"I've never had anybody ask me for help to get into a Cuban hospital or a Canadian hospital or an English hospital. They all want to come to America." Timothy Noah

Apparently the author hasn't heard of the increasing trend for Americans to go overseas for surgery, because of the prohibitive cost at home. Overseas they have found high quality care at prices a fraction of those in the US. And who in their right mind would seek medical advice ("I have never had anybody ask me...") from a journalist?

You attribute Rudy's quote to Timothy. Perhaps you should work on your reading comprehension.

NightSwimmer is correct, but that doesn't invalidate my point about outsourcing surgical care.

I have no argument with that point Pete. When you need specialized care, you go to the preeminent specialist -- if you can afford it. Sometimes that is in the US, sometimes not. Sometimes the preeminent specialist in the US is a foreign born doctor.

All of this is really just avoiding the argument for ordinary health care that is actually effective. While it is very interesting to discuss, the difference in days of survival for an incurable disease is not the crux of the issue when it comes to universal health care insurance.

Why in the f*#k would someone ask the mayor or New York for help in getting into a foreign hospital? Besides, it is a sign of corruption that a patient from a foreign country would have to ask a mayor for help in finding care? So who were these patients and what did Rudy receive in return?