" U.S. ranked near and at the bottom in almost every heath indicator. That stunned us."

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138. i get your point about obesity, however, knowledge keeps you alive

there are income/race disparities in treatment, for breast cancer, for example. i had breast cancer, and because i did research, i knew what tests, treatments, etc., were best for the type of cancer i had. i had IDC, stage 2, and i was given a test that determined that i had a low risk of recurrence, so i did not have to do chemo...the oncologist did not recommend it. i did surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy. i had private insurance and went to one of the top hospitals in my area.

my friend, on the other hand, did not have insurance and had to seek treatment at the county hospital. she had IDC, stage 1, but was not offered the Oncotype DX test that i had to determine her risk of recurrence, and the she did chemo. this type of disparity is not as rare as some people think. my friend is alive...but not because of her doctor. she is probably alive because she decided to stop chemotherapy.

and then there (was) the problem of pre-existing conditions. another friend had uterine cancer and had to WAIT six months to have surgery because she was diagnosed before she got private insurance. thankfully, her cancer was very slow-growing, so she is fine. but as you can imagine, being forced to wait six months knowing you have a cancerous tumor was extremely stressful and probably didn't contribute positively to her overall health.

i agree people have to take responsibility for what they can control, but as i learned, knowledge is power when facing an illness. that includes knowing if your doctors are not looking out for your best interests. i had to fire my first round of doctors after i learned they gave me bad advice.