Taking The Measure Of Health Care In America
by Joe Neel

NPR.org, July 2, 2008 · No doubt you've heard that the United States is the only developed nation without a universal health care system that provides care for all.

The result is that 47 million people in the United States lack health coverage. It's one reason the U.S. ranks 29th in the world in terms of life expectancy and at or near the bottom of most international health care comparisons.

What you might not know is that many of the universal health care systems in Europe provide high-quality health care to all residents, at a much lower cost than what people in the United States spend on health care.

Waiting times for care aren't all that different from the United States, and Europeans use the same high-tech medicine, only more sparingly.

Indeed, the countries of Western Europe rank higher on most measures of good health.

The cost to achieve better overall health in those countries is far less than you'd expect. Spending per person is about half what's spent in America, which in 2007 was around $7,000 a year.

High costs and the lack of access to health care are likely to be big issues in the U.S. presidential election this fall. A key part of the discussion will be whether the country should establish universal health care or go in a different direction.

You can read the article in it's entirety, or listen to the broadcast, here;

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92136549

Here is the link to the chart that compares the systems in seven different countries. Guess who ranks last.

http://www.npr.org/news/specials/healthcare/healthcare_profiles.html