The quality of health care in the United States is excellent��perhaps the best in the world. However, as a value proposition, our system is shameful. According to Bloomberg, of advanced economies, the United States ranked 46th out of 48 countries in MG132 order terms of efficiency, just edging out Serbia and Brazil, while spending the second most per capita ($8608) and far out-distancing the competition in health care costs as a percentage of gross domestic product per capita, at 17.2% (the Netherlands ranks second at 13%).1 Ironically, with all the dust kicked up about the free-market stifling government takeover of health care masquerading as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), few critics have acknowledged that the traditional US health care market is about as opaque and regulated as any economic system could be.

As the scion of laissez-faire government, Friedrich Hayek, argued in The Pure Theory of Capital, ���� the aim of any successful��policy must be to reduce as far as possible this slack in the self-correcting forces of the price mechanism����2 By this standard, a system in which prices are essentially invisible should yield the greatest inefficiency. If you believe Bloomberg, it does. Rather than wasting energy seeking to undermine or even eradicate the PPACA, perhaps the leading minds in US health care policy should look to maximizing cost transparency in the system so that, at least, Americans can see the ��prices on the menu�� and spend their money as they choose without having to rely on a system that clearly is not giving the real payers good value.

Many low-resource countries suffer from maternal health problems, including obstetric fistula, infectious disease, cervical cancer, and maternal death. There is a great need for better clinics and hospitals that are supplied with medication and functioning equipment and that are staffed by well-rained health practitioners. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals have led to a greater focus on the health needs in these nations. In the United States, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has issued a policy statement that acknowledged women��s health and rights around the world.1 There is a genuine desire to become involved in global women��s health, but recognizing the best way to help can be challenging.

History of Global Health Historically, medical or health aid in low-resource settings was provided by religious organizations, nongovernmental organizations, or the United Nations. The International Committee of the Red Cross was formed in 1863 to assist with aiding the victims of war atrocities. Other organizations, Entinostat such as Save the Children and Oxfam, have focused on particular populations or issues. In 1971, M��decins Sans Fronti��res (Doctors Without Borders) was established as an impartial humanitarian organization. In 1999, it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work with populations in danger.