Opinion: 'Best' healthcare in the world? You judge

The two most influential Americans trying to block implementation of the Affordable Care Act have a clear reason for doing so. U.S. House Speaker John Boehner calls our health care system "the best health care delivery system in the world." U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says we have "the finest health care system in the world." Who would want to mess with that? The good news is that, between 1990-2010 (from 75.2 to 78.2 between 1990-2010), the U.S. has seen improved outcomes on life expectancy and other important health indicators. The bad news is, our rate of improvement is among the worst of all leading industrialized nations, and dropped from 18th to 27th in age standardized death rate between 1990-2010.