Making America Healthy Again
The U.S. pays more for health care than any other country yet has shamefully poor results. People are paying through the nose for their hospital stays, surgeries and prescription drugs. An MRI in the U.S. costs five times what it costs in Australia. Instead of quality affordable health care we are building absurdly expensive F-35s, submarines and aircraft carriers. And there is a cool $ trillion for nuclear weapons. Our spending priorities are upside down. Every other industrialized country has universal health care. Since the 1970s surveys have shown most people in the U.S. want a single-payer, universal health care program. But Washington says: That’s off the table. So even though the public wants it, our so-called representatives, except for Bernie Sanders and a few others, are not considering it. Maybe we should look to Slovenia for inspiration.
Speaker
Stephen Bezruchka
Dr. Stephen Bezruchka is on the faculty of the Department of Health Systems and Population Health at the University of Washington. He worked for many years as an emergency physician in Seattle. He worked in Nepal for more than a decade where he helped set up a community health project a week’s walk from the road. He also established a remote district hospital for training Nepali doctors whom he supervised. He is the author of Inequality Kills Us All: COVID-19’s Health Lessons for the World.
Robert Goldman –
I first heard Dr B on AR about 10 years ago. As an MD myself he opened my eyes to the importance of public health, which has now become my academic focus. Dr. B presents a clear thesis with solid supporting arguments; a pleasure for my liberal arts trained mind in the tradition of Paul Wellstone! Dr B as well as Drs Wilkerson & Pickett (see their book The Spirit Level or the website Equality Trust) make a compelling agrument that the structural features of our form of predatory capitalism is bad for our health and bad for our community. Time to take seriously the Scandinavian model of structuring the economy and institutions (see George Lakey’s book Viking Economics).
William Ross –
He made so much sense. I listen about every other weekend to AR. So much valuable information, presented clearly by very knowledgeable and articulate experts. Stephen Bezruchka in particle was captivating, and I felt very credible. I’m going to donate to AR, and buy this CD. Thank you, AR
Jim –
Your recent talk on U.S. health compared to that of other countries (esp. Slovenia) was very interesting and persuasive. I just heard it on a local PBS station. At some point I would like to raise some of your points with our church mission committee, since we contribute to many organizations with relevant concerns. I agree that most Americans, not surprisingly, have no idea about this central aspect of our everyday lives.
Jim O’Hara –
Professor Bezruchka’s views on the travesty called America’s Health Care System, and the views of other thoughtful writers and practitioners, need wider circulation.
We have to listen to what they are saying if we want our children and grandchildren to have a fighting chance to live and thrive in a world that is passing us by at an accelerating pace. I’m not exaggerating: it is that serious. By virtue of its lethargy and corruption, the U.S. Congress not only can be, but truly is, dangerous to your health.
Rebekah Lee –
An outstanding presentation, full of stark, meaningful data and anecdotes. A must listen.