Hi Everett,

Why doesn’t Canada pay for everyone’s food?
With your reasoning ... it means that Canada doesn't care about its people.
Cuba has a food rationing system, with ration tickets distributed from the government.
That means that Cuba really cares -- and that their food is superior?

The US has a vibrant, dynamic healthcare system. It’s a partnership between the private sector, charitable organizations, hospitals, federal government, state government, local governments, etc. Each component is as vital as the next. Whereas a public healthcare system can be visualized as more vertical in nature, the US healthcare system can be visualized as more lateral in nature.

If you had a heart attack, and had to choose, would you rather be flown to the US or Cuba for your care? (We’ll assume everyone speaks English for you.) Based upon what you're saying, I assume you would choose Cuba, because a public system is somehow inherently better?

You seem to make the assumption that a public healthcare system is better than a private one or, as the US has, a public/private one. There are so many complexities that go into healthcare, and each country is so individualized, that there is no "one size fits all" solution.

I think much of the world doesn’t understand the US system, because of our very large not-for-profit component. We are the only country in the world with non-profit hospitals that offer the majority of hospital care. In my state, there is only one for-profit hospital.

It’s interesting … I read once about an international accounting board which took on the task of standardizing healthcare accounting practices around the world. The U.S. caused some real head scratching, as they had to account for the huge not-for-profit component that exists only in the U.S.

Lisa