Several of my colleagues recently attended a health care conference and have published some of the information they learned in our union newsletter. Interestingly, the state of health care in this country is no surprise, but it is quite another thing to actually read and compare real numbers:

Contrary to most Americans' beliefs, we don't have the best health care in the world -- just the most expensive:

* USA spends more on health care than most other western countries.
* USA has fewer doctors and hospital beds than most other western countries.
* USA hospital rate is 40% more expensive than in most other western countries.
* USA out-patient services cost 36% more than in most other western countries.
* USA prescription drugs cost 27% more than in most other western countries.
* USA administration costs are 82% more than in most other western countries.

It's that last that boggles the mind. 82%?

At what point did it become OK to allow the entire health care industry walk all over us? Other countries have proven that it is possible to provide effective -- even better -- health care to their citizens without robbing them blind and padding the pockets of the health care and pharmaceutical industry.