Highly unlikely with the congress we have now. For to pass the WHO's rules, would put patient safety before profit motive and that is NOT how this Congress works.
We the people are the patients and we the people need to know where our congressional representatives stand on this and many other health care issues.
Health care is NOT a commodity. The facts on the ground are that the richest country in the world has 46 million uninsured and many millions more that are underinsured. This is gross injustice where the rich get tax cuts and the poor go without basic health care in the land we claim is of the free and the proud.
One-of many- reasons health care costs are so high in the USA, is because of the costs of unnecessary pharmaceutical ads targeted to consumers and not patients. Every physician is well aware of the old and the new drugs as soon as they become available. Throughout America, a good salary can be had by persistent drug Rep's who visit medical offices with free samples, literature and free lunch for all.
The cost of those salaries, the give a-ways, and all the TV and print media advertising pushes up the cost of every pill dispensed and every drop of intravenous fluid.
Pharmaceutical companies enjoy patent protection, so the claim that strict guidelines and full disclosure on drug trial outcomes will cut into their profits is not just bogus: it has proven deadly.
Case in point: Vioxx, the painkiller that Merck withheld the data suggesting a higher risk of heart problems for some users was NOT disclosed. Thus, Vioxx was allowed on the market but would not have been if the WHO's twenty requirements and full disclosure had been the law of the land in America.
But corporate interests won out and we the people should ask our congressional reps "WHY not WHO instead?"
Looking to big brother to protect us will NOT happen if we remain uniformed and uninvolved.
Politicians must be held accountable and patriots have always asked the hard questions and did NOT give up on the pursuit of justice.
We the people must also take personal responsibility for our own bodies and be pro-active and get off the couch. It is only a simple matter of choice to choose to do the right thing: don't smoke, eat nutritional dense food, play/exercises daily and get adequate rest.
We all know the drill, all we need is the will.
We the people should also be asking our congressional representatives what they intend to do about the ailing health care system in the USA.
I suggest to start with these three
1. What would you do to achieve needed systemic reforms in the health care system that would cover all Americans, manage costs and improve quality?
As a retired nurse married to an Internist/Geriatrician/Professor I understand that the amount of money spent on health care does not translate into better care. Studies show that the USA is number one in costs, but not in positive outcomes. Because of fear of law suits many expensive high tech interventions are done routinely and without restraint. When new procedures become commonplace, the costs of these older techniques do not decrease. Reform is necessary.
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