A really great piece by Wesley Pruden caught our eye today. He has a bit of an edge to him, but we like that very much.

Hy wryly notes that with all of our debate swirling around right now, and the fact that so many Senators and Congresspeople hold up England and its NHS as a model for us, that we really are not very curious about that system. Or Canada’s to boot.

“We’re not supposed to ask why so many Canadians, pleased and proud of their cradle-to-grave nanny care, try to get to the United States when they get really sick. We’re not supposed to examine Britain’s National Health Service, which in theory stands ready to cure everything from hickies and noogies to heart transplants and sex-change surgery, to see how our English cousins manage when they get sick.”

His column is harsh, illuminating and deeply concerning for all of us. Another section of his piece makes the point:

“It’s certainly true that not everyone who goes into a British hospital feeling bad leaves feeling worse or, even worse, leaves in a body bag. Many British doctors are skilled and hard-working. The taunt that “British health care is the best that Pakistan can provide” rings false. Many of the best doctors are Pakistani immigrants, and many English doctors have bailed for America, but what’s wrong with British health care lies in the inevitable leveling of socialism, where everyone is entitled to the second-rate.”

The message here is powerful. When you think about the recent guidelines for screening mammography and the uproar over them, one begins to appreciate that Americans really do not do well with second-rate.