How can we improve our (American) failing healthcare system?

Question

The New England Journal of Medicine stated that, "The American healthcare system is at once the most expensive and the most inadequate system in the developed world." It's true, we spend more money on healthcare than any other nation, yet according to the WHO, we average #23 for life expectancy, #15 for overall achievement, and #72 for performance on the level of health (how well the healthcare system improve's a citizen's health).

And it's not for a lack of technology or medication. A Kaiser Family Foundation study showed that in 2003, 3.1 BILLION prescriptions were filled that year, which equals 11 prescriptions for every man, woman, and child in the US. But childhood obesity, diabetes, depression, autism (CDC says 1 out of 166 children has autism)and other diseases are on the RISE, and America has the highest percentage of people suffering from mental disorders. Heart disease and cancer are running rampant. Our healthcare system is not working. How can we fix it?

. . . It's really not about a "lack" of resources. Our healthcare system kills about 800,000 people annually (www.lef.org), making it the number one killer in the US, surpassing even heart disease and cancer. I'm not saying that the medical system doesn't save lives, b/c emergency care in the US is amazing, but in general our health as a nation is terrible.

Answer 1

Western medicine does nothing to promote well-being. Every drug pushed by every pharmaceutical company does nothing to balance the body, heal, or promote health. The only thing today's drugs do is mask symptoms so we can feel better, NOW.

Each individual needs to assume an active role in their own well being. The drug companies need to stop synthesizing elements of nature into drugs that create more imbalances than they fix. We need to realize (as a society) that energy medicine that's been practiced in other cultures for centuries WORKS.

The health care (and I use that term loosely) system in this country needs to be scrapped and rebuilt with a focus on wellness instead of illness.

Answer 2

The source of the problem is greed, pure and simple. The drug companies cannot patent a natural substance and have exclusive rights to sell it. Exclusive rights to sell it means they can charge what they want without competition. The make synthetic drugs so they can do this. Synthetic drugs are all toxic to the body and cause more harm than good. If the drugs you take to suppress the symptoms of one disease causes another disease, all the better for the drug companies because they can sell you more drugs to suppress the symptoms of that disease. The drug companies have a lot of money to convince (bribe) the FDA to approve their dangerous drugs and by the time they are pulled from the market, they have already killed thousands of people and the drug companies have made billions from it. The drug companies also give grant money to the medical schools to convince (bribe) them to teach their synthetic toxic crap. The only way I can see to fix the problem is to socialize medicine in America. That will take the greed factor away. The countries that have done this have a much more efficient medical system than we do. Hillary Clinton had the right idea but it got shot down in Congress by lawmakers that are paid off by the drug companies. In order to improve our medical system, we all have to let our lawmakers know that we won't settle for the worst medical system in the industrialized world and if they don't fix it, we will vote their sorry asses out of office.

Answer 3

I think the healthcare system is failing because we have to flip the bill for every illegal immigrant that 1. decides to have their baby on this side of the border. 2. Every illegal immigrant that decides he can get better medical care here. 3. Get quality prescriptions filled here. It’s a messed up situation. My wife is a nurse and sees this everyday. I agree that immigrants should be aloud in the U.S., but do it legally.

Answer 4

Perhaps making people a little more responsible for their own health would be a good start.

Obviously, this wouldn't do any good for things like autism, but perhaps it would free up enough resources so we cound do some good.

Answer 5

Here here to a focus on wellness, as opposed to illness! And to boot, raise SIN TAXES! Meaning raise taxes on consumable products such as tobacco and alcohol, and on activities such as gambling. The annual health care and lost-productivity costs for smoking alone have been said to exceed $167 BILLION. With 48billion U.S. smokers, who spend an average of $900 a year on tobacco, I think a boosted excise tax on tobacco would aid our health care system quite nicely. And, while we are at it, throw a hefty tax on high-fructose corn syrup! My apologies to the corn farmers, but obesity-related illnesses account for about $93 billion a year in health care costs... If you choose to self-destruct, then you could atleast be polite enough to pay for the clean up!

Answer 6

Copy the Australian system.

Compulsory public health insurance paid for through the taxation system. Optional private health insurance for extra benefits, like private room, choice of doctor, ambulance, optical, etc.

Everybody deserves good health care.

Answer 7

I echo the first respondent's sentiments and was going to write the same thing. Our resources are being drained!

Answer 8

Outlaw refrigerators, cars, and TV.
Maybe internet and computers too.
We are just too fat and out of shape!!

Answer 9

stop free health care for prisoners and welfare bumms

Answer 10

Stop giving free care to illegal aliens.
Let them die or go home.