Last week, The New York Times editorial page asked if the United States really has the best healthcare system in the world. The editors agree that at the top medical centers that is probably true, while addressing the fact that the U.S. healthcare system lags behind according to many studies, including a recent one by the Commonwealth Fund.
On the cancer front, according to the report, the U.S. has done a good job on reducing smoking when compared to other countries, but we still have a lot of work to do regarding obesity . We do rank high on preventative care, like Pap screens and mammograms.
When compared to Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, the U.S. had the best survival rate for breast cancer, second best for cervical cancer and childhood leukemia and almost-worst for colorectal cancer.
The editorial page concludes that we have to get past this idea that we have "the best health care system in the world" if we are to fix its deficits including reducing the number of uninsured. For the full editorial, please see here.
