Dr. Otis Brawley, M.D. is highly critical of the politics of illness in America, responding to those opposed to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act who say that "the American health-care system is the best in the world." In his book, "How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America," he explains that America is the best place in the world to get the care for complicated but treatable disease if you have the ability to get care and pay for it. It's not a great place to be sick if you are poor and uninsured or want consistent, basic care.
USA Today confirmed Brawley's premise that "ours is a nation of extremes, with the poor
or uninsured frequently denied even the most basic care while the well-insured often are
'overtreated', receiving unapproved drugs and procedures that can cause real harm."
When other advanced nations with national health care have the highest life expectancy and lower costs, we need to consider backing a national health care initiative that provides basic health care to all people.
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Robert O. Uppgaard, DDS
Pequot Lakes
