[ExI] Tools for improving health care in the USA, now

[Max More]

BillK wrote:
>In the US you've got health care all back-to-front.
>Probably because of the gung-ho 'We can fix it' outlook.

I'm really puzzled by this statement. Does that mean we would be 
better of with an attitude of "Oh, fuck it. Let's not bother trying 
to improve it."?  If you think the particular ways that the USA's so 
far tried to fix the problem have been bad attempts, I agree. But 
that's not what you seem to be saying.


>By the time it needs fixing, it's too late and too expensive.
>
>The US needs a new lifestyle system.
>More exercise and healthy eating and less stress and pollution would 
>add ten years to life expectancy.

Yes, of course. But why does that mean we shouldn't *also* work 
(intelligently) on improving the health care system?

><http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1426202741>

Without having looked at the book itself, the description makes me 
wonder. It appears to be another in a long line of books (not just 
about health -- this is endemic with business success books) that 
look for examples that support a pre-existing hypothesis, 
cherry-picking the data -- rather than checking carefully for 
disconfirming examples. I'm not saying the book is wrong (I can't say 
that without seeing what's inside), but the description is not 
especially encouraging in this regard. That said, yes yes yes, more 
people should be doing more exercise and eating better (and less), 
and taking other personally-controllable measures to improve their health.

Max