Why We Need Real Health Care Reform

The US may spend the most per capita on health care, but health care is a much more efficient and cost-effective process in every other major country -- including Brazil, China, and India.

U.S. workers and employers get 23% less value from their health-care spending than those in Britain, Canada, France, Germany, or Japan, and 46% less value than in Brazil, China, or India, according to a Business Roundtable study that examined the cost and performance of the U.S. health-care system.

That value gap exists even though the U.S. spends far more on health care per worker than the other countries examined. The study, released on Mar. 12, found that for every dollar the U.S. spent on health care, Britain Canada, France, Germany, and Japan spent 63¢, yet the health of the U.S. workforce lags by 10% on a composite measure. As for Brazil, China, and India, they spend just 15¢ for each U.S. dollar spent, yet the health of the U.S. workforce lags behind those three by 5%.

And despite all that, nearly one out of every six Americans lacks health insurance period. Big Pharma and Big Insurance has turned the industry into a complete joke. We're the laughing stock of the world, spending nearly $600,000,000,000 a year on health care, and yet we still have millions of Americans who can't afford to see a doctor.

It's gotten to the point where even Big Business is sick of paying for health care benefits that only seem to "benefit" drugmakers, hospital chains, and insurance companies. Businesses want to keep the existing model and just "rein in costs" of course, but only a totally new system will fix the problem.

If it's not fixed, businesses will take their jobs overseas in this economy. It's as simple as that.