ELI SAYEGH
Staff Writer
According to rankings released in the journal Health Affairs last week, the United States rated worst in preventable deaths due to treatable conditions in 19 first world countries.
Researchers Ellen Nolte and Martin McKee of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine compiled data for each nation in the study, analyzing different causes of death and whether they could have been prevented by “timely and effective health care.” They say this data may be a valid way to assess the performance of a country’s health care system.
The implications of the study are particularly important for Americans. If the United States health care system performed on par with the top three countries — France, Japan and Australia — more than 100,000 American lives could be saved each year.
Taken in the context of the past several years, the number of preventable deaths in the United States is simply staggering. Perhaps equally alarming, the United States’ rate of improvement is also last among the other 18 industrialized nations included in the study — a 4 percent decrease in preventable deaths, compared to an average of 16 percent among the other countries.
The puzzling aspect here is that the United States is widely considered a heavyweight in the field of medicine, with its medical institutions and hospitals attracting people seeking care from across the world. Why, then, are there so many unnecessary deaths?
Nolte conjectured that the high proportion of Americans who lack health insurance — approximately 47 million people in a country of about 300 million — might be the key to explaining our low ranking.
“I wouldn’t say (the last-place ranking) is a condemnation, because I think health care in the U.S. is pretty good if you have access,” said Nolte, speaking with Reuters. “But if you don’t, I think that’s the main problem, isn’t it?”
“It is startling to see the U.S. falling even farther behind on this crucial indicator of health system performance,” said Commonwealth Fund Senior Vice President Cathy Schoen to Reuters (the Fund focuses on health care performance, policy and reform). “The fact that other countries are reducing these preventable deaths more rapidly, yet spending far less, indicates that policy, goals and efforts to improve health systems make a difference.”
Perhaps it is indeed a question of whether the system is broken or not. And perhaps we really do have a health care crisis on our hands. With the passing of each year, it is becoming increasingly expensive to secure health insurance for oneself and for one’s family. For many, the cost is simply too great.
This study is especially significant because it shows us that thousands of real people are being affected in serious ways. The health care dilemma can be debated over and over, but the winning argument is the hard, solid data.
The most important question is whether the problem can be fixed from within the system or if it is time for a new system. According to the Institute of Medicine, “America … is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage.”
Is it time, then, to follow suit and adopt a universal health care system? The health care issue has been particularly important during this election season, and it is sure to remain in the spotlight.
Whatever course we choose — universal health care or not — it is clear that there are flaws within the current system, and that something must be done. I am encouraged because the United States has proven itself to be a nation that can evolve. Every nation has its problems; the great nations fix them. And for all of the problems we’ve faced in the past, this is one that we can
certainly solve.
01-17-2008