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Your article states that insurance companies pay more for longer stays and for the procedures to reverse hospital caused complications, so hospitals actually make more money by making errors.
Sure, hospitals do not deliberately make errors, but neither do most consumers pick the best hospital that they can for their condition and then select a doctor who is affiliated with that hospital. This may be an incentive for a hospital not to hire the very best personnel, perhaps?
From the article: In 1999, the Institute of Medicine published a report saying that hospital errors killed nearly 100,000 Americans a year—a rate of lethal medical harm comparable to four jumbo jets crashing each week.
My mother died due to a doctor screwup. It's a long story. Anyway, her last stay in the hospital is when she died in surgery. The surgery cost about $100,000. I handled the resulting paperwork for her estate and saw to it that the bills were paid. I scrutinized the bills and the surgeon's cost was buried in one bill from the hospital, which I paid. Over six months later I received a bill from the surgeon - the only bill that I got from him - for the $100,000. Fortunately I kept all the bills and sent him the bill from the hospital, highlighting the itemized payment for his services, along with the payment information.
I wonder how many family members of the deceased get tricked into paying such bills twice?
Last edited by goldengrain; 05-13-2013 at 11:24 AM..
I am a US physician. You can go and search all my posts. You can believe what you want to believe. I hold a medical degree. Board certified in my specicialty. Never failed an exam in my life. Do you know the differences between the NBME and the USMLE? Do you know the ABMS member political groups have far more power than the AMA? There are a few of us docs on these forums.
Are you a practioner in the US system? Or another country? If not, you will have zero understanding how it functions. And yes, they teach us about health policy in medical school. Do you realize they teach us what's known as veritical medical integration and how it proliferated in the 1970s and it's probably the main reason why medicine is so bloated? Physician incomes make up less than 8.6% of total health care expenditures in the US. We all know where the waste goes. But as I stated in my previous post. You will get killed and send millions into unemployement if you cut heath care expenditures. Just like defense spending. The USA economy runs off of health and defense spending.
Look at my posts. The VA is like a socialized medicine system in the US. It's true? Isn't it? Is it bad? No. Is it great? No? There are pros and cons to having a government regulated system.
Now, tell me I don't know anything about medicine.
Statement like "It's cause other countries flat out lie or mislead the public about who they count as a "live birth"" do not give any confidence in that. It is not an argument from knowledge. There are, in fact, international standards, from the WHA, for what constitutes a live birth. Standards specifically designed and used for international comparisons.
Developed countries in general strive to comply with these standards in reporting. And when some countries do not follow them, honest, competent professionals use best estimate correction factors.
I asked about what you meant by "socialized medicine" because its not actually a term. Its a slang expression from the specific subculture of American conservatives. You won't hear it elsewhere, especially not in healthcare.
I do know where the extra costs go in the US system. Defensive medicine, 9 %. Higher physician salary, 6 %, adminstrative waste 14 %. Extra costs for drugs 5 %. End of life treatment 4 %. Malpractice premium, 2 %. Medical waste and other 15% Adds up to 55 % and the remaining 45 % is equal to what other countries spend. Numbers from -96, but the ratios probably not oo far from unchanged since then. Though Amercas costs have grown faster than the rest of the world since 1980.
You speak of America the way a four year old speaks about mommy. Mommy is perfect and anyone who thinks mommy isn't perfect is a bad person. We liberals look at America the way an adult looks at a parent. We love them and try to help them deal with their obesity and improve their condition.
Moreover, I am as much a "real American," whatever that means, as you.
The fact is America doesn't have the best health care, in terms of medical outcomes nor cost. Closing one's eyes, or mind, doesn't change that fact.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin Rossi
Your obvious "Hate-America" agenda clouds everything you say - everything.
If by "hate-America agenda" you means rational and clear thought, yes. Because I realize that it does not serve mommy America to pretend that her health care system is the best, when it is not.
My, aren't you mature (your post). I needed some punctuation in order to make heads or tails out what the poster was attempting to say. Your disgusting hostility to the free-flow of information is noted and is disgusting.
Funny I was just thinking the same thing. Please stop, you're embarrassing yourself. The adults are trying to have a discussion. Petulant teenagers need not participate.
I was a while back yes, just in case my visa situation didn't come through, and if my financial situation didn;t improve. There was a real possibility I'd have to (ugh) return to the U$ long term, and I wanted to cover all bases and make sure I had housing secured in a decent area. MY gf also had expressed interest in coming to america to visit my family and see my old neck of the woods. For her, I could handle a long visit, in which case we would get a short term lease on a place, as we'd rather have our own space, plus my extended family is less than thrilled that I'm seriously involved with an non-American. My gf knows I have zero desire to ever live here again. But yes to answer your question, I did have some short term rentals set up, just in case I had to return for a while. I lived in Tulsa for 5 years and know the area a bit
Statement like "It's cause other countries flat out lie or mislead the public about who they count as a "live birth"" do not give any confidence in that. It is not an argument from knowledge. There are, in fact, international standards, from the WHA, for what constitutes a live birth. Standards specifically designed and used for international comparisons.
Developed countries in general strive to comply with these standards in reporting. And when some countries do not follow them, honest, competent professionals use best estimate correction factors.
I asked about what you meant by "socialized medicine" because its not actually a term. Its a slang expression from the specific subculture of American conservatives. You won't hear it elsewhere, especially not in healthcare.
I do know where the extra costs go in the US system. Defensive medicine, 9 %. Higher physician salary, 6 %, adminstrative waste 14 %. Extra costs for drugs 5 %. End of life treatment 4 %. Malpractice premium, 2 %. Medical waste and other 15% Adds up to 55 % and the remaining 45 % is equal to what other countries spend. Numbers from -96, but the ratios probably not oo far from unchanged since then. Though Amercas costs have grown faster than the rest of the world since 1980.
Yes. I am very well aware the term socialized medicine is a US term. This is a US centric message board. We use US slang. Those of us who are historians in medicine know the modern health systems in many Europeans have only existed since world war 2. It's because Europe was absolutely destroyed. As a reward for surviving the costly war. Many European countries decided "for the greater good of its suffering of people" to start implementing a health system that essentially covers all its citizens through the use of public funds.
As for the added cost of medicine. I agree with u. I have already stated the health care industry is so big. Try cutting 5% of it will cause hundreds of thousands to become unemployed. But the more they try to fix it the worst they make it. Even "taxing" device manufacturers more with the ACA has backfired. The same
Democratic leg US Senate that passed the ACA with the device manufactuer tax has just voted to over turn their own bill. It's absolutely ridiculous. But the "middle guys" have billions at stake and they will use their lobbying power to get anything they want.
I don't know what country u are from or have experience. But we have canadians on these board who brag their system is better. Yet didn't a certain politician from Canada have heart surgery in the USA a couple of years ago? If the system is so good. Why is a politican having surgery in the US? We all know why. It's cause the US innovatives in medical procedures. The same heart surgery he had may eventually work its way up to Canada in a few years.
But that's what US medicine is all about. It's highly advanced yet extremely expensive at the same time.
Americas health care system is the best in the world if you could afford it or have insurance.
Even with insurance you have thousands of dollars in deductibles, co pays and non covered things. And the shame of it is that you have NO idea what the stuff will cost you until the bill shows up in the mail.
I don't know what country u are from or have experience. But we have canadians on these board who brag their system is better. Yet didn't a certain politician from Canada have heart surgery in the USA a couple of years ago? If the system is so good. Why is a politican having surgery in the US? We all know why. It's cause the US innovatives in medical procedures. The same heart surgery he had may eventually work its way up to Canada in a few years.
Yes...ONE politician out of thousands went to the US...he has a condo in Florida and probably wanted to recuperate there.
Secondly, he COULD have had it done here...it IS available here, for your information.
Educate yourself, instead of spouting talking points. Google is your friend.
If I was a multimillionaire like Danny Williams, with a nice place in sunny Florida, I'd probably do the same, rather than recuperate in minus 40 temps and not being able to leave the house without shoveling and suffering another cardiac event.
U get my dental work done in Thailand every year I visit there with my wife. A checkup and cleaning for 2 people? 300 baht right at 12 bucks.
The care is as good as any I have ever received in this country. I would suggest that those who demonize the care in other countries experience it first.
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