All healthcare is local (or so they say). Last month, I asked readers of my monthly newsletter how American medicine stacks up to other nations. Are we leading the world or can we be doing better? Hundreds of readers weighed in. Here’s what they had to say:
My thoughts: The data offer an interesting mix of predictable and surprising results. Here’s one that jumped out at me: less than 20% of voters believe American healthcare is best in the world.
Research, like that of the Commonwealth Fund, sides with the 84% of readers who say U.S. healthcare lags its global peers in practically all measures of performance (from maternal and infant mortality to overall life expectancy and incidence of chronic disease). But do those failings explain why readers voted this way? Or did other factors contribute? When asked about what needs improving, readers overwhelmingly selected health insurance (77%) and the drug industry (65%).
In addition, I wonder why only 15% of respondents would choose to receive surgery form a doctor in Mexico while more than half would visit a surgeon in Canada or Europe. How much of this difference reflects concerns about lax governmental regulations? How much is based on published outcome data? How much of a factor is our own personal bias?
I love it when these surveys give us interesting data that raise even more interesting questions.
Thanks to everyone who voted. To participate in future surveys, and for access to timely news and opinion on American healthcare, sign up for my free (and ad-free) newsletter Monthly Musings on American Healthcare.
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Dr. Robert Pearl is the former CEO of The Permanente Medical Group, the nation’s largest physician group. He’s a Forbes contributor, bestselling author, Stanford University professor, and host of two healthcare podcasts. Pearl’s newest book, “Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors & Patients,” is available now. All profits from the book go to Doctors Without Borders.
alternative medicine, anybody?