Universal Health Care with a Tier System for Taxpayers (statistics, compare, states)
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It's actually the AMA (a private group), to a large extent, that artificially limits the number of doctors.
The AMA has long since had a meager input. The limits more than anything are Congress and Medicare related spending that support teaching hospital internship/residency slots.
Also related to med schools slots/funding. Some funding comes from central moneys, other from private and business. Some community money in a few cases. In AZ we recently doubled our med school slots. Before that we had the least number of med school slots per capita of any state.
That's what I said. It applies to non-critical surgery such as joint replacements, etc. If it's not a do or die situation, it's banned until the excess weight is lost and/or the patient quits smoking.
It's an equally big problem in other countries including the US, however the fact that Britain has a good family doctor system coupled with new legislation aimed at reducing sugar and fats in food, and a new emphasis on physical education in school and beyond, means it has a much more joined up approach to helping curb obesity in the longer term.
There are private hospitals and healthcare in the UK, if you want to pay for such operations, so you have a choice, although insurance premiums for the dangerously obese and smokers will be high.
Furthermore no one will be refused operations by the NHS providing they make some effort to reduce their weight if they are dangerously overweight.
Being dangerously overweight means that operations carry far greater risk, and you are advised to lose weight and as already pointed out the NHS will support you in doing this, as I have already mentioned.
As well as diet advice and anti obesity medication, weight loss surgery including gastric bands are available on the NHS for the dangerously overweight.
in other words, a govt functionary decides what surgeries are appropriate and who gets them.
Not where I'm am -decisions are made by surgeons and GPs. They're not government functionaries, but medical professionals, who first duty is patient care.
If a person gets denied surgery, then it wouldn't matter what system they're under -although I would rather know that my surgery is unaffordable, rather than unprofitable.
Prices would come down naturally in completely free-market healthcare. Back in the day a doctor would make a house call--or you would visit his office--and you would pay him directly. Most doctors would also allow payments on credit--or work for no cost--for those who couldn't afford to pay in full. Hospitals worked the same way.
Sounds pretty great to me.
...and yet countries with UHC spend less on healthcare. Heck even prescriptions are cheaper.
I know it's nice to get all nostalgic about the old days when doctors made house calls, and people would pay in chickens or cash but I doubt the costs of cancer treatments for example, are going to come down to a point where most can afford it. What about those that can't pay at all? Right, like now the doctors and hospitals, will be adding those costs to everyone else. Technology is expensive. No way around it.
I’m pushing sixty and I have no medical bills. I eat what I want and my quarterly blood work is normal that I pay out of pocket. I pass my aviation medical with flying colours, my mother is 84 and still has all her marbles. I don’t have anything to worry about.
Fine, perhaps your genes will help you in that case. They won't help you if you get hit by a bus.
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