Another Indictment of Our Health System

The National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine to study health differences among 16 countries (Australia, Japan, Canada and Western Europe) and us. They convened a panel of experts to examine whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, consider potential explanations, and assess the larger implications of the findings. The panel published their results in "U.S. Health in International Perspective:Shorter Lives, Poorer Health". 

The results are not good.  We lead the world in lacking a medical system that produces good results.  We have 

• The highest rate of death by violence, by a stunning margin 
• The highest rate of death by car accident, also dramatically so
• The highest chance that a child will die before age 5
• The second-highest rate of death by coronary heart disease
• The second-highest rate of death by lung disease
• The highest teen pregnancy rate
• The highest rate of women dying due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth 

These results are not limited to the poor.  The report cites data suggesting that even white, well-off Americans live sicker and die sooner than similarly situated people elsewhere.