I'll repost this when it's a little better formulated.

Whenever people complain about how inefficient and awful government-run health care would be I just tell them that the government already runs the most cost efficient and patient satisfying health care in the country in VA Medical Centers around the country.  Statistical data would reinforce my claims that VA centers have the lowest rate of doctor-to-patient error from keeping complex records in automated systems that span across different hospitals, and long term care, error reduction, and accuracy of cures are all improved from these things.  Anecdotal evidence would support my claims as well, because my dad has worked for the VA for 30 years and has treated thousands of patients and you can go down to any VA Medical Center in any region of the country and ask the people who are being treated there if they would rather be treated in private hospitals and see what they say.

That is usually an argument-ender.

The statistical and medical evidence, however, indicates that there is no correlation between autism and vaccination.  And the decision to avoid vaccines reduces herd immunity and places anyone who can't take a vaccine for various reasons (too young, too old, compromised immune systems, etc) at much greater risk to catch serious diseases long thought dead.    

So we are experiencing a revival of diseases like whooping cough or measles because of the success of an anecdotal argument - a flawed argument leading to poor decision making and worse outcomes for many people.

Part of the problem with most of our drugs is that WE HAVE NO EARTHLY IDEA WHY, nor How, they work.

Pick up a PDR, and look up any drug.  You will find : "The functions of these transporters and their exact roles in <whatever> are not known."

So you're dealing with unknowns, and all you CAN do is use the Anecdotal Experience ~ especially since that's what medical science is doing!  

Most drugs?  No one knows WHY they work, just THAT they work.