TUEs are pretty common in athletics. You cannot exclude athletes from medication, when they are probably the ones who need them the most. TUEs are a way to regulate that to ensure they aren't abused for competitive gain.
I think this is one of those "devil's in the details" things. In order to understand the significance of the US's TUEs we need context, and that context is what other countries are allowing, how commonly it occurs, and exactly what the process of getting a TUE is (e.g. is it rubber stamped, or a legit medical need).
For example, if we found out that the US has 50% more TUEs per athlete competing than the next highest country, that's a legitimate story. But if it turns out that the US has similar numbers to other countries (again, normalised per athlete numbers), then it is a non-story for the most part (except the hack itself).
Time will tell.
Not only in US. About 50 % of Swedish and Norwegian cross-country skiers suffer from asthma symptoms.
Of course, as others have pointed out, there may be misuse/abuse as well.
This was a way to get clenbuterol for a long time. And still is. The "illness" is over-indexed by a large margin.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/31/is-adderall-...
Since the NFL won't publicly rebut their arguments, NFL players are free to lie and make up ADHD diagnoses.
Apologies if you were saying this, but some people (including commenters to that article) are confused.
At least FIS has determined a hemoglobin limit for skiers, and UCI a hematocrit cap for cyclists. If your natural hemoglobin or red blood cell percentage is higher than the limit: tough, you can't participate.