Why an MRI costs $1,080 in America and $280 in France

[nutmeg]

Quote from FortuneTeller:

I thought the Dems were for lawyers suing the crap out of everybody over medical BS? That BS drives up insurance costs. If ObamaCare takes over who are they going to sue? Themselves?

I'm pretty sure Obama care didn't go anywhere near tort reform.

 

[piezoe]

Quote from nutmeg:

In 2009, Americans spent $7,960 per person on health care.
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Could be because our gov't requires more.

Everybody needs a multiple drug tests for work. You need a Dr note to call in sick, then you need a Dr note to return to work.Kids need many physicals during the school year. Every institution has their own form and requires the form to be filled out by your Dr.Seldom can you use an existing physical.

Everyone is encouraged to get a flu vaccine.

How about auto accidents? That's health care.

We could have a perfectly healty population but still spend an enormous amount on health care.

EMT's, ambulances and helicpoters are health care costs.

There is plenty the author left out.


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You can bargin down costs but fixed expenses you can't.


What effect does property taxes have on health care, or cost of employee's?

There are no significant differences, with regard to your list, between the U.S. and other countries other than cost. That was the point of the article.

 

[bigarrow]

Quote from piezoe:

There are no significant differences, with regard to your list, between the U.S. and other countries other than cost. That was the point of the article.

The difference may be doctors here live in 10,000 square foot mansions and own private helicopters and have vacation homes on the beach. I put in private helicopters because my orthopedic surgeon owns a helicopter. I hope he puts more time in preparing for a flight than he did in preparing for my surgery.

 

[Debaser82]

I had a CT scan recently and it cost 10$. I pay 200$ insurance yearly.

Ofcourse my country's debt is 100% but Japan's is 250% so who is counting right...

 

[Swan Noir]

Many thanks to the OP. And to those who immediately look for a partisan political reason I point out this goes way beyond what side of the aisle you sit on. It is a sick system that is a product of a collapsing empire. In our credentialed society we have pushed talent so far toward the bottom that simply MD or Esq. after your name gives you a way into a cartel.

That is not to say every attorney gets in and of course there are a few who don't want in ... ditto for doctors. But for any half bright guy with the paper in hand that monopolistic door is open.

These establishments must be taken on and anything short of shooting half of them has my endorsement. and I'm not far grom saying shooting one in ten should at least be considered.

 

[piezoe]

Quote from Sam Mcgee:

Without knowing what the actual statistics, I would guess that the main causes for high medical costs in declining order are:

High medical malpractice insurance rates
High rate of obesity
High utilization of specialists rather than general practitioners
Inefficiency of dealing with many different private insurers
High costs for medical school

Maybe a hospital administrator making 500K/Yr or a heart surgeon 800K after 3 years in practice has something to do with it. Maybe artificially low medical school enrollments; maybe lack of prescribing pharmacists, as in other countries; maybe having more drugs available by prescription only than in any other country has something to do with it; maybe medicare being forbidden to negotiate drug prices has something to do with it. Do you suppose? Maybe the McCarran–Ferguson Act has something to do with it.

Maybe U.S. health care is just ridiculous. Maybe the simple fact that U.S. medicine operates as a government protected CARTEL has something to do with it. Do you suppose?

 

[masterm1ne]

Quote from Stok:

Uh huh...and the guberment is better to run it? Every venture besides the Military, the guberment is a total failure and corrupt.

..... Actually the military is full of failure, and possibly corruption (depends on definition).

 

[brokerboy]

Quote from piezoe:

Maybe artificially low medical school enrollments

i want a school to be selective with someone who will be cutting me open.

 

[frogtrader]

Unfettered economic growth in the healthcare sector is the solution. That means hundreds/thousands more medical schools, all growing and competing with each other, and millions more doctors practicing and competing. Government intervention makes care more expensive. The care in France is not less expensive. French people pay for it with higher taxes, high unemployment, low opportunity, and rationing.

 

[braincell]

Quote from brokerboy:

i want a school to be selective with someone who will be cutting me open.

Shouldn't that selection be made based on skill rather than who can pay for education the most? Expensive education often creates overpaid underskilled staff. Some Russian engineers might confirm that with free education, and other parts of Europe.