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My brother-in-law has a range of ailments including diabetes, being legally blind and getting a kidney transplant. He is fortunate in that he lives in Massachusetts. However, he cannot marry his girlfriend of long date because he would lose his benefits, he cannot work as he would lose his benefits and no insurance company would touch him and he cannot move out of state.
Free market health works in theory. The problem is that it does not work well in practice.
In reality it isn't a free market. There are only 5 Health insurance companies that dominate the US as a hole and one or two insurance companies dominate a particular state. Health insurance companies can and do collude because they enjoy the anti-trust exemption. Not free market at all, you could call it a quasi monopoly.
It reality it isn't a free market. There are only 5 Health insurance companies that dominate the US as a hole and one or two insurance companies dominate a particular state. Health insurance companies can and do collude because they enjoy the anti-trust exemption. Not free market at all, you could call it a quasi monopoly.
How does the saying go, a day late and a dollar short? This post would have been more relevant 8 months ago. There is no nationalized healthcare. The idea of single payer was killed by both the Democrats and Republicans. Non isssue.
Then don't post then, just move the hell on to another topic.
I pay $800 per month for one drug for my ill wife who also takes many others for her condition. This drug is not a new fangled, high science drug in any way shape or form. The reason it is high because the manufacturer can charge this rate. We have no insurance anymore because my wife at a relative young age became ill. I can go on and on about why this and that but why bother because it seems it's pointless to explain to some people. Simply put our system is decaying at a rapid rate and is not sustainable.
We all have had our bad experiences. However, if it didn't cost billions to bring new drugs to market; and, if we had tort reform the cost of drugs would be much, much less expensive.
If you cannot afford the medications many drug manufactuers are willing to work with patients to help them. It does require filling out an income disclosure among other things.
A recent "Investor's Business Daily" article provided very interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization.
Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis:
U.S. 65%
England 46%
Canada 42%
Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months:
U.S. 93%
England 15%
Canada 43%
Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months:
U.S. 90%
England 15%
Canada 43%
Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month:
U.S. 77%
England 40%
Canada 43%
Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people:
U.S. 71
England 14
Canada 18
Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in "excellent health":
U.S. 12%
England 2%
Canada 6%
I don't know about you, but I don't want "Universal Healthcare" comparable to England or Canada .
Moreover, it was Sen. Harry Reid who said, "Elderly Americans must learn to accept the inconveniences of old age."
SHIP HIM OFF TO CANADA OR ENGLAND !
He is "elderly" himself but be sure to remember his health insurance is different from yours as Congress has their own high-end coverage! He will never have to learn to accept "inconveniences"!!!
We need to taxpayer term limit Reid by voting him out of office!
MRI's being just revenue generators? CT scanners too I bet. NY had more then the entire country of Canada until rather recently. I'll let those poor fools who are getting C-Spine runs done that their fractured vertibrae are just being used to bilk some bucks for the hosptial. Dastardly bastards those hospitals!
Don't like high pharmaceutical costs, you better be damned peeved at England, Canada, Germany, et al. They basically hold the companies hostage, and since companies only have a few years to get what is the equivalent in cost to space flight back they in turn charge more to US patients because they can recoup the money here.
As far as R&D, something like 8 or 9 of the top ten medical achievements that the world has seen recently has come in whole or in part by the US. I think the only notable exception that was pioneered out of the US was the cardiac stent.
The HCR bill covered none of the big item costs to the system, instead its going to just drive up costs.
Medicine not for profit and medicare only.. Yeah thats works so well in other countries. 3rd world doctors and nurses imported because plumbers make more money. Medicare would be great too... we'd just have to live with half the doctors too. Sound advice.
Last edited by SilverBulletZ06; 08-09-2010 at 10:16 PM..
I really think Medicare could work for everyone Keep the
doctors - get rid of the insurance companies. Our health
should not be a for profit business anyways
A recent "Investor's Business Daily" article provided very interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization.
Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis:
U.S. 65%
England 46%
Canada 42%
Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months:
U.S. 93%
England 15%
Canada 43%
Percentage of seniors needing hip replacement who received it within six months:
U.S. 90%
England 15%
Canada 43%
Percentage referred to a medical specialist who see one within one month:
U.S. 77%
England 40%
Canada 43%
Number of MRI scanners (a prime diagnostic tool) per million people:
U.S. 71
England 14
Canada 18
Percentage of seniors (65+), with low income, who say they are in "excellent health":
U.S. 12%
England 2%
Canada 6%
I don't know about you, but I don't want "Universal Healthcare" comparable to England or Canada .
Moreover, it was Sen. Harry Reid who said, "Elderly Americans must learn to accept the inconveniences of old age."
SHIP HIM OFF TO CANADA OR ENGLAND !
He is "elderly" himself but be sure to remember his health insurance is different from yours as Congress has their own high-end coverage! He will never have to learn to accept "inconveniences"!!!
Just to be devil's advocate, have you checked the rate of all these incidences of major health in the population in different societies? Do Americans have more incidence of diabetes? Again, devils advocate: but I'll say perhaps yes? We do in fact grapple with the reality of perhaps more seriously obese people than other nations. Sorry to be mean, but I sometimes lose my appetite when I go to a restaurant and see the morbidly obese people everywhere. No wonder we have such a need for medical professionals who can help out in a jiffy.
[quote=Redrover;15396816]A recent "Investor's Business Daily" article provided very interesting statistics from a survey by the United Nations International Health Organization.
Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis:
U.S. 65%
England 46%
Canada 42%
...........................quote]
I don't believe your statistics. I've only done less than one minute of research (and don't plan on doing more) and come up with very different #'s
Based on 2002-2004 estimates, 62% of people are expected to survive for 5 years after their cancer diagnosis compared to the general population of the same age and sex. Survival rates differ according to the type of cancer.
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Keep the
