While listening to one of the Republican debates prior to the South Carolina primary I was horrified to hear all of the candidates say that America had the best healthcare system in the world. The reality is we don't.
By virtually every statistical measure we fall behind many other countries. Ours is for sure the most expensive healthcare in the world, but not the best. America doesn't have the highest life expectancy in the world. Japan does. The U.S. ranks 42nd. We don't have the lowest infant mortality rate; Sweden does. In fact the U.S. has the 2nd worst infant mortality rate in the world. Perhaps the most disgraceful reality is that among 19 industrialized nations, the U.S. ranked last when it comes to preventing deaths from treatable conditions because so many Americans don't have insurance and therefore they don't have access to on-going care. I know it sounds like a misprint, but it isn't. Check it out yourself on Google.
I don't mean to pick on the Republicans. People of all stripes say that America has the best healthcare in the world. It is one of our most popular urban legends. Another one is that long-term care is synonymous with nursing home care.
The truth is that long-term care actually means the need for care over a long period of time. People of all ages need long-term care: kids with CP, young adults with spinal injuries, adults with cancer or diabetes, and seniors with Alzheimer's. The vast majority of these people do not live in nursing homes. Care is provided primarily in the home by family caregivers - over 80%, and two-thirds of seniors get all of their care solely from a family member or friend. Long-term care is definitely not the same as nursing home care.
How are we going to ever get responsible policies that meet the needs of family caregivers and their loved ones if there are such misconceptions about the most basic issues? It would seem it is up to us provide the education - especially for the presidential candidates. Come January, one of these three, Senators McCain, Clinton or Obama, is going to be sitting behind the desk in the oval office. We need to make sure that at least they have the facts.
