Health insurance....
- Thread starter slowGEEZR
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sleepysurf
Well-known member
Our healthcare system is already in shambles- however the majority of patients/consumers just don't know it yet! As an aging baby-boomer (and physician), it's quite scary! I see no easy fix.
My dad (DR) just says he keeps working more hours for less money...
Sleepy,
I'm sure your in the same boat.
Kenscollick
Well-known member
I am sure there a problems especially for Hospitals and their workers, but is there a better system in the world?
sleepysurf
Well-known member
Well, that depends on your perspective I guess. But according to the World Health Organization's rankings, there are many better health care systems in the world. They rank France at #1, Spain at #7, Japan at #10, the U.K. at #18, and Switzerland at #20. The U.S. ranks in at #37! There are 190 countries in the list total. They used five factors to rate the systems: responsiveness, fairness of financial contributions for health care (as a fraction of family income), overall level of health in the country, distribution of health in the population, and distribution of financing for the overall system.
Here is the link for the rankings:
http://www.photius.com/rankings/healthranks.html
They did note in their report that the U.S. spends a greater percentage of its GDP on health care than any other nation, yet is #37 on the list as far as quality of care and equality of access goes. The U.S. also has lower life expectancy rates, higher infant mortality rates, higher doctor's incomes, and higher rates of death for 1-4 year olds, compared to other countries that ranked higher on the list, such as France, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Canada, among others.
Our system isn't horrible, but it is going downhill fast. Don't let your Nationalistic tendencies lead you to believe it is the best in the world. It is far from that.
Having lived abroad and worked for a few years on software for the British National Health System, I can say the U.S. healthcare system is woefully behind the times.
The fact that 40 to 50 million of our citizens (plus untold non-citizens) have no reliable access to health care (other than emergency care, which is the most burdensome), is unconscionable for the supposedly 'leader of the free world' and 'richest country'.
Everyone knows good, planned, preventative health care is the most cost-effective and quality of life enhancing way to deal with health. But we have no national plan to support that.
The fact that 40 to 50 million of our citizens (plus untold non-citizens) have no reliable access to health care (other than emergency care, which is the most burdensome), is unconscionable for the supposedly 'leader of the free world' and 'richest country'.
Everyone knows good, planned, preventative health care is the most cost-effective and quality of life enhancing way to deal with health. But we have no national plan to support that.
Robin
Well-known member
Our Health Care System...
Great thread!
What did you guys think of Michael Moore's film, "Sicko"? Moore definiately has his point of view... However, I thought the film was very interesting as well as thought provoking... Being a health care professional I see huge wast and profit taking many times at the expense of the most vulnerable folks in our society. And in our system many go un-teated... especailly in the area of mental health. It seems California has crimalized the mentally ill classifying them as florensic. In the last fifteen years, California's prisons have become the new Mental Hospitals with each prison having it's own mental wing. California's Mental Hospital's biggest supplier of new clients are referrals from the prison system immates. It is just a very sad way to treat people.
IMHO the USA should be ranked #1 in the world, in health care. It is just a travisty are 37th, because we really should be #1.
Great thread!What did you guys think of Michael Moore's film, "Sicko"? Moore definiately has his point of view... However, I thought the film was very interesting as well as thought provoking... Being a health care professional I see huge wast and profit taking many times at the expense of the most vulnerable folks in our society. And in our system many go un-teated... especailly in the area of mental health. It seems California has crimalized the mentally ill classifying them as florensic. In the last fifteen years, California's prisons have become the new Mental Hospitals with each prison having it's own mental wing. California's Mental Hospital's biggest supplier of new clients are referrals from the prison system immates. It is just a very sad way to treat people.
IMHO the USA should be ranked #1 in the world, in health care. It is just a travisty are 37th, because we really should be #1.
Moore explained on Larry King Live that we hear the other side all the time, which is why he showed the lesser known side.
It was a good film.
MM is working on another film, he was on Larry King last night talking about it. He gained all his weight back and then some.
The U.S. healthcare system in a nutshell; get sick, go into massive debt (even with insurance) and die poor.
Why save money for when you get old? They will just take it from you and leave you homeless.
Great system - NOT.
While I acknowledge there is a problem with OUR system, First and FOREMOST the #1 problem is too many individuals do not know what "taking responsibility for one's well being" means. Poor diets, lack of excersize and then we get ill and wonder why hasen't the goverment done something to improve health care.............please, save me !!
While I will admitt there are folks out there who do the 'right things' and still become ill there are far too many that don't, just walk the streets of any city in this country and you will see my point !!
While I will admitt there are folks out there who do the 'right things' and still become ill there are far too many that don't, just walk the streets of any city in this country and you will see my point !!
audioxcel
Well-known member
I have worked as a paramedic for over 25 years now and my observations are that more and more people abuse the system. Early in my career, almost every call was for a person who needed real help, real fast. Now, about 85% of the calls I respond to are for people who should be getting in a car and going to their PCP's office or if that is not possible the ER, but in any case not by ambulance. People now call 9-1-1 and expect to be transported for cut fingers and sprained wrists and so forth.
I pick-up people almost every day who have a ******* cold and expect to be taken to the ER. I don't give a damned how bad a cold is, the treatment is the same and it never requires a visit to an MD. Going to an ER only exposes more people and makes more people sick.
To make matters worse the company I work for expects (requires) me to transport these people because it reduces the company's liability. To make matters worse, I am expected to write a chart that will somehow meet the requirements of insurance companies' medical nesessity requirements so that the bill will be paid.
So, what I see the a major problems are the assinine concept of defensive medicine that is propelled by an out of control litiginous society and people who think they are owed something that in other societies is assumed to be a personal responsibility.
I am an unrepent liberal but I have got to wonder if universal heath care will work in our society. We would need to do some serious overhaul of liability laws and limit the terms of coverage to what is reasonable and necessary if we were to go down the road of a nationalized health care system.
I pick-up people almost every day who have a ******* cold and expect to be taken to the ER. I don't give a damned how bad a cold is, the treatment is the same and it never requires a visit to an MD. Going to an ER only exposes more people and makes more people sick.
To make matters worse the company I work for expects (requires) me to transport these people because it reduces the company's liability. To make matters worse, I am expected to write a chart that will somehow meet the requirements of insurance companies' medical nesessity requirements so that the bill will be paid.
So, what I see the a major problems are the assinine concept of defensive medicine that is propelled by an out of control litiginous society and people who think they are owed something that in other societies is assumed to be a personal responsibility.
I am an unrepent liberal but I have got to wonder if universal heath care will work in our society. We would need to do some serious overhaul of liability laws and limit the terms of coverage to what is reasonable and necessary if we were to go down the road of a nationalized health care system.
audioxcel
Well-known member
There was an interesting study that I read recently that seems conterintuitive but after thinking about it makes some sense. Oddly enough, preventive medicine doesn't not necessarily reduce over-all health care costs because people who don't practice preventive health care die sooner. The biggest difference is where the money is spent not how much is spent.
Having said that, the quality of life issue is indisputable. The problem is that even the best system will not be able to force people to take care of themselves and this is the foundation of preventative medicine. Some would benefit from better access but many more would have an unchanged outcome.
