I think think Aaron Campbell is far too kind to the new study showing the the United States is #1 in world health. The allegedly-free-market sponsors of the new study reach this unexpected conclusion only by counting the fact that we spend so much money on health care.
Now, ever since I first began paying attention to this sort of thing, the conservative mantra has always been that you can't solve a problem by throwing money at it. As a neo-Coolidgeite, I've always thought there was some merit to this insight, although somehow it never seems to apply to, e.g., the military, or CEO compensation. But can it be that we'd really achieve a new level of beatitude if, for example we simply doubled every doctor's paycheck? .I certainly hope the question answers itself
In a feeble attempt at even-handedness, I do hereby pick up on a couple areas where, as Aaron observes, we do actually perform pretty well. TB, for example: second lowest. Immunizataion: above average. Sanitation facilities overall, relatively, pretty good. But that money stuff doesn't pass the giggle test.
Afterthought: If you haven't already done so, go have a look at Aaron's own survey of health quality. It's the best primer I've seen--much better than anything I know of in conventional (= book) sources.
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