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Outsiders look at the US healthcare "system"

US healthcare is mind-boggling and uber-scary for visitors. I usually rely on my credit-card automatic insurance cover when travelling overseas, but I take out a separate and fully comprehensive travel policy if USA is on the itinerary.

New Zealand has universal healthcare plus an accident insurance scheme that not only pays for your medical treatment, but also up to 80% of your pre-accident income. It means you cannot sue for loss and injury in an accident, unlike in USA where I understand jumping out in front of moving vehicles is one way to earn an income.

Accessible health care is a basic human right, no?
 
To where? All Western European countries have an NHS. And the UKs isn’t any better or worse... Middle of the table last time I looked.

What does To where mean?

The Western European country that I live in doesn't have state healthcare. But it is second in the world for life expectancy.
 
One of the main phobias of the US healthcare system is a solid belief that high deductibles prevent patients from over using healthcare -driving up costs for everyone. Or just maybe keeps folks from seeking early diagnosis/intervention .Result -sicker patients with more extensive/expensive treatment . Whats not to like about that ? More medical treatment = more and bigger bills -everybody in the treatment game wins.
 
What does To where mean?

The Western European country that I live in doesn't have state healthcare. But it is second in the world for life expectancy.

Swiss chocolate is better too. Nice to live in a small, rich, neutral country.
 
I was living in Vancouver, British Columbia for ten years and always thought the health system worked really well. We payed into an insurance which was cheaper than our national insurance. The service was excellent and we always saw the same doctor. We had two kids their with nothing extra to pay.
 
People there have ‘mortgages’ for an appendicitis.
Mortgage comes from the French Gage sur la mort.
In the US, indeed.
I just had one a month a go and out of pocket it cost me 147,60€ (=3 days at the hospital) + an additional 8,50€ for a visit to the health clinic since the dissolvable stitches didn't dissolve.
Of course the mandatory public health care insurance is deducted every month from my salary, but even there I have heard of people in the US paying a lot more for theirs and then not having complete coverage.
 
"The sickest joke is the price of the medicine"

As someone who has been lucky enough to know nothing else but "free" medical care from the NHS the prospect of people with easily curable conditions being "left to die" merely over money is beyond obscene... pretty much the same as that person being murdered by the state in fact!
 
US healthcare is mind-boggling and uber-scary for visitors. I usually rely on my credit-card automatic insurance cover when travelling overseas, but I take out a separate and fully comprehensive travel policy if USA is on the itinerary.

New Zealand has universal healthcare plus an accident insurance scheme that not only pays for your medical treatment, but also up to 80% of your pre-accident income. It means you cannot sue for loss and injury in an accident, unlike in USA where I understand jumping out in front of moving vehicles is one way to earn an income.

Accessible health care is a basic human right, no?
The UK considered the New Zealand system back in the 60s or early 70s but the unions opposed it as their support for injury claims was a major recruiting tool.
 
Land of the free and home of the brave

Unfortunately "Land of the exploited, home of the afraid" is closer to the truth for the majority of Americans, but unfortunately they are trapped in a political system that has been thoroughly corrupted by big money.
 
Reminds me of a friend bringing his family over from Ventura California for a visit. One kid got quite sick up around Inverness so he took them to A&E to get checked out.
He was told he'd have to pay something towards the cost* being a tourist and they apparently tested for everything possible which put his mind to rest. Said it was awesome service and thanked them.
The official who arrived to take payment was very apologetic about having to charge but he said he was just glad to have their minds at rest that there was nothing serious and took out his credit card.
'Sir, that'll be £30 please....'

Needless to say he's now a pretty big advocate for what he experienced here. As he says, it's not the best but it sure as hell met his needs when he needed it.

(*I'm not quite sure what exactly he had to pay for but it was something specific in their testing but all the rest was gratis)
 
Unfortunately "Land of the exploited, home of the afraid" is closer to the truth for the majority of Americans, but unfortunately they are trapped in a political system that has been thoroughly corrupted by big money.
I think trapped is the right sentiment, because I cannot see how the American people can bring about political reform without backing of the big dollars that obviously want to retain status quo.
 
Reminds me of a friend bringing his family over from Ventura California for a visit. One kid got quite sick up around Inverness so he took them to A&E to get checked out.
He was told he'd have to pay something towards the cost* being a tourist and they apparently tested for everything possible which put his mind to rest. Said it was awesome service and thanked them.
The official who arrived to take payment was very apologetic about having to charge but he said he was just glad to have their minds at rest that there was nothing serious and took out his credit card.
'Sir, that'll be £30 please....'

Needless to say he's now a pretty big advocate for what he experienced here. As he says, it's not the best but it sure as hell met his needs when he needed it.

(*I'm not quite sure what exactly he had to pay for but it was something specific in their testing but all the rest was gratis)

That same would be between $2k and $5k at a US ER, depending on what they tested for and how much the hospital "tried it on" (hospitals usually open negotiations with demands for a ridiculous sum and then that is negotiated down depending on who is paying and how able they are to pay).
 
In the US they'll charge you that for a Tylenol.
Yeah but you can get a jar of 1000 generic ones for $9. That's not an extra 0 on there.

The irony of the US system is that the amount of taxpayer money pushed into the bloated system for medicare and medicaid is enough to fund universal healthcare.
 


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