Figure 4
Use of High-Tech Medical Procedures (per 100,000 people per year)
388.1
U.K.
Canada
203.0
U.S.
86.5
80.8
65.0
51.0
45.7
41.0
27.0
Dialys is Patients
Coronary Bypass
Coronary Angioplasty
Sources: Gerard F. Anderson, Uwe E. Reinhardt, Peter S. Hussey, and Varduhi Petrosyan, “It’s the Prices, Stupid:
Why the United States Is So Different from Other Countries,” Health Affairs 22, no. 3 (May/June 2003): Exhibit 5.
Although critics
modern medical technology. Computed
five times higher than in Canada and almost
of the U.S. health
Tomography (CT) scanners, which are useful in
eight times higher than in Britain. The rate of
care system claim
the diagnosis and treatment of cancer,24 were also
renal dialysis in the United States is almost
we have too much
double that of Canada and almost three
invented in Britain. For years Britain manufac-
times that of Britain. Britain was the codevel-
tured and exported about half the CT scanners
technology, all
oper with the United States of kidney dialysis
used in the world. Yet through the years the
the evidence sug-
in the 1960s, yet Britain consistently has had
British government purchased very few scanners
gests that our
one of the lowest dialysis rates in Europe.
for the NHS, and even discouraged private gifts of
the devices to the NHS.25 Today Britain has only
As Figure 5 shows, the United States also com-
counterparts
pares favorably to Britain and Canada in access to
half the number of CT scanners per million pop-
have too little.
Figure 5
Access to Modern Medical Technology in the U.S., Britain, and Canada (units per million
people)
13.6
Canada
U.S.
8.2
8.1
U.K.
6.5
3.9
2.5
1.5
0.4
0.2
CT Scanners
MRI Units
Lithotrips y Units
Source: Gerard F. Anderson, Uwe E. Reinhardt, Peter S. Hussey, and Varduhi Petrosyan, “It's the Prices, Stupid:
Why the United States Is So Different from Other Countries,” Health Affairs 22, no. 3 (May/June 2003): Exhibit
5, p. 97; and Stephen Pollard, “European Health Care Consensus Group Paper,” Centre for the New Europe,
January 4, 2001.
5