Unhealthy Hype

BY: Thomas Sowell
Do we really want to sacrifice world-renowned quality for the sake of vague promises of cost savings?

With all the controversies, charges, counter-charges and buzzwords swirling around the issue of medical care in the United States, there is a lot to be said for going back to square one and asking just what is the fundamental problem.

The quality of the medical care itself is not the problem. Few — if any — countries can match American medical training or medical technology, or the development of life-saving pharmaceutical drugs in the United States. Most countries with government-controlled medical care cannot come close to matching how fast an American can get medical treatment, particularly from specialists.

Political hype is no reason to throw all that away. In fact, policies based on political hype over the years are what have gotten us into what is most wrong with medical care today — namely, the way it is paid for.

National Review