"Wait times for cancer treatment -- where timeliness can be a matter of life and death -- are also far too lengthy. According to January NHS England data, almost 25% of cancer patients didn't start treatment on time despite an urgent referral by their primary care doctor. That's the worst performance since records began in 2009.
And keep in mind that "on time" for the NHS is already 62 days after referral.
Unsurprisingly, British cancer patients fare worse than those in the United States. Only 81% of breast cancer patients in the United Kingdom live at least five years after diagnosis, compared to 89% in the United States. Just 83% of patients in the United Kingdom live five years after a prostate cancer diagnosis, versus 97% here in America."
Yes, I know Forbes has a bent. And I'm generally in favor of single-payer options and not defending the U.S. However I have seen the Wait Time stat over the years in the context of cancer patients, and this is one data point. Canada is apparently worse.
Five year survival rates don't give you much information, because the US engages in massive over testing. You need to know all cause mortality, and the US does worse here than the UK.
The US over tests people and over treats cancer; that costs a lot of money and isn't pleasant for people but it doesn't make them live longer.
If hypothetical Beth dies age 82 does it matter if she is told she has cancer at age 75 or age 79?
I'm always willing to learn more - do we have a one-stop-shop apples to apples comparison of U.S. vs. UK and other countries' healthcare models with stats and explanations, one that is free from strong biases ? I struggled to find a non-political, but still meaningful comparison data site online via Google.
And keep in mind that "on time" for the NHS is already 62 days after referral.
Unsurprisingly, British cancer patients fare worse than those in the United States. Only 81% of breast cancer patients in the United Kingdom live at least five years after diagnosis, compared to 89% in the United States. Just 83% of patients in the United Kingdom live five years after a prostate cancer diagnosis, versus 97% here in America."
(https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2019/04/01/britains-...)
Yes, I know Forbes has a bent. And I'm generally in favor of single-payer options and not defending the U.S. However I have seen the Wait Time stat over the years in the context of cancer patients, and this is one data point. Canada is apparently worse.