Healthcare Score Cards Give U.S. Mixed Grades

摘要

Is there a more complex, contentious, and personally affecting subject than healthcare? Although today's other great problems (e.g., the economy, foreign threats, and the environment) do not touch many of us directly, virtually everyone is affected by the design, performance, and cost of our healthcare system.rnThe healthcare debate is particularly intense during this time of wrenching transition. The subject is entwined with basic ideological positions on subjects such as the free market and the role of government, as well as deeply held moral values. Arguments on all sides are bolstered by wildly diverging claims and facts: Either the U.S. has the best healthcare in the world, or we are on the same level as developing nations. Healthcare score card databases provide ammunition for all sides in the fight.