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If we follow the principle that healthcare exists in the US to make money and not to take care of people, then it all makes sense. It works exactly as intended
Yes, yes
There’s a scarcity of healthcare providers in underserved communities, and those in lower income brackets get priced out of their treatment.
But the American healthcare system is the best in the world if you have money
Analyst 1, do you have any evidence for ‘America healthcare is the best in the world if you have money’. We looked at plenty of studies and did not find any evidence that outcomes for specific procedures (eg type of surgery) / conditions (eg cancer) are better in the US vs other developed nations. In fact, US doing worse on some dimensions (eg antibiotics overusage and bacterial resistance is much worse here, and money won’t protect you from the consequences https://www.freep.com/story/opinion/2019/11/15/antibiotics-overuse-killing-americans-cdc/4201717002/
American healthcare is almost certainly the best in the world.
“Best”, however, does not mean it is accessible, affordable, equitable, or easy to navigate. Indeed, infant mortality in some states, particularly for black and Hispanic women, is as bad as developing countries.
The American healthcare system only works for you if you have good insurance (through a good employer).
Many developed nations are having as short wait times as the US, and no evidence that doctors would be better here. Hate to see if my fellow Americans pretend to be the best in something without any substantive evidence
Chief
You're going to start the debate of all debates here, buckle up
Grabbing the popcorn now - this could get interesting
I broke my leg and needed both leg and knee surgery. I was double insured at the time - my own through my company and one of my parents works for a hospital and had me on the plan (under 26 at the time).
That was three years ago and I’m still getting bills for anesthesia and ambulance rides, some over $4000 dollars. Had a $5000 bill sent to collections because an in network provider failed to file a claim in time. 100 calls and a disputed credit report later and I finally got it removed.
The healthcare system is a mess.. it’s a chicken and egg game between hospitals et al, insurance companies, debt collectors and patients. The people who think it’s fine have never experienced a serious situation that resulted in exorbitant bills. Someone that was in my situation without health insurance would be in crippling debt for the rest of their life. Not saying other countries have it all figured out, but we definitely don’t.
Pro
Absolutely no data to back this up, only my anecdotal experience, but I feel like the middle class gets squeezed the most. Lower income are either on forever payment plans or just don’t pay at all so everyone else is forced to subsidize their care. Higher income have no issues with this but middle income have to make real choices.
I just took my baby to the doctor and she needs ear tubes. $3k!!!! Luckily I can afford this (barely) but most middle class people don’t have $3k sitting around to pay for these types of things. They’re not going on payment plans and don’t want to ruin their credit so they’re going to pay.
Rising Star
American culture is kinda self serving by nature no? At least that's the impression I get as an outsider. It doesn't seem like Americans generally value taking care of others so things like public healthcare or education aren't a priority.
Lower taxes in the US don’t really explain it…healthcare costs per capita are way higher in the US
You can potentially get access to some of the most innovative, lastest, safest, evidence-based care in the world but only if you have the means to pay for it, and know how to make the system work for you. Can't do either? Our "safety net" has holes everywhere. Best of luck to you.
Your healthcare to be affordable is tied together with your employer. That can make or break you. Smaller employers don’t have healthcare or will refuse to make you full time to not have to pay for a portion of it. You need a really really really good employer to offset that cost and have good coverage.
Thus the gig economy is a huge thing and employers looking for part time work 25 a week only is extremely common. Most people on fish bowl don’t experience healthcare access issues other than the only appointment we can see you is 4 months into the future on a Tuesday at 4:45PM. Sadly if you can’t make it the next available is 6 months from now.
Have extensive personal experience with Eastern European “free” healthcare. Quality of service is low and doctors aren’t the best (best ones move to Western Europe). Also to get timely care you need to pay doctors under the table. Standard for having a baby is ~ 1 months wages. So there are issues with both systems
Holy shit light the camp fire folks
Healthcare in America is terrible if you didn't grow up with a parent that had health insurance through an employer. My mother owns a small business and we were very tight on money growing up. Once I turned 19 I started paying for all of my own bills because my family couldn't afford it. We had government healthcare (the absolute cheapest available and the coverage sucked) and I paid $230/month with Obamacare for my first two years of college. I paid $600/month for my last 2 years of college until started at KPMG. Government healthcare more than doubled for me and my mother in 2017. We are both completely healthy and have never had previous health issues. Any time we got sick or hurt when I was a kid we would pay out of pocket and not go through insurance in fear that our monthly rate would increase and we wouldn't be able to afford the mortgage on the house we lived in. This is one of the most challenging issues American citizens face. Just because you have, and have always had, great healthcare for a good price, does not mean the majority of america does too.