Americans spend more than the rest of the world on health care and prescription drugs. Are we getting our money's worth? According to noted public health care scholar Ezekiel J Emanuel the answer is "no," and with some changes, we could be doing much better. Not that single payer solutions as embodied in Canada or France is the answer. Yes. all citizens are covered there whereas in the U.S. 10% of the population remains uninsured, but there are long waiting lists for more complicated treatment and also for surgical procedures. This is not good. However, there is the commitment to get better there and use expert panels to screen new treatments and drugs introduced for treating widespread problems. As part of his book, Emanuel, in the later chapters includes a chart outlining the structure of European and the Taiwanese health care systems. These charts could be helpful if you are planning to take a "health care vacation." The charts help if you are also trying to understand the differences between the various systems. But in the end Emanuel's answers are something that the U.S. , to date, is not willing to embrace, i.e. mandatory enrollment, and government regulatory panels to screen new drugs and treatments. Big Pharma cannot be trusted. -Abbot G.