Uwe Reinhardt, Ph.D., Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton
University (personal communication):
Don: Attached is a portrait of what makes America great. Instead of using the coercive power of government to make you and me pay for her dental
care, this lady uses a pair of pliers to pull her own tooth. One just has to admire it. It keeps our tax rate (as % of GDP) the lowest in the OECD and our economy strong.
Best,
Uwe
(Rather than being included as an attachment to this message, the photograph can be viewed at this link to The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/28/business/28dental.html)
Comment: It is astounding that, in the world’s wealthiest nation, aversion to taxes is a more important driver of policy than is the health of its people. This is particularly troublesome as we witness the debate over the “stinginess” of our response to the unfathomable tragedy of the Tsunami.
In his Christmas message to the nation, President Bush said, “By volunteering our time and talents where they are needed most, we help heal the sick, comfort those who suffer, and bring hope to those who despair, one heart and one soul at a time.”
And today the president said, “In this case, I think it’s very important for Americans who want to give to provide cash to organizations that will be able to focus resources and assets to meet specific needs,” and, “There are many NGOs now involved that understand what is specifically needed to meet the needs of these countries.”
Volunteers and nongovermental organizations (NGO) do play an important role
in society and are to be praised for their very noble efforts. But they can never replace the duty of the government to make every effort to adequately address these very vital issues. The impact of charity and volunteerism remains miniscule when compared to the capability of a wealthy nation and its government resources.
We can bring hope to one heart and one soul at a time by volunteering to lend our pliers when the need is great. Or we can adopt national policies that would bring hope to all hearts and all souls. With tax rates in line with other OECD nations, we would still have the greatest personal wealth, but would also have the capability to do much more to ensure the health of all of our citizens and of the citizens of the world.
Addendum: On a positive note, the article, “U.S. Health Care Spending In An
International Context” by Uwe E. Reinhardt, Peter S. Hussey and Gerard F.
Anderson, tops the list as the most frequently viewed article on the Health
Affairs website. At least the health policy community is interested in learning why we spend so much and receive such mediocrity in health care. The article can be accessed at: http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/23/3/10
There is hope.