What is the quality of American health care?

Question

we hear the horror stories from Canada and England... but are there horror stories here too?

http://www.knbc.com/news/13491720/detail.html?subid=10101581

I actually know people in this position personally:

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/613741/costly_drugs_force_lifedeath_decisions/index.html?source=r_health

and people are even going outside of the U.S., due to the costs:

http://www.forbes.com/business/2006/10/25/health-medical-tourism-biz-cx_1026oxford.html

these are things that people talk about happening in Canada... but they seem to happen here too?

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/76295.php

and that's not even looking at the stats of infant mortality rates or average life span:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_infant_mortality_rate
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2102rank.html

I'm not impressed... and all this at a much greater cost:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care#Economics

yeah... who needs the FDA... right?

hmmm... I wonder why those inter-state rules are set up that way....

and another point, I've always wondered about "shopping around for doctors".... who are the people "looking for a cheap doctor"? most I know of wouldn't really want that...

Answer 1

Western Europe is much better of. Every Industrialized country except the US has Universal healthcare and maybe Canada and England are the worst they can find but there are other examples and still even compared to Canada and England America doesn't measure up in humanity and human decency. The rich have the best, the poor only get emergency care. OK what about this. Weren't slaves better of than American working poor? Slaves were owned and taken care of, now they get money and are "free". Freedom without food or health care but free. Does that sound that absurd?
There is another way...
You can be assured of the highest-quality medical care in Belgium, regarded as among the best healthcare systems in Europe. As in most countries, the system divides itself into state and private, though fees are payable in both, so you need to ensure that you are adequately covered through either the state insurance and/or private insurance. The advantages of the state mutuelle/mutualiteit scheme is that you can choose any doctor, clinic or hospital you like, in any location and without referral, according to your needs in much the same way as you can with private insurance.
Doctors

General practitioners can be found in private practices or attached to clinics and hospitals and you are free to consult or register with any you like.
Similarly with specialist consultants. It may be a decision based on location, language or recommendation. It's always worth speaking to neighbours or colleagues when you first arrive; everyone knows of a doctor, or has heard of one with a good reputation.

Answer 2

The quality is the best. Those lists you see touted by Michael Moore (the World Health Org.) ranks us lower because of the distribution of care. Our quality is top notch.

You can thank the high prices in our health care to government mandates, price regulation and frivolous law suits on doctors.

EDIT: Did you know that the government buys nearly all of the vaccines produced by pharmaceutical companies, and gives them less money than what they are worth. Because of this, the government has forced nearly all of the companies that use to make vaccines to close. Before the price controls there were over 20 companies that produced vaccines, now there are only 5. That's why we always have shortages on vaccines, because of the damned government regulations.
Get rid of the government regulation and let the free market run it's course, and we'll see prices drop dramatically.

Also, the government doesn't allow individuals to defer tax free income to go towards coverage, like they allow businesses to do. That's another reason why prices are out of control. If the individual had more involvement in shopping and comparing prices, like in HSA's, prices would drop. Under the current system, nobody checks prices, only co-pays, so the prices inflate. And, we should be allowed to buy coverage across state lines, instead our choices are limited to the state you live in.

By the way, I never said we didn't need the FDA.

Answer 3

regrettably her plan seems to do no longer something for rather those with well being care. i individually prefer it may. i could desire to have ignored something yet i do no longer see what she intends to do to alter the business enterprise based assurance sort to boot grant greater data approximately how undesirable that's. till the two employers and assurance firms are faraway from the equation, the two outrageous rate and abuse will stay. by way of fact rather human beings can not choose their service (the business enterprise chooses), understanding that there is a greater suited equipment for them isn't any help. reducing assurance firms ability to disclaim care a physician says is important would be a reasonable progression, yet no longer undemanding to maintain the companies from dropping docs who're too diligent. as lengthy as assurance firms can interest the equipment to maximise revenue, they are going to try this as nicely. With all the fraud and abuse interior the present equipment, it may be undemanding to construct a central authority equipment that did greater and value much less, in spite of if there have been wrinkles to iron out over the years to make it greater suited yet. as much as now as i'm able to tell basically Kucinich has proposed this variety of reasonable plan. people who ***** that it may develop taxes ignore that they are already paying "taxes" in decrease pay (by way of fact the business enterprise reduces their pay via the quantity they parent that's costing) or if on Cobra or such are paying vast sums, generally greater effective than all different expenses, alongside with government taxes. people who can not have the money for it of direction in basic terms die from preventable illnesses, or replace into impoverished and homeless attempting to maintain their lives.