ABSTRACT. Contrary to popular belief, the United States healthcare system actually compares poorly to that of many other countries. This paper examines scholarly and professional reports that highlight the major problems associated with the U.S. healthcare system, including the rising cost of healthcare, high cost of drugs, variation in hospital costs, the proliferation of new prescription drugs that provide little or no improvement over existing drugs, the negative effects of patient satisfaction scores, defensive medicine, and poor lifestyle choices leading to chronic diseases. Given the above, it is not surprising that the United States performs poorly on various health metrics such as longevity and number of maternal deaths. The authors consider some solutions, including what individuals can do to take control of their own healthcare. pp. 125–141

Keywords: healthcare system; high costs of drugs; adverse reactions to new prescription drugs; new prescription drugs; hospital-acquired infections; defensive medicine; NNT; NNH; RRR

How to cite: Friedman, Deborah, Hershey H. Friedman, and Linda W. Friedman (2016), “US Healthcare: A System in Need of a Cure,” American Journal of Medical Research 3(1): 125–141.

Received 2 January 2016 • Received in revised form 25 January 2016
Accepted 25 January 2016 • Available online 1 February 2016

doi:10.22381/AJMR3120164