U.S. Health Care Most Expensive & Most Error Prone

[Chris]

The system is broke

link

Not only do Americans pay much more for medical treatment than anyone else in the world, they also bear the brunt of the most medical errors, according to a survey covering the USA, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Almost 7,000 patients were consulted.

The survey supported by The Commonwealth Fund finds that one-third of U.S. patients with health problems reported experiencing medical mistakes, medication errors, or inaccurate or delayed lab results -- the highest rate of any of the six nations surveyed.

[Jack]

One-third (34%) of U.S. respondents reported at least one of four types of errors: they believed they experienced a medical mistake in treatment or care, were given the wrong medication or dose, were given incorrect test results, or experienced delays in receiving abnormal test results.

I'm not arguing their conclusion, as I too feel that we have too many doctors with too little knowledge and that the cost of medical care in the U.S. is so high that many who really need it can't afford it. But two of those examples above are perceptions (they believed they experienced a medical mistake in treatment or care, experienced delays in receiving abnormal test results) That may or may not be totally accurate. I would have preferred that they had used factual information like the number of doctors convicted of malpractice or the number of surgeries required to correct previous surgeries.

[Dirty Name]

Three words: Medical Savings Accounts

[grandpa]

Quote by: Dirty Name Three words: Medical Savings Accounts

They'd work out pretty well if you are physically well and well off financially.

Grandpa h.

[Jack]

Saving's accounts don't improve health care. Even those with the money to afford health care shouldn't have to pay it to incompetent doctors.

[RVonse]

Quote by: |Chris| The system is broke .

Yes it is undeniably broke, almost everyone agrees. Yet there is next to no visibility of this issue in Washington. There is all kinds of people wanting to fix things that really aren't broke (at least yet) like social security yet no one says one word about healthcare.

IMO what we should be doing is looking at the healthcare of the most successful countries and copy their system. I think either Australia or England has the highest average life expectancy and lowest cost of medical care.

[Chris]

Quote by: RVonse Yes it is undeniably broke, almost everyone agrees. Yet there is next to no visibility of this issue in Washington. There is all kinds of people wanting to fix things that really aren't broke (at least yet) like social security yet no one says one word about healthcare. IMO what we should be doing is looking at the healthcare of the most successful countries and copy their system. I think either Australia or England has the highest average life expectancy and lowest cost of medical care.

I agree with you 100%

Then you get people bitching and moaning about "Socialism" and "I am taxed too much"

:rolleyes:

[Sonart]

[Chris]

Nice one

[tman_ndsu08]

The obvious answer is to end the system. Let people be responsible for themselves.

This is America! We have to lead by example! We can't let these european countries try to make it seem as if socialism is an acceptable practice!!

[Osborn F Enready]

The thread starter forgot to mention "US Healthcare, also the most corporate controlled."

[Jack]

This is America! We have to lead by example! We can't let these european countries try to make it seem as if socialism is an acceptable practice!!

Yeah! We're America. Better our citizens suffer and die than we permit some foreign country that does health care better teach us anything.
We're America. We know everything. We're already perfect in every way.
:rolleyes:

[tman_ndsu08]

Quote by: Isherwood Yeah! We're America. Better our citizens suffer and die than we permit some foreign country that does health care better teach us anything. We're America. We know everything. We're already perfect in every way.

The obviously point is that they don't do it better and that a private market heath system means LESS people die!

That's the truth even if you don't like it.

It's up to us Americans to show the world the truth!

[Sonart]

Quote by: tman The obvious answer is to end the system. Let people be responsible for themselves.

Suuuuure.... you got $300,000 for your cancer treatment?

.

[grandpa]

Quote by: Sonart Suuuuure.... you got $300,000 for your cancer treatment? .

I will try to put it nicely--T-man is simply not in touch with reality. I haven't been to the doctor in years, but there could certainly be a time when I'd want to go.

Gramdpa h.

[Scribbler1]

Quote by: tman_ndsu08 The obviously point is that they don't do it better and that a private market heath system means LESS people die!

How is that determined? Are you comparing like cases in countries with public and private health care? Do you have anything to back that up?

[US Independent]

Our medical system would be destroyed by socialism. Here in America we get medical treatment quickly and efficiently most of the time. Usually when its not there is some sort of crisis happening. The reason why America has the most accident prone and highest priced medicine is because we sue doctors if we think they made a mistake. Hundreds of patients sue doctors over medical malpractice. No wonder it shows lots of mistakes. The data is corrupted. Use some correct data like the number of correctional procedures. My dad is a vet. He pays malpractice insurance which is extremely expensive. I do not know the exact amount but its something like $80,000 a year. The AVMA association I think pays for some of it, maybe its some other organization, but the point is is that doctors can pay up to $150,000 a year for insurance and with a $80,000 a year or less salary it is impossible to pay. So hospitals are required to increase prices to pay for it. Another problem is that hospitals compete with one another for better services which cost money. They raise prices to pay for it. Some other reasons could be included...like over medicating. The hospitals pay for the drugs and in some cases they even give it to the patient directly this costs money.

One of the biggest problems are our drug industries. They overcharge us. It can't cost that much to produce they use machines but they still charge an enormous amount. My dad can get ibuprofen and tricyclen for animals at a much cheaper price then the amount the same companies charge humans for. Its the same drug, the same price to produce, and the difference is that one is a human and one is an animal. If drug companies lower their prices hospitals could lower theirs as well. But so much for wishful thinking.

[tman_ndsu08]

Quote by: Sonart Suuuuure.... you got $300,000 for your cancer treatment? .

I'll take out a high interest loan.

If I'm unable to pay it all back before I die then it gets transferred on to my kids and so on until it's paid back.

[Chris]

Quote by: tman_ndsu08 I'll take out a high interest loan. If I'm unable to pay it all back before I die then it gets transferred on to my kids and so on until it's paid back.

Are you taking the piss?

If not that sounds like a really good idea, go for it tman.

[bishop]

what a great father.. stick the bill with the kids.