>>>>But remember, the quality of the actual medical care is still ranked high.
>>
>>No, it isn't. The numbers say the US has average quality healthcare.
>
>Just curious. If US has only average quality health care, why do all those billionaire sheiks come to the Cleveland Clinic for their heart operations?

Marcia,

If you got the money you can buy the best specialists in the world. Not only in the US, but also here in Europe there are top specialists known for excellence in their specialty. However, having said that, its by no means a measure of the global healthcare quality. For the medical field that I'm active in, a treatment in the US is in some cases is 10 times as expensive than elsewhere in the world while success rates are slightly higher, but the risks on complications as well (taking more risks). But for the masses, treatment in the US is not attractive and adds no benefit as the overall quality is the same elsewhere, but just 10 times as expensive.

The low incidence and usage of PCP's (Primary Care Physicians), contributes to the poor ranking as well. People are walking around with problems too long before it gets worse (and more expensive to do something about it). Too many people make use of emergency care, lack of shared information, and a strong lawsuit culture which forces doctors to cover their ass and do all kinds of unnecessary tests before their decide treatment. In stead easy, cheap and convenient access to a PCP would resolve a lot of the problems. Unfortunately that is easier said than done, because there is a chronic shortage of PCP's in the US.

The main problem as I see it, is that the rest of the world has taken a pragmatic approach to lift their healthcare standards to a higher level, while in the US it has been taken hostage by politics for decades.

When I go on holiday, I usually go for a week or two to a holiday resort in Turkey. One time my son had hurt his knee. We called for the doctor at the resort to take a look at it. Instead of she looking at it, a brand new, fully equipped ambulance was already waiting at the front door, and in 30 minutes we were in the scan room in a clinic 30 kms away. A photo was taken, luckily only some muscle stretched, some painkillers given, crutches were provided and taken back to the resort by ambulance again. Within 2 hours we were enjoying the sun again at the swimming pool. This only costed a couple of 100 euros which was promptly covered by our insurance.

And here we are talking a Turkey, a muslim country that was in the middle ages about 5 decaded ago. Medications are cheap there as we witnessed this year when we needed some anti bacterial medications. And again access to the resort doctor was promptly.

Yes for us as foreigners, turkey has excellent healthcare, but that is only because Europeans pay for it (mostly covered by their insurances). Turkey is also very well know for cosmetic surgery, eye lasering, etc. The country attracks many clients from abroad. But by no means this a measure for the level of global healthcare in Turkey. The average citizen in Europe is still better off than the one in Turkey.