Columnist Argues that Moore Didn't Tell the Whole Story

In the Washington Post's (7/19) Think Tank Town column, Paul Howard, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute's Center for Medical Progress, wrote, "Michael Moore's 'Sicko' is now in national release, chock full of anecdotes and scare stories denigrating American healthcare in favor of the United Kingdom, Canada and even Cuba. But Moore ignores the fact that our greater commitment to market-driven medical innovation makes miracles possible for patients with the most deadly and rare diseases, like cancer." Howard continued, "America's commitment to the treatment of patients with rare diseases is unmatched." And even though healthcare is "guaranteed" in Europe, a five-year study shows that "[f]or breast, thyroid and cervical cancer in women, and for colon, lung and prostate cancer in men,...U.S. patients have better survival rates than European cancer patients." Our free market healthcare system is characterized by "faster access to new medicines," Howard wrote. "In many European countries, companies must engage in lengthy negotiations with government health bureaucrats over prices for new cancer drugs," and "[e]ven afterwards, patient access to new medicines may be restricted." Howard conceded that "Moore is right that American healthcare is in need of reform." But, he cautioned, "any reforms must maintain market incentives for medical innovation." While "American healthcare isn't perfect,...it's always trying to do better." The country's "commitment" to "revolutionizing" medical treatment is "one that we must sustain."