- Home
- About Us
- Contributors
- Departments
- Back Issues
- Weekly Archives
- AmSpecBlog
- Subscribe
- Newsletter
- Advertise
- Donate
- Contact Us
- Daily Digest
- Templeton Essays
search
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Buy the Book
Humane Health Care
The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care: A
Citizen's Guide
By Sally C. Pipes
(Pacific Research Institute, 182 pages,
$24.95)
President Barack Obama has promised to fundamentally change America's health care system. But before he and his team get to work, they'd do well to read Sally Pipes's new book.
The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care: A Citizen's Guide clearly and concisely explicates even the most esoteric aspects of the health care debate. Pipes's rare combination of expertise and understandable prose makes the book a must-read for anyone interested in diagnosing and curing the problems plaguing the American health care system.
One of the first myths Pipes demolishes is the oft-cited statistic that some 46 million Americans lack health insurance.
Almost 18 million of those folks make more than $50,000 a year, while 10 million make more than $75,000. That means 38 percent of the uninsured likely make enough to afford health insurance but choose not to buy it.
An additional 14 million are, Pipes notes, "fully eligible for generous government assistance programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP. The problem is, they're just not enrolling in these programs." Pipes wonders, "If 14 million eligibles aren't availing themselves of taxpayer-funded coverage, then why should we think that a still bigger government health care bureaucracy will solve the problem?"
Of course, there are many Americans who legitimately can't afford insurance. Others are paying too much for the coverage they have. President Obama believes the answer is government-provided health care: "If I were designing a system from scratch, I would probably go ahead with a single-payer system."
Many people think that's the only humane alternative. Pipes disagrees. "It is government monopoly health care that is heartless and uncaring. And the inferior treatments it provides come with a very steep price tag -- rationed care, lack of access to tests, with the latest technological equipment, and long waiting lists."
Pipes knows whereof she speaks. She's a Canadian citizen who escaped to California to live and tell about her experiences under a single-payer system.
She illustrates Canada's cost-cutting measures that deny access to new drugs with a personal anecdote. Her uncle was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma five years ago. "If he'd lived in America, the miracle drug Rituxan might have saved him," she writes. "But Rituxan wasn't approved for use in Canada, and he lost his battle with cancer."
As Pipes learned firsthand, "To save funds, Canadian health officials routinely delay the approval of new and more expensive drugs." Of the hundred new drugs launched in the U.S. from 1997 through 1999, only 43 made it to Canada during that time.
Canada's waiting lists are legendary -- over 800,000 Canadians are on lists for surgery and other necessary treatments. The average wait between a referral from a primary care doctor and treatment by a specialist is 18 weeks. "That's almost double what doctors consider clinically reasonable," Pipes points out.
In other socialized systems, things aren't any better. "Sweden's waiting lists have led some patients to visit veterinarians," reveals Pipes.
Part of the problem is a physician shortage. One out of ten Canadians is seeking a primary care doctor. According to Pipes, "Over the last decade, about 11 percent of physicians trained in Canadian medical schools have moved to the United States." This is in large part due to a massive pay discrepancy. "The average Canadian doctor earns only 42 percent of what a doctor earns in the United States," says Pipes.
Comments
Leave a Comment
Related Articles
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Pingback| 2.20.09 @ 6:29AM
Topics about Health, Food and Well being » Archive » The American Spectator : Humane links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 2.20.09 @ 6:36AM
Posts about Barack Obama as of February 20, 2009 » The Daily Parr links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 2.20.09 @ 6:45AM
Humane Health Care links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 2.20.09 @ 7:09AM
President Obama » Humane Health Care links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 2.20.09 @ 7:22AM
Topics about Health, Food and Well being » Archive » Humane BHealth/B Care links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 2.20.09 @ 7:24AM
Topics about Health, Food and Well being » Archive » Humane BHealth/B BCare/B links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 2.20.09 @ 7:36AM
Barack Obama » Humane Health Care links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 2.20.09 @ 10:06AM
Topics about Health, Food and Well being » Archive » The American Spectator : Humane links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
rr| 2.20.09 @ 10:52AM
Seniors, the disabled, and the chroniclly ill should be the ones out front to fight democratic efforts to socialize medicine. They will be the first to suffer and will suffer the most by being denied care and medicine in order to cut system costs. It is that way in all socialized medicine countries and cannot be different here.
Dustoff| 2.20.09 @ 11:43AM
RR
This is already happening in EU.
They are reaching the point where the old cost to much and pulling back on their needed healthcare.
Just look at own medicare mess.
Pingback| 2.20.09 @ 1:11PM
The American Spectator : Humane Health Care links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
JN| 2.20.09 @ 1:44PM
The real issue here is who deserves access to healthcare. We have to face it, people. Not everyone deserves healthcare. If you are unable to scrape together the measly premiums, why should I subsidize your life with my hard-earned tax dollars? The communist Democrats and the AARP keep propping up the Stalinist Medicare bureaucracy, and it makes me angry. When are Americans going to wake up?
Pingback| 2.20.09 @ 2:08PM
Health Blog » Blog Archive » The American Spectator : Humane Health Care links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Earl Anderson| 2.20.09 @ 6:18PM
Premiums would not be nearly as high if we were allowed to purchase basic policies instead of these state mandated policies that contain coverage for everything but the kitchen sink. Let there be a true free market so that you pick a la carte the things you need in a policy and pay only for that level of coverage.
Donald Sammis| 2.20.09 @ 7:53PM
Why does Pingback continue to clutter up these blogs?
Pingback| 2.21.09 @ 3:26AM
Health Insurance Plans links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
charliebravo| 2.21.09 @ 8:33AM
It sad that proposals like shopping across state lines, tax deductions for individual policies were never pushed by George W Bush. His Inability to communicate was a real loss. Sadly it is too late for this now. The Republicans have ceded this issue to the Dems.
TJK| 2.21.09 @ 1:24PM
And it may not even Obama's call to scrap the private insurance system. Drunken Ted has a reform act that will likely be passed just because it's Ted's bill. One question he needs to ask himself is, would he even still be alive if we had a single payer system? Probably not. Our health care system seems to be working just fine for him. As for the uninsured, how many illegals are being counted in that 40 or so million? Remove them from the calculation and the number is much more managable. Most estimates are that there 12 million illegals in the US. Add to them the number of those who choose not to purchase insurance, either privately or through their employer, and now we are dealing with less than 20 million uninsured people. We don't have to scrap the system for that 20 million. What we need are sensible solutions from pargmatic thinkers. Sadly, none of them are Democrats.
njnjkn| 8.20.09 @ 12:37AM
Always leading the avant-garde of fashion without compromising traditional craftsmanship of luxury leather goods
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Replica
Louis Vuitton outlet is also active in other ...
CheapLouis VuittonReplica Handbags,Purses,Wallets Outlet and
Louis Vuitton Replica
Designer Bags,Shoes Outlet Store - discount price is our special offer, ...
Louis Vuitton Outlet
Tiffany Jewelry| 8.30.09 @ 10:38PM
Ed Hardy Life provides the best
Ed Hardy shirts, including shrit, Swimwear, Tanks, Wallets, Sunglasses and Bags at the lowest price, Free Shipping.We supply the Newest ofabercrombie fitch, Ed Hardy clothing Ed Hardy Jeans from abercrombie and fitch.
dropshippngwatch| 8.31.09 @ 1:55AM
Replica Rolex Watches
Replica A.Lange&Sohne; Watches
Replica Alain Silberstein Watches
Replica Audemars Piguet Watches
Replica B.R.M Watches
Replica Baume & Mercier Watches
Replica Bell&Ross; Watches
Replica BMW Watches
Replica Breguet Watches
Replica Breitling Watches
Replica Burberry Watches
Replica Bvlgari Watches
Replica Cartier Watches
Replica Chanel Watches
Replica Chopard Watches
Replica Christian Dior Watches
Replica Concord Watches
Replica Corum Watches
Replica D&G Watches
http://www.dropshippingwatch.com
hgjh| 11.24.09 @ 9:17PM
DVD Copier For Mac,
DVD To DVD Copier Mac
fake rolex paypal| 12.9.09 @ 2:01AM
Great article!
I find them just now,fake rolex paypal.I belive that you will like them.
Thanks!
Trackback| 12.14.09 @ 8:12PM
maine credit repair, on maine credit repair, links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
gtg| 2.23.10 @ 1:17AM
Convert DivX to DVD,
DVD to ISO Ripper
ms office 2007| 3.15.10 @ 9:58PM
Office 2007 Pro
Office 2007 Ultimate