Health Care

[metis]

This I read this morning, but the facts and figures are of no surprise:

US health report card: 'A' for spending, F' for performance


Bang for your buck? No such luck—not even close.

The United States health-care system has finished dead last—yet again—in a comparison of first-world countries, despite vastly outspending those nations on health services, according to a new study released Monday.

Adding insult to injury, the Commonwealth Fund-issued study ranked the United Kingdom in first place in the rankings despite the fact that the UK spent just $3,182 per capita on health—the second-least amount of the 11 countries surveyed.

And Canada, which was just above the U.S. in the overall rankings, spent just $4,522 per person on health services.

In contrast, the U.S. spent $8,508 per person on health care, or 17.7 percent of the gross domestic product.

"The claim that the United States has 'the best health care system in the world' is clearly not true," stated the Commonwealth Fund report.

"To reduce cost and improve outcomes, the U.S. must adopt and adapt lessons from effective health- care systems both at home and around the world," said the report, which examined 80 separate indicators from the countries related to five overall areas of performance: health, quality, efficiency, access and equity...

The study found that after the United Kingdom, the top-ranked health systems were those of Switzerland and Sweden, followed by Australia, a tie between Germany and the Netherlands, a tie between Norway and New Zealand, France took ninth place, with Canada and the U.S. bringing up the rear. The most recent report, in 2010, had looked at just seven countries. This year, France, Sweden, and Switzerland were added to the mix. -- US health system tops in spending, dead last in performance

Thoughts?

 

[Tarheeler]

I think our treating the health and welfare of our people as nothing more than a commodity to be sold for profit is a profound statement on our society. While I would prefer some form of single-payer system, there are many different ways to ensure that everyone gets the care they need while still allowing all the providers to make a profit while doing so.

 

[Valjean]

Americans are abysmally ignorant about healthcare systems, and seem to fear looking outside the US for workable models.

Over and over I hear the refrain: "but how are we going to pay for it? We're already overtaxed!" Idiots! All the other systems are both better and cheaper. You'll be spending a third what you are now. You'll be getting a tax refund!

 

[metis]

I think our treating the health and welfare of our people as nothing more than a commodity to be sold for profit is a profound statement on our society. While I would prefer some form of single-payer system, there are many different ways to ensure that everyone gets the care they need while still allowing all the providers to make a profit while doing so.

I'm afraid not. Too much money is tied up in duplication and advertising, plus drug manufacturers have monopolies for 10 years here whereas they can charge whatever the market can bear. Her in the States, health care costs roughly 17% of GDP, whereas the next highest is just over 12% internationally.

The difference? Ours is the only for-profit system from top to bottom.

 

[Revoltingest]

I just ran across one reason that health care here is so very expensive.
Daughter made an appointment a month ago for shots to travel various places in S Americastan.
They were to have all the appropriate drugs on hand.
She showed up to discover that the doctor was unfamiliar with the countries,
had no drugs, & was incapable of solving this problem. A travel doctor, who had
never even heard of Bogota, Columbia? And this was at the vaunted UofM Hospital.
http://www.uofmhealth.org/

This hearkens back to my days at Black & Decker, designing surgical tools.
I was sore amazed at how technologically backward health care was compared to industry & commerce.
Discussing daughter's experience with Mrs Revolt, who is in the business of analyzing & fixing health care,
she too says they're still in the dark ages in information technology. As a result, patients suffer repeat
visits, risk, & potential damage due to incompetence. This costs both the consumer & the provider.
If you go to Firestone to get a special part replaced, they track its being in stock, & manage the
appointment to minimize inconvenience. The health care industry just doesn't have a culture of
anticipating needs & problems in a highly organized way, ie, they're very weak on system management.
Until the patient acts like a customer, & the industry shares that view, they'll continue to just blunder on.