The Sickness (and Potential Cure) for our Healthcare System
The US healthcare system is the most expensive in
the world, and yet ranked last overall, compared to Australia, Canada, France,
Germany, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. It was shown to have the worst access,
efficiency, equity and healthy lives among these nations (1). Nearly 20% of Americans (40 million adults),
can’t afford or access needed healthcare, according to a recent U.S. government
report (2). Despite these poor results,
the CEOs of the 11 largest for-profit companies were rewarded with compensation
packages totaling over 125 million, with higher end-of-year profits expected
(3). A system promoting such inequality
cannot expect to continue with any significant progress. While this system may generate a lot of “wealth”
for those at the top, the true wealth of any nation should be measured by how
it treats the least of its people, especially our sick and injured. In this regard, our healthcare system is
found sorely wanting.
Of equal importance is the attack on those who have
shown tremendous progress in healing patients with “non-traditional” methods. Such attacks have come upon Dr. Stanislaw
Burzynski, whose success at curing cancers with angiotensin proteins put traditional
methods to shame. Dr. Burzynski had his
medical records confiscated and was criticized by the Texas Board of Health for
his “questionable practices” (4). Many
other nontraditional healers with significant success have faced similar
confrontations, their stories can be viewed in the documentary “Cancer: the
Forbidden Cures” (5).
Having equity
and quality in our healthcare, in my opinion, involves downsizing excess at the
top and expanding funding for natural cures that have repeatedly been shown to
promote healing in scientific studies.
There are hundreds if not thousands of such studies, although they are rarely
given major consideration in conventional treatment methods. Such methods should, in my view, at least be
presented to patients whose options are so often limited in our conventional
healthcare system.
3. http://www.publicintegrity.org/2014/06/09/14912/skyrocketing-salaries-health-insurance-ceos
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km2cqQNFtEs
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