As Americans we believe we have the best healthcare system in
the world. But think again, it’s really not the truth. We do
have superb medical schools, very well trained providers, superb
science and technology but the delivery of medical care is just
not what it should be. We spend more for healthcare than any
other country does on a per capita basis. And yet when we
compare ourselves to other countries, especially developed
countries, our outcomes are not better. Our life spans are
somewhat shorter than countries such asJapanand our infant
mortality is somewhat higher than countries
likeEnglandandFrance. We tend to focus on disease and injury but
not so much on illness prevention and health promotion. We all
recognize that as a society we have some adverse lifestyle
behaviors such as overeating a non-nutritious diet, being fairly
sedentary, having chronic stress and having 20% of us still
smoking. It’s quite clear that the best chance we have for
increasing our life span and overall improving our health is