Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
Many people who claim the U.S. healthcare system is broken point to Cuba as a country that spends little on health but gets high returns. Michael Moore’s documentary Sicko even visited Cuba and claimed that it could be a model for a single payer system in the U.S. As the Economist reports: “Until recently, Cubans…
Cuba is well known for its high quality cigars and sugar production, but is less well-known for its production of high quality pharmaceuticals. According to MSNBC, “With more than 7,000 scientists dedicated to researching new drugs, Cuba has one of the most sophisticated biotech industries in the developing world. Last year the country earned $350…
A recent paper by Franco et al. (2007) claims that increased poverty may improve health (see also NPR’s Marketplace report). How is this possible? Lower income reduces excess food as well as cigarette consumption. Further, poverty makes public transportation less affordable and individuals may substitute walking for taking the bus. The authors study Cuba’s experience…