PUT MEDICAL CHOICES IN YOUR HANDS

As a medical physician for over 50 years, I strive to give you the best medical information on controversial medical subjects and let you, the reader, come to your own conclusions. I have no ties to any organization, pharmaceutical, or lobby group. As an practicing medical acupuncturist since 1982, I find western medicine and medical acupuncture are very complimentary that results in astounding healing in pain management, addictions to cigarettes and food, and a host of other maladies. Let me know how we are doing. Your constructive comments are always appreciated. Click the RSS post button on the upper right hand corner if you would like to receive by email our future medical blogs.
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PUT MEDICAL CHOICES IN YOUR HANDS

We still have the best medical services in the world. We do however need to revamp our health system to make private insurance more accessible competitive, and portable, --not tied to any job nor any state.

Here in America we lead the world in innovation, cutting-edge diagnostic technology and effective new medicines to cure more diseases than ever before.

Washington bureaucrats are pointing at “Canada care” as the perfect model we all need. It is a fact that Canadian, British, and European health systems all ration and delay medical care for their citizens. There is limited access to cutting-edge diagnostic services and medication.

LET'S LOOK AT SOME STATISTICS

For the top 16 different types of cancers in Europe and the United States, we lead the world in treating breast and prostate cancers. Women with breast cancer here have a 14% higher survival rate than in European women. Prostate cancer survival is 28% higher than in Europe. We have a 66% five-year survival rate for all 16 of these types of cancer, but Europe has only a 47% five-year survival. After a cancer diagnosis, American women have a 63% chance of living five years compared to 56% for European women.

Out of five major cancers, (breast prostate, thyroid testicular and melanoma) there is a 90% survival rate in the United States. In Europe only testicular cancer has a 90% survival rate.

During the last 11 years over 50% of new cancer drugs were first launched here in the United States. Our innovation benefits the entire world for cancer therapy. Between the years 1995 and 2005, we launched 12 new cancer drugs, compared to 1 in Britain, three in Switzerland, two in Germany, and only one in France.

New technologies for diagnostic imaging are more available here in the United States than in Europe or Canada. American patients see specialists and have diagnostic tests a month sooner than patients in other countries with nationalized health care.

MAMMOGRAMS AND BREAST CANCER

Breast cancer survival rates are higher if cancer is caught early. After 40, most American women have mammograms every year to detect cancer at early stages.

90% of middle-aged American women have a mammogram compared to 72% in Canada. Britain only allows a mammogram every three years only for women from the ages of 50 to 70. After that, you are too old for screening. (That's why deaths from breast cancer are higher in Britain).

HEALTH CARE DELAYS

In Canada urgent consultations for special studies like MRIs are put on a waiting list that take months. In 2007, Canadians waited an average of over 17 weeks from seeing a primary care doctor to getting a specialist appointment. The wait for a hip replacement is between 12 to 24 months.

People come here from around the world for state-of-the-art care not available in their countries. Canada only has a government-run system, with no private pay options. They come here when they need services quickly or services are not available in their government systems.

COMMENTARY

We Americans have remarkable creativity in solving problems. Let's apply our positive attitudes to fixing the current problems without destroying what is working.

We must have more say over our medical care, and allowing free markets and competition to keep the costs down. If we provide tax incentives, so we can purchase their own health insurance based on their own immediate needs( as we do for car insurance). We need less government intrusion and bureaucratic regulations not more.

We will demolish the entire health care system if we continue to push our extraordinarily innovative and flexible health care system into becoming a rigid cookbook one standard fits all government run bureaucracy, We do need reform by putting medical choices and privacy in the hands of you and your doctors, not our government.

Lets not throw out the baby with the bath water. Our medical care is working for 90% of Americans who are satisfied with their health care. All we need to do is fix the problems that affect 5 to 10% of the population.

Visit www.drneedles.com for more information on controversial medical subjects. Your comments are always appreciated.

Source Lancet Oncology, 2007 cancer treatment and survival statistics.