Why is the state of America’s Healthcare so crappy for how much people are spending on it?
Despite being one of the richest in the world it ranks according to the WHO as 37th in the world. Where doctors are paid exceedingly high salaries and people aren’t getting the care they deserve. According to wikipedia, “Health care costs in both countries are rising faster than inflation.” At this rate it’s like the housing market, a bubble about to burst!
Forbes states that “The US spends 15% of its GDP on health care–with little to show for it. In 2006, almost 16% of the population lacked health insurance.” Among nations in the world, America far exceeds the second highest spending country-Switzerland (but they have the results to show for it).
Of the top ten healthiest countries in the world, America isn’t even one of them. Japan having an average life expectancy of 73.6 years of age. Other top ten countries are located in Europe.
Is it because the whole system is focused on sick care instead of wellness care?
http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:International_Comparison_-_Healthcare_spending_as_%25_GDP.png
In addition, why is the United States the ONLY industrialized country that allows drugs to be directly marketed to consumers? Straight from the BMJ…
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/330/7481/5
Doctor J posted: 27 May at 5:06 pm
Heath care in the U.S. is no longer a free market enterprise. Government interference in health care is ubiquitous and it has completely disrupted the free market mechanisms that would “contain health care costs”.
Best wishes and good luck to all of us when socialized medicine takes over all of health care in the U.S.
fretochose posted: 27 May at 5:41 pm
In a nutshell,
Health care in the US is no longer controlled by providers. The insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies have control. Diseases are invented by Pharma, advertised in all media, and the buy-line is “ask your doctor if whiz-bangg is right for you”. The marketing costs for all the invented diseases and magic treatment (never a cure) makes the cost to the patient outrageous.
50% of US adults are on a chronic medication. Drug costs can easily run $400.00 to $600.00 or more monthly for all the daily medications.
So call it crappy health care or maintenancee of sickness…both the same.
Lightning posted: 27 May at 6:32 pm
For the simple reason that it puts profit before people.
dave posted: 27 May at 7:07 pm
In the US, health care is run as a profit making enterprise. Not only does the ‘consumer’ have to fund a hospital’s profits, they also have to fund a few multi-billion dollar insurance companies too.
In countries where the health care is state funded, there’s no mandatory billion-dollar insurance companies and hospitals are not required to make a profit. The health and wealth inequalities in the US certainly shocked me when I visited recently. It’s no wonder people are forced to seek cheaper and ineffective alternatives.
State run health care isn’t perfect, but you’ll never have anyone unable to afford treatment or unable to have a condition treated because they haven’t got insurance.
Nothing depresses me more than to read on here about people with obviously very serious symptoms who need immediate care, asking about which crystal to buy to cure themselves or what herb to sprinkle on their food because they can’t afford the insurance.
Completely and utterly wrong.
Flizbap posted: 27 May at 7:54 pm
This is one of the few times i will wholeheartedly agree with the “alties”
US healthcare is fucking atrocious. My wife’s boss is a legitimate mullionaire… and is STILL unable to get health insurance because she has arthritis in her damn wrist.
Disgusting.