the look of things

I just read this article in National Geographic News, Brits Healthier than Americans, Study Says .  The story pointed out how Americans weren't as healthy despite the fact we spend twice as much as the UK, per person, on healthcare.  Besides the fact that we lead lives that are unhealthy with our poor diets and lack of excercise, our healthcaresystem is flawed in a huge way.   The textbooks at the universities that our future doctors are studying from to earn their phd's and the medical journals that current doctors use to keep up to date with medical information, are supplied by the pharmasudical companies.  Their interest is in suppliying information that is relevant to patients need for the drugs they supply.  An example from the article is that of preventing heart disease, our number one killer.  The information seems to focus of lowering cholesteral with cholesteral lowering drugs, rather than focus on the healthy choices people should be making that support a healthy lifestyle.  My question is this, why is it that we allow our healthcare system to be dictated by the pharmasudical companies whos main concern is profiting from the sale of their drugs.  Do our doctors know that the information they pass on to their patients is not necessarily, the most beneficial to our health?  Is this why people that don't recieve their healthcare from HMO managed doctors, (usually the wealthiest) seem to recieve more quality care?  I'm sure that is the case.  Being that I have only had experience with HMO's (Kaiser) and never seen a doctor that practiced privately, I am probably ignorant to this fact.  Even so, How did it come to be that the people controlling the healthcare to the masses, are only in it for monetary gain, first, and patients health second?  Is this the only way that the masses are able to afford healthcare, to settle for healthcare that is run this way.  Couldn't the HMO's still opperate if they were managed some other way?  All of this leaves me with so many questions that I intend to find the answers to.  Maybe just being a little more informed instead of just always accepting a system that has been all I've known and without questioning it.  Am I alone in this state of ignorance or do most americans not realize that this is happening?  Do we trust what are doctors are telling us without question?  How much is this affecting our health?