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May 29, 2007
Properly evaluating Health care systems
David Hogberg, Ph.D., an analyst for the National Center for Public Policy Research, has an interesting article analyzing the reliability of life expectancy and infant mortality for comparing the US Health Care system to that of other countries.
It is a good analysis, which of course has sparked some debate. In it, he makes this observation: "... a health care system has, at most, minimal impact on longevity." Ignoring the fallacy of asserting the consequent (or its negative), he does provide good support for the assertion from the CEDP's own table. This is Leonard Sagan's claim from the 70's in his book Health of Nations, which was also influential in my education.
He also discusses the question of how we should measure a health care system. Unfortunately, he can only give some general principles. The OECD is working on such measures. However, the measure they appear to be using, such as vaccination rates, cancer screening rates, mortality rates, etc. are of questionable value. They are of value for comparing health systems, granted. And public policy writers may need such. But in the general scheme of life, they are not very meaningful. Rather, they are the hubris bringing nemesis.
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