The New Nation - Internet Edition

Adnan Gill

Each year the UN publishes a report, known as the Human Development Index (HDI). It is a report card that grades the standards of life in 177 nations. Three dimensions are used to measure the human development: life expectancy, education, and Purchasing Power Parity (PPP per capita)/income. The United States is one of the richest nations that enjoys the PPP of US$41,890; only second to Luxembourg (PPP US$60,228). Despite its 13+ trillion dollar economy, it is placed at the 12th place on the HDI.

One of the major reasons world's largest economy was placed at the embarrassing 12th place was its commitment to health of its citizens: resources, access and services. According to the 2007/2008 HDI Report, Iceland received the coveted HDI 1st place. Iceland whose PPP is $ 36,510, spent 8.3% of its GDP on the healthcare. Whereas, the US spent a meager 6.9% of its GDP on the healthcare. What really separated the two apart was the disproportional life expectancy rate at birth. In Iceland, the life expectancy at birth is 81.5%, while, the same in the United States is 77.9%. Paradoxically, a country that spends about 50% ($450 billion) of the world's total military spending ($910.6 billion) is awarded a dismal 31st place-out of 177 nations-for the mortality rate.

US is the only industrialized nation in the world that lacks some form of universal healthcare. Roughly 60% Americans have access to health insurance through employers and the workers' contributions. An estimated, 47 million Americans remain uninsured. Health insurance in the US remains very expensive. The ever increasing insurance premiums outpace the inflation rate, which is unduly burdening the employers and consumers. According to a Health Affairs study, half of personal bankruptcies in the US involve medical bills.

The ominous condition of American healthcare system also stands out when compared to its northern neighbor, Canada. In 2000, World Health Organization's ranked the American healthcare system's performance at 72nd and Canadian's at 35th place out of 191 member nations. In 2004, America spent double the amount ($6,096 per-capita) on its health care system than what Canada did ($3,038).

The jury is still out on whose system is better, but it will be hard to overlook certain undeniable facts, like health insurance and drugs are much more expensive in the US as compared to Canada. Supporters of American health care system allege that Americans get bigger bang for their buck; in other words, the medical care in the US is superior to what is available in Canada. However, the critics retort, what good is superior medical care if it's not available to 47 million Americans to begin with?

Critics also allege, that the American system favors the special interests, who are more interested in profits, rather than the patients. These interests include pharmaceutical giants and health insurance companies.

Ironically, Americans find it is much cheaper to re-import prescription drugs from Canada. On average, the Canadian drugs costs as low as one-eighth of US prices. That is why, in an effort to reduce the healthcare costs, some of the American states are also contemplating on re-importing drugs from Canada. The burden of expensive drugs mostly falls on elderly and disabled, many of whom live on fixed incomes and are forced to choose between prescription drugs-that can prolong their lives-and the immediate necessities of life like rent, food, heat, electric power, and telephone service. Consequently, for last decade or more, the Americans have been crossing the Canadian border for lower-cost prescription drugs.

Mere fact that Americans are forced to travel to Canada in busloads to re-import prescription drugs is a sad commentary on the dysfunctional American healthcare system. It should raise red flags to the policymakers that the system is in dire need to be rescued; so every American would have the same chances of surviving an ailment as the citizens of any other industrialized nation do.