Commentary: Office Visit: Can We Learn From Other Nations?

The Journal Record › November 05, 2009

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Summary

Although much of our Constitution was modeled on thinking of 18th century French philosophers, we historically have not given much credence to the political and social constructs of the other major countries of the world. We tend to think of ourselves as superior to other industrialized nations with little to learn from how they conduct their lives. Some even find it disturbing that the proponents of health reform constantly quote our relatively poor position in health statistics among other nations as a major reason we need to change. We see evidence of a clash between those who profess we have the best health system in the world and those who bemoan the fact that while spending 17 percent of the gross national product on health care we fare poorly when compared to other industrialized nations.

T. R. Reid, a reporter from the Washington Post, explored other national health systems in his book, The Healing of America. In a review of the systems of France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and Canada, Reid outlined how those systems work and what lessons we may draw from their peculiarities.