View of Australian vs American health systems by a physician

[Catshrink]

This was a LTTE in the Arizona Republic this morning (emphasis mine). Wow!

"I am writing you as a U.S. board-certified family physician and Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Having practiced medicine in the States for 11 years and having worked as a general practitioner in Australia for the past two years, I feel the need to weigh in on the current controversy regarding universal health care.

In the past two years, a few of the things I have not done while providing care to approximately 500 patients per month include:

1. Justifying my care to an agent of an insurance company.
2. Spending more than three minutes on the phone attempting to get a needed "non-formulary" medication authorized. In the end, I have never been denied.
3. Worried that payment would be denied due to pre-existing conditions clauses, particularities of private carrier contracts or abstruse coding regulations.

I order CTs, ultrasounds, nuclear studies, and MRIs as medically indicated and needed. The results are back on my computer screen within a day. My patients get very few radiology and laboratory bills, and I am paid 100 percent fee for service at the time of delivery. I am generously reimbursed by the government for comprehensive disease management.

Wow. Dr Anthony R. Morice, Phoenix"

So....who is getting between the doctor and patient in the US? The insurance companies of course.

[WolverineDG]

1. I had to use the ER when I was in OZ about 10 years ago

Since the US refuses to recognize national health insurance cards from other countries as "legitimate insurance," I had to pay before I could be seen. If the US accepted those forms of insurance, I would have had to pay ZERO. Can't remember what it came out to in USD at the time, but it was around $50-75 tops. For everything. Tests, doctor exam, shot, prescription & medicine (since it was a Sunday night & the pharmacies were closed). In & out in 2 hours.

More recently I had another ER visit here in the US. In & out in 2 hours. Fortunately, my insurance company covered all but my deductible, but even still, the ER bill was over $1500.

And there are idiots who don't think there's a problem with the state of healthcare in the US? :eyes:

dg

[Catshrink]

2. These are the stories that need to be "out there"

not the one phonied up about the woman from Canada who had to go to the Mayo Clinic. That was a sham.

How about this one: Glenn Beck had to take his daughter to the ER when they were on vacation. The ER couldn't accept his out of state insurance! Of course, that didn't cause him to reflect on our system in the states. He blogged about it but I honestly don't follow him so have no idea what came of it. He's rich enough to pay the bill and forget about the "little people" for whom an ER bill would cause a hardship.

[Catshrink]

7. ..

[Catshrink]

3. 12 recs and sinks like a stone...

:shrug:

[CatWoman]

4. let's kick this puppy

k&r!!

[Catshrink]

5. Thanks....

Seems like a good reason for reform to me...

[Catshrink]

6. ....

[TexasObserver]

8. Recommend

[malaise]

9. K & R

for truth

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. Yes, we should collect stories like this

The New York Times refuses to allow the phrase "single-payer" in its news stories or columns, but its readers' comments are full of personal experiences of both health care providers and patients in other countries.

The doctors' stories all tell of how much easier it is to practice medicine in countries where you don't have to second-guess the insurance companies all the time.

[dugaresa]

11. Health Insurance companies are for-profit entities

they will deny coverage to anyone who is a bad risk.
they will deny care if it costs too much.

they want to make a profit and they will kill who they have to do so.

[Catshrink]

13. agreed.

I should have waited until today to post this -- yesterday it sunk like a stone.

[JHB]

12. Kick

:kick:

[Laelth]

14. Kick for the truth. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[nightrain]

15. Kick and kick again! Yes, we all benefit from knowing the comparisons.

Watch Frontline's "Sick Around the World" for a great cross-cultural comparison of health care delivery systems.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/

In particular, watch the segment on Taiwan. They had a financing mess similar to ours and have successfully transformed into a well-functioning, somewhat underfunded, SINGLE PAYER health care system. They're paying about 3-4% of their GDP, and at time of airing (?Spring 2008?) of the program, were contemplating adding more.

US is spending ?~18%, and we have this crapola.

[Catshrink]

18. Thanks for posting this link.

[livetohike]

16. I was treated in the ER while on vacation in Australia

I needed a tetanus shot and the wound cleaned up (did not need stitches). The cost? ZERO! The attending physician said, "No worries!" when I asked about the cost. She knew I was from the states, yet treated me for free.

[ceile]

17. Kick!