctor appointments when they were sick, but relatively shorter waiting times to be seen at the emergency department, see a specialist, and have elective surgery. ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/11 "2009-09-11T04:07:10Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I just heard this on the tv again. I have no complaints about my medical treatment, but I wonder, by what metrics do those who say this support such a claim? > Peace, > mangeorge Glenn Beck keeps making this claim, but a little over a year ago on that very same show, he was whining how awful the U.S. medical system was and how it tried to kill him. I have to agree. If they were trying to kill him, they did a terrible job. Where are those Death Panels when you need them? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/12 "2009-09-11T04:57:47Z")
> [@mangeorge](#): > > I just heard this on the tv again. I have no complaints about my medical treatment, but I wonder, by what metrics do those who say this support such a claim? If you’re looking for pure metrics, without the benefit of context, we lead the world in survival rates for most cancers. [Prostate and breast cancer](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7510121.stm) are the ones usually cited. Partly this is because our cancer treatment is better; mostly it’s because we use more sensitive screening methods, which results in a much higher apparent incidence (this includes both cancers that would not be detected in, say, the UK, but generally don’t require treatment anyway, and false positives). In the case of breast cancer, it’s also partly due to the fact that the (US-based) Susan G. Komen Foundation has been massively successful; in a little over 25 years it’s become one of the largest single-issue charitable organizations in the world. We lead the world in new drug development, although we’re second to Britain in applications for actual new drugs rather than drugs which complement or compete with effective medications already on the market ("me-too pharmaceuticals). We lead the world in health care spending as a percentage of GDP, which could be a good _or_ bad thing, depending on your point of view. We lead the world in [health- and healthcare-related e-mail spam](http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/31/mx_logic_august_spam_report/). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@The\_Great\_Philosopher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Philosopher)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/13 "2009-09-11T12:05:41Z")
[This NY Times article](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/opinion/12sun1.html?_r=1) has a list of criteria, although the thrust of the article is that, contrary to the claims of Bush and Giuliani, the US does not have the best healthcare system in the world. Their criteria are: Insurance Coverage Access Fairness Healthy lives Quality of care Life and death rates Patient satisfaction Use of information technology Top of the line care ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/14 "2009-09-11T20:43:42Z")
I heard an interview with a guy, T. R. Reid on NPR one day. He wrote a book called [Healing of America](http://www.amazon.com/Healing-America-Global-Better-Cheaper/dp/1594202346), where he compares health care systems from all around the globe. Here is the [text from the NPR “Fresh Air” interview with the author.](http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=112172939) I have not yet read the book, but it is on my Amazon wish list. The interview was fascinating. Apparently the WHO rates France as having the best system. It’ll be interesting to read the reasons why. ---
**Author:** ![Pearson\_Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pearson_flyer/32/7241_2.png) [@Pearson\_Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pearson_Flyer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/15 "2009-09-12T03:18:25Z")
Several rankings by the World Health Organization can be found here: [http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html](http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html) The US ranks pretty low across the board. The ranking I’ve linked to is from 2000, but the preventable death index is from last year, and is very telling. ---
**Author:** ![Desert\_Nomad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desert_nomad/32/177_2.png) [@Desert\_Nomad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desert_Nomad)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/16 "2009-09-12T03:42:34Z")
The US offers some of the best care, especially for rare and/or complicated procedures. However, the access and availability is quite poor since a good portion of the population have no access due to cost. My wife and I have no insurance and have been deemed “uninsurable”. My younger brother has a full time job in airport ground services, but also has no insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/17 "2009-09-12T04:45:24Z")
> [@Pearson\_Flyer](#): > > Several rankings by the World Health Organization can be found here: > > [The World Health Organization's ranking of the world's health systems, by Rank](http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html) > > The US ranks pretty low across the board. The ranking I’ve linked to is from 2000, but the preventable death index is from last year, and is very telling. Wow, Canada is only seven above the US. I thought we’d be higher than that. That’s scary. Edit- Take that Finland! ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/18 "2009-09-12T16:40:31Z")
> [@Algernon](#): > > I heard an interview with a guy, T. R. Reid on NPR one day. He wrote a book called [Healing of America](http://www.amazon.com/Healing-America-Global-Better-Cheaper/dp/1594202346), where he compares health care systems from all around the globe. > > Here is the [text from the NPR “Fresh Air” interview with the author.](http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=112172939) > > I have not yet read the book, but it is on my Amazon wish list. The interview was fascinating. Apparently the WHO rates France as having the best system. It’ll be interesting to read the reasons why. It is a sad commentary on America. We are selfish. We do not care about other people. Let the poor die. Countries we pretend to be more civilized than, see a responsibility to their citizens. We do not. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/19 "2009-09-12T17:13:38Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > It is a sad commentary on America. We are selfish. We do not care about other people. Let the poor die. Countries we pretend to be more civilized than, see a responsibility to their citizens. We do not. Yes. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638/20 "2009-09-12T19:19:31Z")
> [@StaudtCJ](#): > > Some things can probably be taken across boundaries, like infant mortality rate. Actually, even on that one the US system supporters argue that other countries measure infant mortality differently, such as counting deaths within the first 24 hours as being “stillborn” and not contributing to the infant mortality numbers. [This article](http://creativedestruction.wordpress.com/2006/05/22/regarding-the-uss-high-infant-mortality-rate/) says that the USA still does not come out well, even when you combine infant mortality and stllbirth statistics. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usa-best-medical-system-in-the-world/509638.md?page=2)