Science (Health Care)
November 2, 2007--Rudy Dissembles
For a wonderful romp through the world of New Republican Knavery on health care, go here for an thorough analysis of Rudy Guiliani's bogus comparison of US and UK prostate cancer statistics.
Rudy Update--Joe Conason in Salon.com reports:
In the spring of 2000, when Giuliani learned that he had cancer and abruptly dropped out of the Senate race against Sen. Clinton, he was enrolled as a member of GHI, one of the two gigantic HMO groups that provide care for most city workers (the other is known as HIP). He underwent surgery and radiation at Mount Sinai Hospital, a prestigious institution that participates in the GHI plan, which means that his costs were largely underwritten by city taxpayers.
In other words, Rudy's excellent treatment was the result of a sorta socialized medical plan. See here.
January 10, 2008
According to a study, summarized here, Ellen Nolte, Ph.D., and C. Martin McKee, M.D., D.Sc., both of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, compared international rates of "amenable mortality"—that is, deaths from certain causes before age 75 that are potentially preventable with timely and effective health care. In addition to the U.S., the study included 14 Western European countries, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. According to the authors, if the U.S. had been able reduce amenable mortality to the average rate achieved by the three top-performing countries, there would have been 101,000 fewer deaths annually by the end of the study period.
The chart that says it all is here:
The full report requires a paid subscription to Health Affairs.