Nicholas D. Kristof
11/5/2009

Kristof looks at statistics about US health care to debunk the myth that we have the best health care system in the world. Among 19 developed countries that have succeeded in avoiding “preventable deaths,” the US ranks last, and it did not rank first on any other comparison list. In most countries people do have longer waits to see specialists, but they also have longer hospital stays and more medication. In addition, Americans pay 118 percent more per pill for that medication, and insurance companies, not the government, decide whether to offer or deny life-saving treatment. After Americans reach age 65, they can expect to live longer than people in other nations because they have universal health care called Medicare.

Kristof is a New York Times columnist.

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