What we can learn from third-world healthcare

With all the most advanced technology and equipment, spending far more on healthcare than any other nation—a whopping $2.6 trillion annually, or over 17 percent of our gross domestic product—the United States consistently underperforms on some of the most important health indicators. Our infant mortality rates, for example, are worse than those in countries like Hungary, Cuba and Slovenia. Our life expectancy rates are not much better; in global rankings, we sit within spitting distance of Cuba, Chile and Libya. This quality conundrum dogs us, even as our best and brightest have tried to imagine a more cost-efficient system.