Dr. Popper continued her explanation of the debate over mammograms…
“Today’s debate about health care reform involves delivery of and payment for ineffective and often unsafe tests and treatments, and the discussion is being led by lobbyists and special interests, including some well-meaning cancer survivors and other patients who are telling stories, not analyzing science.
At this time, medical services for which there is no evidence of efficacy consume 30% of all Medicare dollars¹. We must take the emotion out of our discussions about health care and focus on science, if anything is going to change for the better.
Health care is focused on doing more and more things, and offering them to more and more people. We pay for treatments and procedures; we don’t pay for results. Yet research shows that health is not improved by access to more care. The Dartmouth Atlas Project reported that in areas of the country where there were more doctors, more hospitals, more diagnostic equipment and more services and care offered, health outcomes were worse in spite of the fact that costs were an average of two times higher².
We must focus on doing the right things. We must insist on quality instead of quantity. We can’t just keep doing the same things and trying to pay less for each ineffective drug and procedure and expect that our health outcomes or our costs will change.”
The most important thing you can do for your health is to start eating a plant-based diet. Plant foods and not animal foods will build your immune system, prevent and/or reverse diseases like diabetes and heart disease, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, prevent cancers, give you more energy & longevity, and help you lose weight.
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