10 Surprising Facts about American Health Care

[coldweatherfan]

http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba649

 

10 Surprising Facts about American Health Care

 

Medical care in the United States is derided as miserable compared to health care systems in the rest of the developed world. Economists, government officials, insurers and academics alike are beating the drum for a far larger government rôle in health care. Much of the public assumes their arguments are sound because the calls for change are so ubiquitous and the topic so complex. However, before turning to government as the solution, some unheralded facts about America's health care system should be considered.

 

Fact No. 1: Americans have better survival rates than Europeans for common cancers.[1] Breast cancer mortality is 52 percent higher in Germany than in the United States, and 88 percent higher in the United Kingdom. Prostate cancer mortality is 604 percent higher in the U.K. and 457 percent higher in Norway. The mortality rate for colorectal cancer among British men and women is about 40 percent higher.

 

Fact No. 2: Americans have lower cancer mortality rates than Canadians.[2] Breast cancer mortality is 9 percent higher, prostate cancer is 184 percent higher and colon cancer mortality among men is about 10 percent higher than in the United States.

 

Fact No. 3: Americans have better access to treatment for chronic diseases than patients in other developed countries.[3] Some 56 percent of Americans who could benefit are taking statins, which reduce cholesterol and protect against heart disease. By comparison, of those patients who could benefit from these drugs, only 36 percent of the Dutch, 29 percent of the Swiss, 26 percent of Germans, 23 percent of Britons and 17 percent of Italians receive them.

[SKINPIG]

You and I both know that "Health Care" has nothing to do with this administration's health reform bill.

[Jim Schue]

One conveniently ignored fact about the American health care system: People can't afford to pay their medical bills. Medical care should not be just for those who can afford to pay.

 

IMO, the best solution is to wipe out the health insurance industry, and make TV advertising by pharmaceutical companies illegal. It may not be a magic bullet, but those are the two biggest obstacles I see in this country as far as making health care more affordable.

[cch5432]

Maybe I'm crazy, but every Catholic hospital that I've been to refuses to turn anyone away (St. Elizabeth's, for example). If someone were having a medical problem, without inusrance, would they be turned away there?

[coldweatherfan]

One conveniently ignored fact about the American health care system: People can't afford to pay their medical bills. Medical care should not be just for those who can afford to pay.

 

IMO, the best solution is to wipe out the health insurance industry, and make TV advertising by pharmaceutical companies illegal. It may not be a magic bullet, but those are the two biggest obstacles I see in this country as far as making health care more affordable.

 

Last stat I saw said that 85% of the people in the US were happy with their health care.

 

I also don't like the pharmaceutical ads. I read somewhere that they used former CIA people to put together commercials that say horrible things but convince you it's still good. I think it encourages healthy people to tell their Dr they need the drug. IMO all drugs are bad for your body over the long haul, even though they may take care of a problem right now.

[Jim Schue]

Last stat I saw said that 85% of the people in the US were happy with their health care.

I also don't like the pharmaceutical ads. I read somewhere that they used former CIA people to put together commercials that say horrible things but convince you it's still good. I think it encourages healthy people to tell their Dr they need the drug. IMO all drugs are bad for your body over the long haul, even though they may take care of a problem right now.

 

Probably because they were asked in the poll only about the quality of the care. Not the cost.

[Jim Schue]

Maybe I'm crazy, but every Catholic hospital that I've been to refuses to turn anyone away (St. Elizabeth's, for example). If someone were having a medical problem, without inusrance, would they be turned away there?

 

They may not be turned away, but they will still get a bill that will follow them around for years.

[woodsrider]

Probably because they were asked in the poll only about the quality of the care. Not the cost.

What do you deem to be reasonable cost of insurance? What do you think is the main reasons for it being as expensive as it is? And it's not because of the pharmaceutical companies advertising.

[bugatti]

One conveniently ignored fact about the American health care system: People can't afford to pay their medical bills. Medical care should not be just for those who can afford to pay.

 

IMO, the best solution is to wipe out the health insurance industry, and make TV advertising by pharmaceutical companies illegal. It may not be a magic bullet, but those are the two biggest obstacles I see in this country as far as making health care more affordable.

 

Just some random thoughts on the Health Care matter...

 

 

While I am not saying I disagree with you, is the solution to make those that can afford to pay, pay more so that those who cannot afford to pay are awarded coverage? In many respects, this should be the case. Should Health Care be a basic service we receive such as Police and Fire protection? If you are a middle class family whose child has a death lingering illness if he/she cannot get a transplant, should that American family be told NO, simply because they do make enough money? Remember how much these procedures cost. A few hundred thousand dollars often times. But is there a way to give a fair and equitable service to every American regardless of their income level?

 

The system we have is not good because it lends itself to abuse by insurance companies, doctors, pharmaceuticals, and those that receive medical treatment. I am not sure the proposed system achieves that much more than what we already have for some of the cited reasons in other countries (and not just the examples cited in this thread). While theoretically all will be covered at the expense of America's affluent, different problems will most definitely arise.

[GusMcRae]

Health Ins companies and pharm companies arent the problems. Govt beaucracy and redtape along with frivolous lawsuits are the problems.

[Jim Schue]

Health Ins companies and pharm companies arent the problems. Govt beaucracy and redtape along with frivolous lawsuits are the problems.

 

That's a classic, simplistic one-side-of-the-aisle response. It's probably a million times more likely that it's a combination of all the factors you mention.

[coldweatherfan]

Health Ins companies and pharm companies arent the problems. Govt beaucracy and redtape along with frivolous lawsuits are the problems.

 

I think the first step in reducing the cost of health care should be TORT reform.

[Jim Schue]

What do you deem to be reasonable cost of insurance? What do you think is the main reasons for it being as expensive as it is? And it's not because of the pharmaceutical companies advertising.

 

I'm no accountant, so there's no way I could affix a price tag to it.

 

But you don't think all those high-cost ads for vanity drugs aren't driving up the overall cost? I don't see how that doesn't immediately strike you as something completely unnecessary that the pharm companies could eliminate and pass the savings on to customers who need the more life-saving drugs.

 

I recall a few years ago (2002 or 2003) reading a lot about how most insurance companies were getting killed in the stock market, and passing the losses on to us for their bad investments. The cost of insurance has remained astronomical ever since. I can't help but think this has a lot to do with the problem.

[woodsrider]

That's a classic, simplistic one-side-of-the-aisle response. It's probably a million times more likely that it's a combination of all the factors you mention.

No more so then you blaming insurance companies and pharmaceutical ads. Let's demonize the big bad corporations and scream for the government to ride in and save us.

 

The fact of the matter is the majority of the people in this country have insurance and are happy with how it works. They may not like the cost and I am sure something can be done about the cost but scraping what we have and what works for the majority to appease the minority is crazy. Especially when at least half of the minority either A) choose not to be insured or B) are here illegally.

[woodsrider]

I'm no accountant, so there's no way I could affix a price tag to it.

 

But you don't think all those high-cost ads for vanity drugs aren't driving up the overall cost? I don't see how that doesn't immediately strike you as something completely unnecessary that the pharm companies could eliminate and pass the savings on to customers who need the more life-saving drugs.

 

I recall a few years ago (2002 or 2003) reading a lot about how most insurance companies were getting killed in the stock market, and passing the losses on to us for their bad investments. The cost of insurance has remained astronomical ever since. I can't help but think this has a lot to do with the problem.

Do they not have the right to advertise for their products? Should auto companies not be allowed to advertise so they can lower the price of their cars?

 

I agree with your point about them passing along their market losses.