Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
#61
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2008
Location: Seal Rock, Oregon
Posts: 842
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
#62
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
Also the payroll taxes here are tiny compared to the US, there isn't a medicare tax obviously as it comes out of income taxes. There are ways of itemizing deductions and so on in the US so you pay less in income tax, but if you claim the standard deduction in the US you aren't paying much more (if at all) in income taxes in Canada. Add on the payroll taxes and you're usually paying way more in the US.
I watch American TV shows that make out that Canadian healthcare is bad and we pay way more tax for it, neither is true. I mean, it doesn't bring tears of appreciation to my eyes but it's not crap.
#63
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
And the PCIP has been scrapped, I read.
#64
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,847
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
Yeah, I'm thrilled with health care here as we have insurance. I gave birth to twins and paid a grand total of $250 for the entire 9 months of two ultrasounds a week, neonatal specialists, a few L&D stays, etc, etc, etc. In the UK, I'd have a fraction of that support. And we didn't need NICU or any post-natal medical needs for our twins.
My sister has just had baby #2. Baby #1 arrived in a scene that she described as the 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' - it was a diffifult birth, much blood loss etc, but mother & son came through fine and at no time were in any danger. The NHS in her area did a super job. For baby #2 she received a bit more oversight and associated care, and baby #2 decided she was stubbornly going to remain the wrong way round, so came 2 weeks early by C section. My sister had various complicating ailments, so not the easiest 9 months of her life but mum & baby #2 are doing great (I've just been over there, she's a real chilled out cutie)
Comparing my sister's 2 experiences with yours suggests you recevied a significantly higher level of attention, which may have been absolutely right for your situation, and as I said before, we don't need to know any more details, but this did surface the question for me - the US healthcare industry, explicitly or now, without further thought, subjects patients to far more testing, screening, treatment etc than I've seen in the NHS (personal experience, so not representative etc etc). I'm struggling to find where and how this extra attention, treatment (and cost) delivers significantly better health outcomes (except in very specific illnesses, such as certain kinds of cancer - the US is way ahead of the world in those) - at the national level, the US health outcomes are not top of the list - they're about 16th or 17th compared to other countries.
We have health insurance. It's good. We've had good medical attention. It's still cost us thousands. Add that to our tax bill and our overall level of discretionary income here in the US has been only marginally better than in the UK. Had we not needed to services of a hospital and countless specialists etc we'd be in a better financial situation...
... AND the US is perhaps the best place in the world for people who want to get up off their arses and do something themselves, for themselves. We've acted on that and after we move house in a few months time and a business opportunity moves in to implementation phase, we'll be better off than if we'd stayed in the UK - but as I and others said before, it comes down to personal circumstances.
#65
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
My insurer is currently holding up an MRI the doctor has ordered for me. There seems to be a 'luck of the draw' element to things here.
#66
Bloody Yank
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: USA! USA!
Posts: 4,186
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
You should contact Sarah Palin for help. She's very concerned about this sort of thing.
#68
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
I had a cyclist in last week who had fallen of his bike, he recovered.
Told the story to someone a few days later who thought we should have called in the Air Ambulance and had a MRI done.
Told the story to someone a few days later who thought we should have called in the Air Ambulance and had a MRI done.
#69
Just Joined
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 27
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
The US health system has its problems but Obamacare did nothing at all to address the issues and may (will) make them worse.
The primary issue is that healthcare tends to be attached to your job. This puts people in a very awkward position.
The secondary (and related) issue is pre-existing conditions. It's virtually impossible to get personal (not provided by your job) insurance even if you have a manageable condition (such as diabetes) even one that excludes pre-existing conditions (this is one that Obamacare *is* supposed to take care of but it's looking like they left escape clauses for the insurance companies).
The third issue is that because insurance tends to be provided by your job, people are disconnected from the costs of their healthcare. Hence healthcare costs rise. If people had to pay (even in part) directly for what they were receiving, costs would be questioned and pushed down.
Truthfully, a single payer system like the UK's (though I am not advocating for it) would be preferable to Obamacare. That was unacceptable to the Republicans and the Democrats decided they had to pass *something* so pushed through the dog's dinner that was Obamacare. It will be catastrophic to the state of healthcare in the US.
The primary issue is that healthcare tends to be attached to your job. This puts people in a very awkward position.
The secondary (and related) issue is pre-existing conditions. It's virtually impossible to get personal (not provided by your job) insurance even if you have a manageable condition (such as diabetes) even one that excludes pre-existing conditions (this is one that Obamacare *is* supposed to take care of but it's looking like they left escape clauses for the insurance companies).
The third issue is that because insurance tends to be provided by your job, people are disconnected from the costs of their healthcare. Hence healthcare costs rise. If people had to pay (even in part) directly for what they were receiving, costs would be questioned and pushed down.
Truthfully, a single payer system like the UK's (though I am not advocating for it) would be preferable to Obamacare. That was unacceptable to the Republicans and the Democrats decided they had to pass *something* so pushed through the dog's dinner that was Obamacare. It will be catastrophic to the state of healthcare in the US.
#70
Just Joined
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 27
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
If you don't use it, you don't pay. It makes sense for a reasonably healthy person to take a higher deductible to save on the premiums. If you have the option to put money into a medical savings account, you can come out quite ahead.
#71
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: West Sussex - did 3 years in the US...
Posts: 577
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
The US health system has its problems but Obamacare did nothing at all to address the issues and may (will) make them worse.
The primary issue is that healthcare tends to be attached to your job. This puts people in a very awkward position.
The secondary (and related) issue is pre-existing conditions. It's virtually impossible to get personal (not provided by your job) insurance even if you have a manageable condition (such as diabetes) even one that excludes pre-existing conditions (this is one that Obamacare *is* supposed to take care of but it's looking like they left escape clauses for the insurance companies).
The third issue is that because insurance tends to be provided by your job, people are disconnected from the costs of their healthcare. Hence healthcare costs rise. If people had to pay (even in part) directly for what they were receiving, costs would be questioned and pushed down.
Truthfully, a single payer system like the UK's (though I am not advocating for it) would be preferable to Obamacare. That was unacceptable to the Republicans and the Democrats decided they had to pass *something* so pushed through the dog's dinner that was Obamacare. It will be catastrophic to the state of healthcare in the US.
The primary issue is that healthcare tends to be attached to your job. This puts people in a very awkward position.
The secondary (and related) issue is pre-existing conditions. It's virtually impossible to get personal (not provided by your job) insurance even if you have a manageable condition (such as diabetes) even one that excludes pre-existing conditions (this is one that Obamacare *is* supposed to take care of but it's looking like they left escape clauses for the insurance companies).
The third issue is that because insurance tends to be provided by your job, people are disconnected from the costs of their healthcare. Hence healthcare costs rise. If people had to pay (even in part) directly for what they were receiving, costs would be questioned and pushed down.
Truthfully, a single payer system like the UK's (though I am not advocating for it) would be preferable to Obamacare. That was unacceptable to the Republicans and the Democrats decided they had to pass *something* so pushed through the dog's dinner that was Obamacare. It will be catastrophic to the state of healthcare in the US.
The "health" system here is a total shambles, and frankly is a national disgrace.
When you see the local news reports of the uninsured (round here that means Latin(o/a)s and African-Americans) being "serviced" in huge stadiums by charities over a public holiday weekend, it makes me sick.
Instead of the white, middle-class Americans patting themselves on the back and saying "we're doing good by these poor people," they should be rushing to the streets to protest that a fellow citizen has to go (and this is a direct quote) 7 years with toothache because it was either that or feed her children.
Maybe spend a little less on killing and bugging people and a little more on looking after your own ??? Hmmm.
So, party-political point partly over, there are even more negatives to the current third-world health system:
1) It instills a sense of "don't rock the boat" to those actually in work with health coverage. Not in the youngest worker who think that they are immortal, but middle-aged, married, with kids. They are constantly looking over their shoulder, scared stiff that they will be fired and loose their health coverage. Result is a highly supine workforce, unwilling to make real change. Older staff that are actually ill dare not move, leave, look after themselves for fear of loosing their coverage. Retired-in-post is not uncommon....
2) Those that do have coverage milk it for every penny it is worth. This has the knock on effect that Big Pharma lobby to keep drugs that should be OTC as prescription only, and OTC medicines are far, far more expensive here than any where else I've ever been. This does not affect those with coverage cos they are in the I'm Alright Jack camp, but it adversely impacts those don't have coverage.
3) The insured are over-medicated. Far too many visits to the doctor, far too many pills-for-every-ill; a real "entitlement" culture and a naive belief that a doctor can cure every ailment and is somehow superhuman. This again, pushes up the price of everything from drugs to wages, again, negatively impacting those at the bottom of the social strata much more than those at the top.
The only thing in this country that is more of a shambles than the health system is the Republican party which is responsible for maintaining it in it's current state. Hopefully both will go the way of the Dodo before long and then America can join the ranks of the other Western nations where life expectancy has been increasing rather than decreasing over the last decade.
#72
Account Closed
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
The US health system has its problems but Obamacare did nothing at all to address the issues and may (will) make them worse.
The primary issue is that healthcare tends to be attached to your job. This puts people in a very awkward position.
The secondary (and related) issue is pre-existing conditions. It's virtually impossible to get personal (not provided by your job) insurance even if you have a manageable condition (such as diabetes) even one that excludes pre-existing conditions (this is one that Obamacare *is* supposed to take care of but it's looking like they left escape clauses for the insurance companies).
The third issue is that because insurance tends to be provided by your job, people are disconnected from the costs of their healthcare. Hence healthcare costs rise. If people had to pay (even in part) directly for what they were receiving, costs would be questioned and pushed down.
Truthfully, a single payer system like the UK's (though I am not advocating for it) would be preferable to Obamacare. That was unacceptable to the Republicans and the Democrats decided they had to pass *something* so pushed through the dog's dinner that was Obamacare. It will be catastrophic to the state of healthcare in the US.
The primary issue is that healthcare tends to be attached to your job. This puts people in a very awkward position.
The secondary (and related) issue is pre-existing conditions. It's virtually impossible to get personal (not provided by your job) insurance even if you have a manageable condition (such as diabetes) even one that excludes pre-existing conditions (this is one that Obamacare *is* supposed to take care of but it's looking like they left escape clauses for the insurance companies).
The third issue is that because insurance tends to be provided by your job, people are disconnected from the costs of their healthcare. Hence healthcare costs rise. If people had to pay (even in part) directly for what they were receiving, costs would be questioned and pushed down.
Truthfully, a single payer system like the UK's (though I am not advocating for it) would be preferable to Obamacare. That was unacceptable to the Republicans and the Democrats decided they had to pass *something* so pushed through the dog's dinner that was Obamacare. It will be catastrophic to the state of healthcare in the US.
#73
Just Joined
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 27
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
If you're very rich, do nothing. If you're invested in healthcare, order up some gold hubcaps for the Porsche
If you're a middle class worker, prepare to work harder for less reward (or give up and join pool #1).
If you're a politician, make some money from some sweet lobbying deals.
So no real change.
#74
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 41,518
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
America prides itself on not being socialist, but runs two huge job creation schemes - defence and health insurance.
#75
Just Joined
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 27
Re: Anyone got anything good to say about the US medical system?
America has been heading down the socialist path a long time. They've just been walking a little slower.