In India, he submitted to yogic treatments-a form of physical therapy-which greatly improved the condition of his shoulder. Reid also tried some alternative treatments, including acupuncture and Nepalese herbal medicine, neither of which did anything for him. In Canada, the waiting list was too long for Reid to see a specialist-a problem tied to the country’s shortage of medical providers. A stiff shoulder isn’t a pressing problem and, therefore, doesn’t qualify for treatment that is paid for through tax revenue. In Britain, he was told that the system couldn’t offer any solution for his shoulder, due to tight cost controls on what the respective systems will pay for. In the Bismarck countries, Reid was given the widest array of options-not only the choice of having the surgery, which none of the doctors strongly recommended, but also the options of spa treatments, physical therapy, and steroid injections. Great Britain’s National Health Service is based on the Beveridge model, and Canada has a National Health Insurance model. France, Germany, and Japan operate their health care systems according to the Bismarck model with some variations, including more insurance fund options in some countries than in others. During these visits, he examined the models of health care offered in each country. Reid next set out to other countries-France, Germany, Japan, Great Britain, and Canada-where he consulted with doctors. Reid first visited an American doctor who recommended a total shoulder arthroplasty-an invasive surgery that would have cost tens of thousands of dollars and that might not have increased the range of motion in Reid’s shoulder. Reid used the travel opportunities that his work offered to travel the world in search of the best solution for the problem of his stiff shoulder.

The Healing of America by T.R. Reid