Progressive Talking Points 11/10/05

Our Nation’s Health Care Crisis

Two new studies comparing global health data show that the United States continues to fall behind other nations in providing quality health care to its citizens. The studies – one by American Progress Distinguished Senior Fellow Tom Daschle, another by the Commonwealth Institute – show that our health care system ranks #37 in the world (behind both developed and developing countries); has the highest rate of medical mistakes, medication errors, and inaccurate or delayed lab results of any of the six nations surveyed by Commonwealth (the others are Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom); and causes fully half of sick adults to report cost-related barriers to needed care. The conservative “position” on health care has been to defend the status quo and avoid any talk of reform.

• The cost of doing nothing on health care is too great. There is a moral and economic imperative for fixing our health care system. As Paul Krugman explains, "Americans are far more likely than others to forgo treatment because they can't afford it . That this happens in the wealthiest country in the world is unacceptable. The strain of health care costs for employers is also growing to a “breaking point.” According to one report, by 2008, health costs will exceed profits at Fortune 500 companies.
  
  
• The conservative line that we can’t afford to cover all Americans is a myth. Today, America’s health care system “spends more, for worse results, than that of any other advanced country." Moreover, much of this cost is borne not by government, but by ordinary Americans (in fact, the government share of health spending in the U.S. is the lowest among all OECD nations). As Sen. Daschle writes, "The truth is we can't afford to not reform the health system ."
  
  
• Progressives understand that the cost of doing nothing on health care is too great. Our current health care system violates our core commitment to the common good, and betrays the simple notion (articulated by Sen. Daschle) that the "world’s wealthiest country should be its healthiest." The Center for American Progress, unlike the Bush administration, has developed a real plan for making America healthier. Read all about it, or watch the flash video .