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If we consider the experience of Dowling's brother, we should also consider the hundreds of millions of Europeans and Canadians for whom publicly financed health care is cheaper, outcomes are better and satisfaction is higher. To them, our system isn't "innovative," as Levy says — it's a mess, and not one to emulate.

Levy claims Europeans "flock to the U.S. by the thousands." Compare that difficult-to-verify statistic against the 1.4 million Americans who were projected to travel elsewhere for medical care last year. It's no wonder, since the U.S. routinely comes in last in health outcomes among developed countries.

Read the full letter at the Times-Union here.