In a freshly minted radio commercial, Republican Presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani boasts, "We have the best health-care system in the world." It's an oft-heard refrain from politicians and policymakers.
A new Commonwealth Fund survey found that Americans don't believe this wingnut crap.
You can click on this for a larger version. The important numbers are how many Americans feel that our health care system needs either fundamental changes (48%) or needs to be rebuilt completely (34%). That adds up to 82% who are dissatisfied.
Looking at how quickly we receive care compared to other countries, we only beat Canada in this survey:
Cost was a greater impediment to health care in America than in ALL the other countries:
The authors sum up our health care:
With high rates of adults being uninsured and underinsured, the United States stands out for cost-related access barriers and financial stress. U.S. findings also reveal multiple indicators of inefficient care, including medical record/test result delays and mistakes, duplication, time spent on paperwork or disputes, and perceptions that doctors provide care of little value. Further, U.S. adults often report waits for primary care, find it difficult to get care after hours, and end up seeking care from ERs—joining Canada with symptoms of a primary care system under stress.
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