'Paying Till It Hurts': Why American Health Care Is So Pricey - Polidicks

So if I break my hip I could take a vacation to Sweden and it'd cost less? [B]FUCK. YEAH.[/B]

[QUOTE=Splash Attack;41765588]The solution is simple: Nationalize health care entirely. Do away with trying to turn a profit. Make it a single payer system.[/QUOTE] A single-payer system isn't nationalized healthcare, it's nationalized health insurance

[QUOTE=Smug Bastard;41769321]So if I break my hip I could take a vacation to Sweden and it'd cost less? [B]FUCK. YEAH.[/B][/QUOTE] yea, if you dont bleed out before then.

[QUOTE=Splash Attack;41765588]The solution is simple: Nationalize health care entirely. Do away with trying to turn a profit. Make it a single payer system.[/QUOTE] American pharmaceutical companies are one of the biggest developers for life-saving drugs. R&D is very expensive, and profit is one of the best motivators. Yes, it's far too expensive. But without pharmaceutical companies, there would be little incentive for drug development. Sure, increase taxes. You'll cover health care. But you wouldn't even come close to covering the R&D costs that pharmaceutical companies go through - and without profit for motivation, the entire pharmaceutical R&D industry would collapse. Free market is a fantastic way to spur on competition and R&D (as long as monopolization restrictions are in place), and it's almost impossible to replicate the levels of R&D being done by the pharma industry when you nix their profits, even through taxation. [editline]9th August 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Zeke129;41769440]A single-payer system isn't nationalized healthcare, it's nationalized health insurance[/QUOTE] Pretty much this. Nationalized insurance would work fine without damaging the profits that pharma companies expect (however exorbitant). Nationalized health care entirely? Say goodbye to drug R&D outside of government-sponsored research.

[QUOTE=areolop;41769463]yea, if you dont bleed out before then.[/QUOTE] [img]http://cdn.weinterrupt.com/wp-content/uploads/superglue.jpg[/img] :v:

[QUOTE=Smug Bastard;41769892][img]http://cdn.weinterrupt.com/wp-content/uploads/superglue.jpg[/img] :v:[/QUOTE] Oddly enough, superglue was originally intended for quickly sealing wartime wounds iirc, so that they could be treated properly later.

[QUOTE=Aide;41766266]Because people within America are stupid and ignorant about other countries. I see about 20 dollars taken for every 120 I make. Doesn't bother me because of low local/state inflation.[/QUOTE] Yeah but then again it is offset by $600 10 minute doctor visits and $100,000 hip replacements, $1.1 Million for intestine transplants, $800,000 for a Heart transplant, $700,000 for a bone marrow transplant even if the marrow comes from a sibling, half a million if its your own. That heart stent that Bush got (That we paid for, mind you) Costs the average American WITH insurance $11,000 to $40,000. Free market is great and all, but healthcare shouldn't be in it. My health is not a commodity. Though it is kind of funny that our tax dollars does basically cover the costs of government employee's healthcare, but not our own

[QUOTE=Splash Attack;41765588]The solution is simple: Nationalize health care entirely. Do away with trying to turn a profit. Make it a single payer system.[/QUOTE] Works for Cuba. Their healthcare is one of the best of the world, and that's not a joke.

[QUOTE=.Isak.;41769540]American pharmaceutical companies are one of the biggest developers for life-saving drugs. R&D is very expensive, and profit is one of the best motivators. Yes, it's far too expensive. But without pharmaceutical companies, there would be little incentive for drug development. Sure, increase taxes. You'll cover health care. But you wouldn't even come close to covering the R&D costs that pharmaceutical companies go through - and without profit for motivation, the entire pharmaceutical R&D industry would collapse. Free market is a fantastic way to spur on competition and R&D (as long as monopolization restrictions are in place), and it's almost impossible to replicate the levels of R&D being done by the pharma industry when you nix their profits, even through taxation. [editline]9th August 2013[/editline] Pretty much this. Nationalized insurance would work fine without damaging the profits that pharma companies expect (however exorbitant). Nationalized health care entirely? Say goodbye to drug R&D outside of government-sponsored research.[/QUOTE] Yeah, because we don't have any private medical companies in Europe that compete on the best price and effect of the drugs, it's all controlled by the "government". I don't know what they teach you in the US, but most european governments then purchase the solution that yields the best result at the lowest price.

For certain procedures, people do this in Australia too A relative needed specialist dental surgery done, it was cheaper for him and his wife to fly overseas to some place in Asia, get it done there, have a week holiday and fly back

[quote]It costs $13,660 for an American to have a hip replacement in Belgium; in the U.S., it's closer to $100,000.[/quote] Fuck yeah, Belgium. This country has its flaws but the health care is pretty damn good.

People like to live. Health care ensures survival and comfort. People will pay a lot of money for survival and comfort. Therefore, ramp prices up.

Canada's great!

Out of curiosity, how much does it cost to have diabetes in the US?

[QUOTE=Loures;41773834]Out of curiosity, how much does it cost to have diabetes in the US?[/QUOTE] depends on how you control it. Is this person regularly using insulin, or do they control their intake? I've got one grandfather that doesn't even stick himself, so he wouldn't know if his sugar was off. He just controls his intake and has learned to think sweet stuff tastes like shit. On the other side of my family, I have a grandmother and her twin sister that treat insulin like sugar insurance, lol. Yes, it can work that way and as long as they've been doing it they have the experience to get away with it. They stick themselves multiple times per day and stuff. One time, my great aunt did take too much and she crashed, her husband started forcing sweet shit down her throat. But yeah, that's about as bad as diabetes gets. That is, if you don't start losing legs and vision.

I'll just replace my hip myself, damn. Hinges are only a few bucks at Home Depot. What could go wrong? [IMG]http://facepunch.com//fp/emoot/black101.gif[/IMG]

[QUOTE=Terminutter;41769998]Oddly enough, superglue was originally intended for quickly sealing wartime wounds iirc, so that they could be treated properly later.[/QUOTE] Fffffuck. I've superglued my skin to itself numerous times when painting minatures. That shit HURTS. And it smells like really, really hot grass.

Why did America have this kind of healthcare again?

I have a birth defect that is actively damaging my heart, and dramatically impairing my lungs. Getting surgery to fix it would prevent any further heart damage, and could increase my lung capacity by as much as 66%. It's cost me my career, has had a profound impact on my quality of life and general health, and is also unattractive to look at. It's a necessary surgery, but because it is a rare and extreme version of a common birth defect that typically has no impact on health and wellness, it is classified as an elective procedure, and thus not covered by insurance. It costs approximately $50,000 under US health care. My dad and I are already in bankruptcy, and still struggling to climb back out. The procedure I need is so far outside our means and income bracket that it's effectively impossible to have it done. The United States health care system is more than broken, it's shattered. It needs a complete restructuring. When people cannot get access to life- and career-saving medical attention at a cost that will not ruin them financially, there is a serious problem!

[QUOTE=Aide;41766193]50 percent sounds like a lot of money.[/QUOTE] It is but it's not as much as paying for my medicine(insurance covers the most stuff), any driving accidents(insurance) and most of all, investments for pensions(again, insurance covers it) would cost me. People just really have a hard time seeing long term benefits.

I suffered from a deep vein thrombosis followed by a massive pulmonary embolism two years ago that almost killed me, and I'm now on oral anticoagulants for life, but I'm so glad I live in the UK so the NHS covers me for it. Hell, my doc has just moved me onto a new medicine that costs more but means I have go through less blood tests and dose changes, so it's not like the NHS is all about saving money at all costs.

Americans pay more for heath care than Canadians do and they don't get it for free because of all the subsidies to the hospitals. It boggles my mind.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;41774703]I have a birth defect that is actively damaging my heart, and dramatically impairing my lungs. Getting surgery to fix it would prevent any further heart damage, and could increase my lung capacity by as much as 66%. It's cost me my career, has had a profound impact on my quality of life and general health, and is also unattractive to look at. It's a necessary surgery, but because it is a rare and extreme version of a common birth defect that typically has no impact on health and wellness, it is classified as an elective procedure, and thus not covered by insurance. It costs approximately $50,000 under US health care. My dad and I are already in bankruptcy, and still struggling to climb back out. The procedure I need is so far outside our means and income bracket that it's effectively impossible to have it done. The United States health care system is more than broken, it's shattered. It needs a complete restructuring. When people cannot get access to life- and career-saving medical attention at a cost that will not ruin them financially, there is a serious problem![/QUOTE] Its interesting how I keep hearing about "death panels" coming from Obamacare. Interestingly, it appears insurance companies do more or less the same thing (based on what little I've read about the term "death panel"). Except companies are doing it to maximize profit.

[QUOTE=KorJax;41767310]Sadly this article basically points out that while insurance is a big issue in the US and why shit is so expensive, you can't get around the fact that hospitals themselves are extremely over-priced, because a while back medical companies and the corporations that own US hospitals discovered that people will basically pay anything for better health or a fix to their medical issues. You can fix insurance all you want but until you cut the throat that is the health industry monopoly (that pretty much only exists in the US) you'll still be running into problems.[/QUOTE] My Mom codes for a hospital, meaning she sees the ins and outs of the insurance, the cost, and how much folks need to pay. She can attest to this. All the medical companies, from pharmaceutical to the insurance companies, overcharge for their shit. The problem is that Americans have no choices or alternatives. We [I]have[/I] to pay that money or, in some cases, [I]we will die.[/I] And even though millions see the benefits of Obamacare they don't know it because it isn't publicized. Nationalization is a fucking retarded idea. Even if we could handle the cost, the quality is likely to go down, especially because our governments poor track record of actually giving a shit about its people. What we need is an alternative for those who cannot afford the crazy bullshit prices that standard healthcare demands. But [I]noooo,[/I] that is [I]socialism[/I] and everyone knows that socialism is plain evil. Why? Because dem' evil Russians tried to blow us up, or because da' govment is taken muh freedums, or because they will not allow me to get the surgery I need and I will die (yes, I met a guy who actually thought that the government would take away certain medications so he would die. They do remove medications, almost entirely for the reason that they are copies of what already exist so there is no point to include the other options). The balls-shattering ignorance of the people in this country frustrates me to no end.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;41774703]I have a birth defect that is actively damaging my heart, and dramatically impairing my lungs. Getting surgery to fix it would prevent any further heart damage, and could increase my lung capacity by as much as 66%. It's cost me my career, has had a profound impact on my quality of life and general health, and is also unattractive to look at. It's a necessary surgery, but because it is a rare and extreme version of a common birth defect that typically has no impact on health and wellness, it is classified as an elective procedure, and thus not covered by insurance. It costs approximately $50,000 under US health care. My dad and I are already in bankruptcy, and still struggling to climb back out. The procedure I need is so far outside our means and income bracket that it's effectively impossible to have it done. The United States health care system is more than broken, it's shattered. It needs a complete restructuring. When people cannot get access to life- and career-saving medical attention at a cost that will not ruin them financially, there is a serious problem![/QUOTE] Have you looked into getting it done in India or Singapore? I had a very bad motorcycle accident in March this year, and while I was at the hospital I noticed a lot of american patients coming to get heart surgeries done, as well as this young guy. There seems to be a growing amount of medical tourism and you get pretty amazing treatment for a small fraction of the cost it would normally cost in the US, especially now since the rupee is getting lower against the dollar. Check it out if you can, it could save your life.

[QUOTE=BananaFoam;41780380]My Mom codes for a hospital, meaning she sees the ins and outs of the insurance, the cost, and how much folks need to pay. She can attest to this. All the medical companies, from pharmaceutical to the insurance companies, overcharge for their shit. The problem is that Americans have no choices or alternatives. We [I]have[/I] to pay that money or, in some cases, [I]we will die.[/I] And even though millions see the benefits of Obamacare they don't know it because it isn't publicized. Nationalization is a fucking retarded idea. Even if we could handle the cost, the quality is likely to go down, especially because our governments poor track record of actually giving a shit about its people. What we need is an alternative for those who cannot afford the crazy bullshit prices that standard healthcare demands. But [I]noooo,[/I] that is [I]socialism[/I] and everyone knows that socialism is plain evil. Why? Because dem' evil Russians tried to blow us up, or because da' govment is taken muh freedums, or because they will not allow me to get the surgery I need and I will die (yes, I met a guy who actually thought that the government would take away certain medications so he would die. They do remove medications, almost entirely for the reason that they are copies of what already exist so there is no point to include the other options). The balls-shattering ignorance of the people in this country frustrates me to no end.[/QUOTE] Quality wouldn't necessarily go down since, as it is, the WHO lists the U.S. healthcare as being of lower quality than Canada, the U.K., France and numerous other countries. Though I'm also inclined to agree since, as you said, your government's inclination to refuse to give a shit about people as well as the amount of debt that has currently been accumulated. [URL="http://thepatientfactor.com/canadian-health-care-information/world-health-organizations-ranking-of-the-worlds-health-systems/"]http://thepatientfactor.com/canadian-health-care-information/world-health-organizations-ranking-of-the-worlds-health-systems/[/URL]

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;41774703]I have a birth defect that is actively damaging my heart, and dramatically impairing my lungs. Getting surgery to fix it would prevent any further heart damage, and could increase my lung capacity by as much as 66%. It's cost me my career, has had a profound impact on my quality of life and general health, and is also unattractive to look at. It's a necessary surgery, but because it is a rare and extreme version of a common birth defect that typically has no impact on health and wellness, it is classified as an elective procedure, and thus not covered by insurance. It costs approximately $50,000 under US health care. My dad and I are already in bankruptcy, and still struggling to climb back out. The procedure I need is so far outside our means and income bracket that it's effectively impossible to have it done. The United States health care system is more than broken, it's shattered. It needs a complete restructuring. When people cannot get access to life- and career-saving medical attention at a cost that will not ruin them financially, there is a serious problem![/QUOTE] Pectus excavatum? Regardless, what a perfectly horrifying example of insurance company bullshit. Elective my ass.

[QUOTE=V12US;41770160]Works for Cuba. Their healthcare is one of the best of the world, and that's not a joke.[/QUOTE] Cuba is ranked #40 by the WHO United States is #38