Health care - When are Americans going to "GET IT" ! Literally!

[demo dutch]

The United States spends on average $6,402 per person annually on medical care. European countries spends far less that than, while providing coverage for ALL residents. Compare that to the US system and can't begin to compete!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92606938
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92116914

Health care An International comparison:
http://www.npr.org/news/specials/healthcare/healthcare_profiles.html

[DangerDave921]

1. Details

Providing "coverage" is one thing. The level of care is another matter. I'm not sure how that equates between us and Europe.

Theoretically, one can have coverage, but inadequate coverage. So just saying that everyone has coverage doesn't explain the full picture.

GOOD coverage is what counts.

[RaleighNCDUer]

2. Coverage there gives what you need.

Coverage here gives what you can pay for.

We have the best healthcare system in the world - for the rich.

[DangerDave921]

3. I'm not rich

and I have decent health coverage. I think the problem comes in two primary areas:

1. We now expect health insurance to cover every single thing a doctor does, i.e., office visit, shot, medication, x-ray, etc. It's no longer insurance but is instead an expectation that all care will be free. Insurance (no matter whether it's health, auto, fire, flood) was originally designed to cover unexpected events. Now we expect it to cover routine events.

2. Catastrophic injuries can wipe anyone out. This is where we really need insurance for everyone so that one illness doesn't wreck a lifetime of hard work. I am more inclined to support government insurance for events like these. For routine medical care, I think there has to be a better way than government running it.

[demo dutch]

5. Having lived in both the US (5 states) & various countries in Europe, my experience

is that the level of average care in Europe is superior than in the US. Obviously I'm not talking specialized care such as John Hopkins University, just your average care doctors and hospitals in major cities on both continents.

[Overseas]

7. Exactly! My own experience shows the same.

And EVEN SPECIALTY CARE. The fact that we may have a few more fancy machines certainly does not compensate from the millions of people not covered, under-served and BANKRUPTED by the high cost and inefficiency of the US for-profit disease care system.

[demo dutch]

15. You see this is the sad truth, they're believing this myth that universal care would

is riddled with problems and long waits. However ask anyone who has actually lived in Europe, and can speak from personal experience, that the care in Europe is excellent. Unfortunately Americans live in this isolated tower and believe anything they're being fed by the insurance companies. I have to give it to them they've done an excellent job!

[NorthCarolina]

12. Many of the countries with single payer health care for all citizens

rank MUCH higher than the US. Here are a portion of the rankings from the World Health Organization. You can see that the US is ranked way down there just above Cuba, which has universal single payer by the way, as does France, and Italy and look where they rank. If France and Italy can do it, so can America. Call your Congress persons and your senators and tell them to get behind HR 676, Universal Single Payer Health Care (NOT Insurance) for all.

Ranking Country
1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America
38 Slovenia
39 Cuba

[Clear Blue Sky]

4. Many treatments that are readily available here

are not available in Europe (at least through the public health system). And there are wait lists for specialist appointments, procedures, tests, surgery, etc. Not here.

The available and quality care available here comes at a price.

This applies to only those with insurance though, either private insurance or government.

[DustyJoe]

6. So True

Talk to anyone from UK or Canada. They all say the same thing, if you can pay you get the best.

[demo dutch]

10. If you can pay you get the best here too, so esentially it's the same thing. However that's not the

point. I've have family in the UK they don't have any more problems than we have except our cost and getting coverage in the first place. In fact now back in the US I have to wait 4 weeks to get laparoscopic surgery, that's not any different from Europe. If it's an emergency you get helped immediately in Europe. I'm speaking from personal experience I can tell you that Americans are being fed a myth.

[Lautremont]

17. I'm from Canada, and you're wrong.

The health care here is just fine. I've never had to wait an inordinate amount of time for anything, nor have I had to pay anything extra (or anything at all) for the privilege.

[demo dutch]

8. I've never experienced those problems in the various countries in Europe, when it's

an emergency you are helped immediately. That has been my experience in the UK, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg. Otherwise there is a short wait nothing out of the ordinary compared to seeing a specialist in the US.
Sadly this is the myth, they want you to believe. In fact now that I'm back in the US, I'm currently waiting 4 weeks to have laparoscopic surgery. This is not any different from the Netherlands for example.

[DangerDave921]

9. Myth?

Are you basing this on any stats, or just your own personal experiences? I'm not discounting personal experience, but that does not substitute for statistics. I know there have been reports of waiting lists for CT, MRI, specialists, etc.

[demo dutch]

11. Personal experience of having lived in both 5 different states in the US and

and in France, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Luxemburg. So I think I'm able to compare pretty well between the various systems in Europe and the US.

There are some waiting times for procedures and tests that are not emergency situations, however nothing I couldn't live with. Like I said, I'm currently waiting for 4 weeks to have laparoscopic surgery here in the US.

[Vinca]

13. Oh? I had to wait 2 months for a colonoscopy after exhibiting symptoms

of colon cancer and having a family tree riddled with it. I was scheduled 6 months in advance for a mammogram. And that was when I could still afford insurance! You don't want to hear the horror stories since I had to drop it.

[demo dutch]

14. Thank you, exactly my point. Americans are fed a myth!~

[demo dutch]

16. You couldn't be more wrong!