In a previous column, I predicted I would soon “break up with the United States.” That time has come.
Our relationship began in 2008 during the Beijing Olympics when I was 13 and shallow. I affectionately called him “the U.S.,” and I was so proud of his Olympic medals and World War Championship rings that I failed to see all of his personality faults. That is, until my good friend Howard Friedman pointed out how spoiled and conceited the U.S. is in his book, The Measure of a Nation. I could go on about the flaws of the U.S. for pages, but for now I’d like to focus on his healthcare system.
The U.S. spends excessively on healthcare — an estimated $650 billion more than what is expected for a country with our cost of living, according to a 2008 report from the McKinsey Global Institute. But for what benefit?
In regards to healthcare, it only makes sense to live in the U.S. if you are a doctor, a nurse or a cancer patient. Doctors and nurses earn considerably more in the U.S. than in comparable countries, according to Friedman. And despite the fact that there is a higher incidence of cancer in the U.S. than in Europe, there is a lower cancer mortality rate according to a study published in Health Affairs.
However, the U.S. falls short with a life expectancy of 77.9 years, while the Japanese enjoy the longest life expectancy of 82.7 years. Though there are extreme genetic differences between Americans and the Japanese, Friedman explains that “genetic differences are not sufficient to explain America’s lagging performance versus competitor countries with more similar gene pools — among them Australia, Italy, France and Spain.”
Part of the reason for the comparatively low life expectancy is that a great number of Americans are uninsured and therefore do not make routine visits to see physicians. Therefore, the uninsured make about twice as many visits to the emergency room as Americans with health insurance.
There is no doubt that the exorbitant cost of healthcare is the reason so many people elect not to buy health insurance.
“Since 1999, health insurance premiums have increased 131 percent for employers, while employee spending for health insurance coverage increased 128 percent between 1999 and 2008,” Friedman said. But emergency room visits often end up costing more than regular visits to physicians. So health insurance costs too much and ER visits cost too much. In other words, there is no escaping the greediness of the U.S.
The U.S. and I are no longer friends. Sometimes I catch myself missing him, but then I remember I can get all of his greatness and none of his drama from Switzerland.
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