Is America Getting What it Pays For?

Douglas A. Perednia

 

"My mother used to say to me: 'Son, it's better to be rich andhealthy than poor and sick.' I think that still makes a heckof a lot of sense, even in these troubled times."

—Dave Barry

To justify the status quo, politicians, health insurance companies, and the media say a lot of stupid things. One of these is when they periodically remind us that we in the United States have the “best health care in the world.” The implication, of course, is that everything is just fine. Being the best means that we’re getting what we’re paying for, and that the high price we pay is simply the cost of being #1. But is this really true? And what does it even mean to have the “best” healthcare in the world? ...