Comparative Performance of American Health Care - national disgrace

[dddooo]

Despite having the most costly health system in the world, the United States consistently underperforms on most dimensions of performance, relative to other countries.

Compared with five other nations—Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom—the U.S. health care system ranks last or next-to-last on five dimensions of a high performance health system: quality, access, efficiency, equity, and healthy lives. The U.S. is the only country in the study without universal health insurance coverage, partly accounting for its poor performance on access, equity, and health outcomes. The inclusion of physician survey data also shows the U.S. lagging in adoption of information technology and use of nurses to improve care coordination for the chronically ill.

The U.S. health system is the most expensive in the world, ...Most troubling, the U.S. fails to achieve better health outcomes than the other countries, and as shown in the earlier editions, the U.S. is last on dimensions of access, patient safety, efficiency, and equity.

With the inclusion of physician survey data in the analysis, it is also apparent that the U.S. is lagging in adoption of information technology and national policies that promote quality improvement.

US Overall Ranking
Quality - 5
Access - 6
Efficiency - 6
Equity - 6
Healthy lives - 6

Expenditures per capita
Australia - $2876
Canada - $3165
Germany - $3005
New Zealand - $2083
UK - $2546
USA - $6102

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=482678

 

[Covertibility]

Reminds me of what one of the Germans said when Daimler merged with Chrysler, Americans only care about the paperwork while the Germans care about the product. There really is nothing America does right anymore.

 

[Woz2000]

That's not really true. Americans only really care about the legal consequences.

When bringing a new product to market, the first question to ask is... are there potential liability issues. Second question to ask is... will the profits be sufficient to contain the liabilities (that is, can we get stinking rich while the lawyers fight off or pay off the dead man's wife).

When my friends come over form overseas, they are always bring stuff over. Stuff that you just don't see on American shelves, not because they are dangerous, but because they can be dangerous when used the wrong way by morons.

But I digress.

I hate our health care. My wife just had preemies, I have a stack of bills an inch think. I know some of them are wrong. I know some of them are overcharges. But they are so cryptic that I would have to get a doctors degree, nursing degree, medical technician diploma, and all sorts of medical references, calculators and tie the phone to my face to just begin challenging them. Why? So the CEOs of these insurers can take home their mega millions. That is truly why our health care sucks, I don't remember the exact number, but I think about 25 cents of every health care dollar actually goes to health care while other countries are more like 75 or 80 cents.

Quote from Covertibility:

Reminds me of what one of the Germans said when Daimler merged with Chrysler, Americans only care about the paperwork while the Germans care about the product. There really is nothing America does right anymore.

 

[Jasonlovespips]

Perhaps if our doctors weren't prostituting themselves for pharamcheutical companies and prescribing us all types of medications we don't need and if our kids weren't so obese our costs would be lower. Article on front page of FT this morning: amount of kids taking Type II diabetes medication doubled in last 4 years. See your $$$ at work.

 

[stevegee58]

Interesting that Canada ranks next to last, just ahead of the US. I've read about wealthy Canadians coming to the US and paying out of pocket for MRIs because of a 6 month waiting list for a Canadian one.

 

[TorontoTrader2]

Quote from stevegee58:

Interesting that Canada ranks next to last, just ahead of the US. I've read about wealthy Canadians coming to the US and paying out of pocket for MRIs because of a 6 month waiting list for a Canadian one.

for sure, if I was in dire need I'd go somewhere else and pay - USA, or even places like India do great work for cheap.

but so far in my life I have never had to fork over hard cash for healthcare. But you are talking about cancer.

In the case of immediate need:
If I drop now and need a quadruple bypass, I would be done ASAP for free. If my appendix busts, it will be done now for free.
and birthing a kid will not bankrupt a family here, it's free.
If I am in a car accident, yep again instant free care.

 

[grazia_s]

Quote from stevegee58:

Interesting that Canada ranks next to last, just ahead of the US. I've read about wealthy Canadians coming to the US and paying out of pocket for MRIs because of a 6 month waiting list for a Canadian one.

Haha, that's like the UK! Lived in London for a while and was APPALLED at their healthcare system. Dental too - guess they will never get away from their reputation as the worst toothed nation

 

[SWScapital]

Quote from Woz2000:

My wife just had preemies, I have a stack of bills an inch think. .

Congrats and hopefully they are healthy and happy.

My wife had a baby in May. Thank goodness we have fantastic coverage. But I still got copies of the bills. There was shit in there that is just plain criminal. $500.00 consultation for a Dr she never saw(was with her every second for 5 days). Stuff like that was all throughout the copies.

Also, I went to the emergency room last summer. I was not feeling right after I found a tick bite that was infected. The Dr looked at me. Sent me my way. No drugs, didn't even touch the infected spot. $600.00 bucks for walking in the door.

Our healthcare system is fucked with a stick. Big pharma baby!!!

 

[TorontoTrader2]

We can thank the HMO/pharma lobby for keeping us as economic slaves. But hey, we must keep believing that our vote matters, and that our leaders care about the average joe.

Delusional. We should really stage a revolution and take back control over our necessities of life - power, water, health care. To seize back control from the corporate overlords. But propaganda, drugs and TV have made us apathetic and weak

 

[Woz2000]

Thanks. The twins are fine. They spend almost two months in local hospital NICU. Bill (covered) was about $1500 per day, but when one of them was at a big city hospital for 3 days to have surgery, bill was $10k per day. They butchered the operation, now he has an 'extra' scar. One of the surgeons also trying to gouge us by claiming he is not network (working as asst to network doc), so he wants full fee for standing there (as backup to primary surgeon). Surgery was routine and 15 minutes, but he wants double the primary surgeon because he is not network. Its BS. Getting the benefits of a network but refusing the network rates.

I'm also pretty sure the insurance company is trying to gouge us also with denials and out of pockets, I swear we've already paid 2x our supposed maximum out of pocket.

It's a full time job fighting the insurance... try doing that with two newborns!!!

Quote from SWScapital:

Congrats and hopefully they are healthy and happy.

My wife had a baby in May. Thank goodness we have fantastic coverage. But I still got copies of the bills. There was shit in there that is just plain criminal. $500.00 consultation for a Dr she never saw(was with her every second for 5 days). Stuff like that was all throughout the copies.

Also, I went to the emergency room last summer. I was not feeling right after I found a tick bite that was infected. The Dr looked at me. Sent me my way. No drugs, didn't even touch the infected spot. $600.00 bucks for walking in the door.

Our healthcare system is fucked with a stick. Big pharma baby!!!