November 13, 2013 07:53 AM CST
The Myth of Americans' Poor Life Expectancy →
Do Americans really pay more for healthcare and get less for it than most other industrialized countries? Avid Roy does some myth busting.
If you really want to measure health outcomes, the best way to do it is at the point of medical intervention. If you have a heart attack, how long do you live in the U.S. vs. another country? If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer? In 2008, a group of investigators conducted a worldwide study of cancer survival rates, called CONCORD. They looked at 5-year survival rates for breast cancer, colon and rectal cancer, and prostate cancer. I compiled their data for the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, and western Europe. Guess who came out number one?