Most republicans think the US health care system is the best in the world; democrats disagree

This poll was conducted during a period of debate over the comparative merits of the U.S. health care system and the health care systems in other countries. President Bush and other prominent political figures have claimed that the U.S. has the best system in the world. At the same time, the World Health Organization and other organizations have ranked the U.S. below many other countries in their comparisons, while Michael Moore presented a similarly negative assessment of the U.S. health system in a popular format with his film Sicko.

So how might this issue impact how Americans vote in the upcoming presidential election? When asked if they would be more likely to support or oppose a presidential candidate who advocates making the U.S. health care system more like health systems in other countries, specifically Canada, France, and Great Britain, only one in five (19%) Republicans say they would be more likely to support such a candidate. This is compared to more than half (56%) of Democrats and more than a third of Independents (37%) who say they would be more likely to support such a candidate.

Though many Americans view the health care systems of other countries as better than the U.S. in general, the survey shows that they do not identify as better those countries that have been most frequently compared to the U.S. In head-to-head comparisons with health care systems in Canada, France and Great Britain, a large percentage of Americans are not sure how the U.S. compares overall. Over half (53%) of Americans say they don’t know how the U.S. generally compares to France and four in ten (40%) say they don’t know if the U.S. system is better or worse than Great Britain’s. A quarter (26%) are not sure how the U.S health care system compares to the Canadian system.

The view that the U.S. health care system lags other countries seems largely driven by the view that the U.S. is behind in controlling health care costs and providing affordable access to everyone. In comparing how the U.S. stacks up against other countries in specific areas, a slim majority of Americans believe that the U.S. health care system is better in terms of the quality of care patients receive (55% believe the U.S. is better than other countries) and shorter waiting times to see specialists or be admitted to the hospital (53% believe the U.S. is better than other countries). However, very few believe that the U.S. has the edge when it comes to providing affordable access to everyone (26% believe the U.S. is better than other countries) and controlling health care costs (21% believe the U.S. is better than other countries).

Once again, there are contrasts in how Republicans view the United States’ standing on these elements and how Democrats and Independents rate the U.S. As an example, four-in-ten (40%) Republicans believe the U.S health care system is better than other countries when it comes to making sure everyone can get affordable health care, compared to just one-in-five Democrats (19%) and Independents (22%) who share that belief. On each of the four elements tested, Independents are within a few percentage points of agreement with Democrats, and both are significantly separated from Republicans.

“The health care debate in this election involves starkly different views of the U.S. health care system,” says Robert J. Blendon, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health. “One party sees it as lagging other countries across a broad range of problem areas while the other party sees the system as the best in the world with a more limited range of problems.”

Source: Harvard School of Public Health

Just what the doctor ordered: Britain marks 60 years of the NHS
Gordon Brown is trying to burnish his record on the 60th anniversary of Britain's National Health Service Saturday, but experts say the ploy could misfire as both he and it struggle to get off the sick list.
Malaria on the increase in the UK
A huge rise in the numbers of UK residents travelling to malaria endemic areas, combined with a failure to use prevention measures, has significantly increased cases of imported falciparum malaria in the UK over the past 20 years, according to a study published on BMJ.com.
Analysis of cancer incidence, mortality and survival combined reveals encouraging European trends
The first research to look at recent trends in European cancer incidence, mortality and survival together has shown that cancer prevention and management in Europe is moving in the right direction. However, the research reveals that variations between countries in policies for mass screening, access to health care and treatment are reflected in the different cancer rates.
Since introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy, HIV death rate has decreased
In industrialized countries, persons infected sexually with HIV now appear to experience mortality rates similar to those of the general population in the first 5 years following infection, though a higher risk of death remains as the duration of HIV infection lengthens, according to a study in the July 2 issue of JAMA.
Predicting TB outbreaks based on the first 2 cases
Outbreaks of tuberculosis (TB) may be able to be identified by looking at certain characteristics of the first two patients, according to new research. If the first two patients are diagnosed within three months of each other, live in urban areas, and if one or both are of sub-Saharan African origin, there is a 56 percent chance that the two cases will lead to a large outbreak of TB, whereas if the patients exhibit none of those characteristics, the odds are just one percent.
Senate reaches an agreement on global AIDS bill
(AP) -- Senate negotiators said Wednesday they had reached a tentative agreement on a key obstacle to one of the most ambitious federal health initiatives ever, a $50 billion act to combat AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in Africa and other countries hard-hit by those diseases.
Claims linking health problems and the strength of cannabis may be exaggerated
Claims that a large increase in the strength of cannabis over the last decade is driving the occurrence of mental health and other problems for users are not borne out by a study of the worldwide literature, say researchers at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) and the National Drug Research Institute (NDRI), both from Australia.
Obese women in Canada are less likely to be screened for cervical cancer
Research in the United States has shown that obese people are less likely than their normal-weight peers to undergo screening for breast, colon and cervical cancer. Raj Padwal, Rebecca Mitchell and Scott Klarenbach, from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, have undertaken a study to see if this trend is also true in Canada.

Most republicans think the US health care system is the best in the world; democrats disagree

Related stories:

News discussion: