'cause spending more for healthcare works SO well...

[OUstudent4life]

A pretty nice study in JAMA...

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/295/17/2037


Conclusion
Based on self-reported illnesses and biological markers of disease, US residents are much less healthy than their English counterparts and these differences exist at all points of the SES [socioeconomic status] distribution.

Preventive medicine, people. Primary healthcare system = good. Tertiary healthcare system = not so good.

And lay off the :twinkies: ;)

[JohnnyMack]

I heard that on NPR this morning. They were pushing the corollary between stress and health pretty strongly. Said levels of diet and exercise were similar but that we live in a much more stressful environment than they do.

[mdklatt]

Preventive medicine, people.

If we started paying for doctor visits for the uninsured we'd spend a lot less money in the long run than just paying for their ER visits like we do now. Plus, we wouldn't have to worry as much about the homeless guy at the bus stop hocking up anthrax and bird flu on everybody.

[OUstudent4life]

I heard the same report...that was the American scientist that was making the stress claim...I tend to agree, though I think that the coming failure of broad competent child healthcare in the US is just going to make this worse...a factor that I think another scientist on the study (child healthcare) thought might be a contributing factor.

It's actually a bunch of things, but at least the study is done and out there. Now maybe some people might start trying to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

I swear, the US has messed up ideas about work. We work more hours/harder than most nations, and what's it get us? Sick. And probably equivalent levels of output as some nations that work less.

[JohnnyMack]

I swear, the US has messed up ideas about work. We work more hours/harder than most nations, and what's it get us? Sick. And probably equivalent levels of output as some nations that work less.

I'd like to see a productivity study done between the U.S. and the U.K.

[mdklatt]

I'd like to see a productivity study done between the U.S. and the U.K.

Do they have the innerweb over there? If not, we're doomed.

[OUstudent4life]

and in completely unrelated news...to threadjack my own thread.

A pandemic disease could kill more people than a terrorist attack? REALLY? Yeah, let's rethink that idea to shunt a whole bunch of money back into AIDS research, and away from other microbial/viral diseases.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/conditions/05/03/us.birdflu/index.html

Good to see a report issued on how to deal with the problem from the same people that told people in LA everything was going to be cool, we're ready for this. I'd better go stock up on dried milk, tarps, and duct tape.

The sad thing is, this is why I get PO'd at cuts to the NIH's research budget. 'cause I really DON'T want money to go away from AIDS research, but I don't want a drop in biomedical research in other areas. Last time that happened, antibiotic-resistant bacteria showed up and it felt like everyone was caught off guard.

Gah. Sorry everyone, I'm just in a venting cynical mood today.

[royalfan5]

If we all were Christian Scientists we wouldn't have to worry about it.

[Rogue]

Those authors were from mostly fiscal schools. Surprised at the results?

Author Affiliations: University College London and Institute for Fiscal Studies (Dr Banks), Department of Epidemiology, University College London (Dr Marmot) and Institute for Fiscal Studies (Ms Oldfield), London, England; and RAND Corp, Santa Monica, Calif (Dr Smith).



From the same issue of JAMA:

Use of Health Care Services by Lower-Income and Higher-Income Uninsured Adults

Objective To examine whether having higher income attenuates the association between being uninsured and using fewer recommended health care services.

Conclusions Even among higher-income adults, lack of health care insurance was associated with significantly decreased use of recommended health care services; increased income did not attenuate the difference in use between uninsured and insured adults. Efforts to improve the use of recommended health care services among the uninsured should focus on patient education and expanding insurance eligibility for both lower-income and higher-income adults.


Author Affiliations: Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine (Dr Ross), and Division of Health Policy and Administration, School of Epidemiology and Public Health (Drs Bradley and Busch), Yale University, New Haven, Conn.

[Rogue]

Still no good solution to the antibiotic resistant buggies.

[Stoop Dawg]

If we started paying for doctor visits for the uninsured we'd spend a lot less money in the long run than just paying for their ER visits like we do now. Plus, we wouldn't have to worry as much about the homeless guy at the bus stop hocking up anthrax and bird flu on everybody.

Or, we could stop paying for the ER visits too. We'd solve the same problems and save even more money.

[Stoop Dawg]

Still no good solution to the antibiotic resistant buggies.

My wife is working on it. Give her some time.