A comment on healthcare

I have caved - I am commenting on population level healthcare, albeit reluctantly.

In my previous post (Controversial take: medicine isn't an exact science), I talked about how patient experience and response to medical treatments can differ from research in labs. I then go on to say, how the lack of emphasis on such differences, has larger implications on population level health.

As I explained in my about me page (About), I have lived in various parts of the world, which means I have experienced various cultures. I believe it is fair to say, in all of the nations in which I have resided, there isn't one single definition of being a national from said nation. Even in the most homogeneous nation, there are a variety of identities.

So excuse me for the confusion over what constitutes as "being American". I understand America prides itself in being a free capitalist country. Sure - I didn't expect it to be an extreme left dictatorship either. And yes, it does mean it can produce whatever goods/ services it wants, and the people can consume whatever it wants. Americans can do whatever they want.

However when it comes to health, Americans still do whatever they want, but they've separated themselves into different groups while doing so. Isn't each group American? There are groups of people that really enjoy keeping fit, eating healthy and practicing the preventive healthcare advice they've been given. Then there are people who do the opposite, with the added problem of medical advice not giving the results exactly as in lab testing.

I guess at a point in time, society must assess that when there are concerning prevalence rates of bad health outcomes, it might need to revaluate the definition of being American? Otherwise how will society ever come out of the rut of saying they "care" about healthcare, while simultaneously doing everything that shows it doesn't?