This article was shit, but not worse than most on either side of the argument.
One thing that has been frustrating me most is the persistent argument that Americans have treatment outcomes that are subpar. Infant mortality rates and life expectancy measures are of limited utility when comparing wealthy countries.
Concerning infant mortality, different countries count infant deaths differently, leading to over and under statements. Concerning life expectancy, Americans live lives that are relatively unhealthy when compared people in other countries. It is not a giant intellectual leap to conclude life style can account for the life expectancy gap.
Concerning actual treatment outcomes, America typically leads they way. We have a higher incidence rate of many diseases but the best treatments if you view the outcome-to-incidence rates.
Furthermore (anecdote warning), as someone who had a rare disease that still lacks any curative treatment, I have personally met a lot of foreigners. They were all seeking treatment in the US because we are pioneering most of the advances. Why? Because there is good money in it.
Also - "One thing that has been frustrating me most is the persistent argument that Americans have treatment outcomes that are subpar. Infant mortality rates and life expectancy measures are of limited utility when comparing wealthy countries."
This is dubious in and of itself - what evidence do you have? But also, there have been a number of studies which quantified, to various degrees the effect of hospital infections, medical errors and similar things - and these real, honest-to-god quantitative studies show that these are significant cause of death in the US - any relation to the lower life expectancy in the US? That's further puzzle but we're got pretty strong evidence.
And, I would agree that US leads in pioneering treatments for rare disease. That doesn't solve that other problems here.
One thing that has been frustrating me most is the persistent argument that Americans have treatment outcomes that are subpar. Infant mortality rates and life expectancy measures are of limited utility when comparing wealthy countries.
Concerning infant mortality, different countries count infant deaths differently, leading to over and under statements. Concerning life expectancy, Americans live lives that are relatively unhealthy when compared people in other countries. It is not a giant intellectual leap to conclude life style can account for the life expectancy gap.
Concerning actual treatment outcomes, America typically leads they way. We have a higher incidence rate of many diseases but the best treatments if you view the outcome-to-incidence rates.
Furthermore (anecdote warning), as someone who had a rare disease that still lacks any curative treatment, I have personally met a lot of foreigners. They were all seeking treatment in the US because we are pioneering most of the advances. Why? Because there is good money in it.