Life expectancy for men in the U.S. falls to 73 years — six years less than for women.
Noah Smith lauds Singapore but neglects to mention Medisave accounts.
What discount rate should be used in evaluating changes in health policies?
Should medical screenings be based on cost/benefit analysis or on the patient’s willingness to pay?
A tribute to Vernon Smith – long time friend of the Goodman Institute.
Does the case for a free society depend on the existence of free will?
“We have a health care system that is very advanced in treating illnesses and advanced disease. But for the most part … it is not very good when it comes to preventative care.”
Maybe but seems to me suspect that conclusion outruns the facts.
The article states elsewhere “life expectancy in the U.S. has declined significantly over the past few years.” What has worsened in just the past few years? Genetics? Medical Science? Expertise of physicians? Availability of advanced diagnostic tools? Medications?
Think of the word “communication”. You can broadcast all you want. But there’s no communication if no one has the radio on.
I suspect the decline in life expectancy has less to do with any lack of “preventative care” offered by physicians, and more to do with destructive personal behaviors that patients resist changing. Physicians have been warning their patients and the public about the dangers of unhealthy behaviors for decades. Apparently even fewer are listening.
What behaviors? Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, violence, reckless driving, inadequate sleep, obesity, poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise, and a few others. These are public health problems, not simply problems that physicians can solve by themselves thru delivering “better preventive care”. Are the agencies within the United States Public Health Service effectively communicating the importance of healthy behaviors? Is anyone listening? Perhaps those are better questions.
The U.S. medical care system has its problems, but misbehavior of patients is not the fault of the system. And there certainly seems to be a significant problem of widespread, unhealthy personal behaviors.
And I think it’s largely denial to believe that
(a) whatever we may do to ourselves, we are not responsible to alter our behaviors, because
(b) we can always get fixed with the right doctor’s prescription, (with a $zero copay of course) and if that doesn’t fix us,
(c) we complain that our “healthcare” system is not very good.
btw, it’s interesting to note that right now, the average life expectancy at birth in the US (male and female) is just over 79 years. In Israel, the comparable number is about 83.5 years. Are Israeli physicians better at promoting healthy behaviors? Or are Israeli patients better listeners?