Posted by
Andrews on Monday, February 16, 2009 5:05:40 PM
This will be quick, as I wrote much of this already.
I was reading Bill Steigerwald's
interview with John Goodman when I saw this:
Q: How does what Europeans get for their money compare with what Americans get for their money?
A: Well, life expectancy looks as good or better in Europe than it does
in the United States. But life expectancy is primarily determined by
genes and how people live their lives, not by doctors and hospitals. If
you look at things that doctors can do something about, like cancer,
and you ask, "What is the five-year survival rate for major forms of
cancer?," we are the best in the whole world.
What makes this interesting is that I pointed out two other problems with life expectancy, not related to genetics some time ago. First,t he US murder rate, which drives down our life expectancy greatly, and, second, our tendency to try to save abnormally premature children, while Europe calls them stillborn and doesn't count them. Now, before you dismiss the second, yes the number is small, but when you are talking averaging in a 0 with numbers hovering around 80, that makes QUITE a difference. I also discussed the impropriety of accepting numbers provided by China and Cuba, for example, as, like Soviet economic numbers from the past, they are subject to endless state manipulation.
Then again, since people seem to accept that absurd "
1 in 6 are uninsured" myth (also
debunked here), I doubt anyone will listen to this either. When it comes to health care, it seems that we are willing to believe only the worst.
POSTSCRIPT
No, I am not setting myself up as smarter than average, or in any way expressing the arrogance I decried
in my last post. In this case I do happen to think I an avoiding a common mistake, but that does not mean people are "
sheep" or "
stupid". Just that in one case I have figured out something many others have not.
So, please, no criticisms of hypocrisy. One can claim to see through a popular delusion without calling others idiots.