The U.S. has "many wonderful doctors, hospitals and pieces of equipment," but, based on a number of health care indicators, "we don't compare well with any of the countries that have national health care," George Lesser, a reporter who has covered international political and economic developments for both U.S. and European publications, writes in a Washington Times opinion piece. For example, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, French men and women live three years and three and a half years longer than U.S. men and women, respectively, and France has 37.5% more doctors and twice as many hospital beds per capita, Lesser writes. In addition, French physicians make house calls on a regular basis, and patients "aren't thrown out of hospitals because the insurance companies decide when it is time to go," Lesser writes. "The French government pays 75% of all health care costs. Most of the rest is paid by private insurance," he writes, adding, "If somebody can't afford private insurance, the government makes up the difference." According to Lesser, most U.S. residents "think Americans have 'The Best Health Care System in the World'" and "think 'socialized medicine' doesn't work," but "we spend a lot more for a lot less health care." He concludes, "The bottom line: We pay 43% more for health care than the French do, and we get a whole lot less for our money" (Lesser, Washington Times, 8/16).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.