Opinion : High infant mortality rates in the US

Fact: The US has almost the worst infant Mortality rates in the developed world.


Proposed solution from healthcare industry: Throw money at it.

Proposed solution from liberal journalists: Universal healthcare

Reality check from pediatrician: (great article) Those two proposals would make the problem worse.

My take: That pediatrician is exactly right. Throwing money is not going to solve the problem, its going to make the system less efficient. The majority of infant mortality in the US is the result of premature birth or defects. The reality is that premature birth is caused by many random things, few of them medical. The most likely culprits for premies are underage mothers, obesity, and smoking. My question for the NY times would be:
What does fat, smoking teenage mothers have to do with healthcare financing?