The World Health Report 2000, prepared by the World Health Organization, presented performance rankings of 191 nations' health care systems. These rankings have been widely cited in public debates about health care, particularly by those interested in reforming the U.S. health care system to resemble more closely those of other countries. Michael Moore, for instance, famously stated in his film SiCKO that the United States placed only 37th in the WHO report. CNN.com, in verifying Moore's claim, noted that France and Canada both placed in the top 10.
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9236
WHO's Fooling Who? The World Health Organization's Problematic Ranking of Health Care
Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by Revmitchell, Mar 5, 2008.
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Revmitchell Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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I have no complaint about health care in the U.S. I have a good pension medical plan and The Wife has been with Group Health HMO for most of 40 years.
Anyone wants to go to France, go before the dollar crashes. <G> -
While in England he was diagnosed with cancer. He decided to return to the United States for treatment even though he doesn't have medical insurance to cover the costs.
He doesn't talk about it - but that decision speaks loudly to me. -
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His family is not wealthy and he has no income and no savings. I don't know how he plans on paying the medical bills.
You may have jumped to the wrong conclusion. -
I suppose you know this but your company can modify or even take away retirement medical whenever they want to do so. One example I'm familiar with is that Lucent Tech. decided to do away with medical benefits for spouces of retirees. Other companies including one of the large drug companies provide retirement medical until the retiree was Medicare eligible and then cut it off. The chairman of the deacons at my former church was caught in this situation. Many companies no longer provide any retirement medical all. This has been true at AT&T since 2000.
What I've said here pertains to professional employees who don't work under a contract. I would expect that someone who was a member of a union would be in better shape at least for now. -
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Gold Dragon Well-Known Member
The United States is
44th in life expectancy at birth - CIA World Factbook, 2007
40th in infant mortality - CIA World Factbook, 2007
83rd in hospital beds per 1000 people - World Development Indicators database
1st in health spending per person - World Bank, 2002
I was unable to find good numbers for Low birth weight and self-reported health which are two other key national measures.
If I had a rare condition or required a high risk procedure, the US is definitely the place to go if:
1) I had the means to know that I needed this procedure
2) I had the means to know that this procedure existed
3) I had the means to know who the best practicioners in the world were for this procedure
4) I had the means to travel to these practicioners
5) I had the means to pay for the procedure
For many people, especially in the US, their poor health system does not allow for steps 1-3 not to mention their lack of ability to pay for steps 4-5. -
Who's fooling WHOM
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At least the OP did put the "?" in.