American CEO's Are Geeting the Idea

Interesting bit from Chris at Americablog. According to a report issued by the Business Roundtable, a group representing America's CEO's, the American health care system is hurting us competitively in the world marketplace.

The report from the Business Roundtable, which represents CEOs of major companies, says America's health care system has become a liability in a global economy.

Concern about high U.S. costs has existed for years, and business executives — whose companies provide health coverage for workers — have long called for getting costs under control. Now President Barack Obama says the costs have become unsustainable and the system must be overhauled.

Americans spend $2.4 trillion a year on health care. The Business Roundtable report says Americans in 2006 spent $1,928 per capita on health care, at least two-and-a-half times more per person than any other advanced country.

In a different twist, the report took those costs and factored benefits into the equation.

It compares statistics on life expectancy, death rates and even cholesterol readings and blood pressures. The health measures are factored together with costs into a 100-point "value" scale. That hasn't been done before, the authors said.

The results are not encouraging.

The United States is 23 points behind five leading economic competitors: Canada, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The five nations cover all their citizens, and though their systems differ, in each country the government plays a much larger role than in the U.S.

The cost-benefit disparity is even wider — 46 points — when the U.S. is compared with emerging competitors: China, Brazil and India.

This, of course, is not what you are hearing from our buddies on the right and the GOP. According to them, we have the best health care in the world and if anything it just needs a little tweaking on the edges and we are as good as gold. Doesn't it make you feel good to know that we are falling behind such economic powerhouses as China, Brazil and India.