ron

I guess that's why people from all over the world (including ones that have and pay for "universal" healthcare) come to the US for medical treatment. When is someone in the US denied emergency medical treatment -- even folks that are here illegally.

I have been to most of the 139 locations noted in the message above. Of all the places I have visited, I would want to be treated in the US.

Unfortunately we do not live in a utopian world.

"In the WSJ, Mark Constantian MD explains the problem with the common talking point that the WHO ranks US medicine comparatively low:

The comparative ranking system that most critics cite comes from the U.N.’s World Health Organization (WHO). The ranking most often quoted is Overall Performance, where the U.S. is rated No. 37. The Overall Performance Index, however, is adjusted to reflect how well WHO officials believe that a country could have done in relation to its resources.

The scale is heavily subjective: The WHO believes that we could have done better because we do not have universal coverage. What apparently does not matter is that our population has universal access because most physicians treat indigent patients without charge and accept Medicare and Medicaid payments, which do not even cover overhead expenses. The WHO does rank the U.S. No. 1 of 191 countries for “responsiveness to the needs and choices of the individual patient.” Isn’t responsiveness what health care is all about?"

http://spinstrangenesscharm.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/us-healthcare-ranking-by-who-37-or-1-depending/