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0 pointswil4215y ago0 comments

You are looking at the healthcare coverage problem and you think it’s the only issue. Coverage is a big problem for some but not the biggest problem.

The biggest issue is arguably billing and pricing. You have no idea how much something will cost until it’s done. Medicade is paying over 80% more for prescription drugs than the EU.

> In 2016 the U.S. spent 18% of its GDP on healthcare, whereas the next highest country (Switzerland) devoted 12% of its GDP to healthcare. The average amount spent on healthcare per person in comparable countries ($5,198) is half that of the U.S. ($10,348).

> The average price per coronary bypass surgery in the U.S is 129% more than Switzerland’s next-highest average.

> In 2014, the U.S. performed more MRI exams than most similarly wealthy countries at an average price of $1,119 per MRI. This was 42% more than the average price in the United Kingdom, 122% more than the average price in Switzerland, and 420% more than the average price in Australia.

> While fewer appendectomies are performed on average in the United Kingdom compared to the U.S., the price per surgery in the U.S. is $15,930 – nearly double the price in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, in Australia and Switzerland, where far more appendectomies are performed on average than in comparable countries, the price of each surgery is even less, at only $3,814 in Australia and $6,040 in Switzerland.

https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/how-do-...

0 comments

Karunamon5y ago

One of the few good things our current US president did was get a bill passed that requires hospitals to disclose their pricing.

This is unambiguously a good thing, but it doesn't help as much as you think it would. The result is extremely complicated, but so is the entire list of services that any hospital would provide (imagine every single ICD procedure code with a dollar amount next to it - that's the level of complexity we're discussing).

Loughla5y ago

I would argue that it doesn't really help at all for most people, and is legitimately just a feel-good political sell for soundbites.

Sure, I can shop around for my surgery, but what about emergencies? What about when they're in for the surgery I have scheduled, and end up doing something entirely different because they found something else? What about people who live where there is only one healthcare provider?

A menu of prices is fine to encourage choice at Hardee's versus McDonald's, but health care is a little different, I think.

5423542342355y ago

Also, the idea that “market forces” can work in a situation where A. I cannot be an informed consumer and B. I cannot vote with my dollars.

I cannot be an informed consumer because I am not a doctor. If a doctor determines I need X medication to live, then that’s what I need. I can’t google search my way to a medical degree.

I cant vote with my dollars because I don’t want to die. If my medication costs $5 month, I’ll pay that. If it costs $500 I’ll find a way to pay for it. My life has infinite value so there is no bargain I am willing to strike where I end up dead.

tomp5y ago

Au contraire, I think my proposed solution solves pricing as well. As I wrote, it aligns interests between consumers (patients) and producers (doctors), and removes one step between them - patients will be much more directly impacted by their choice of insurer (now this is handled by their companies, consumers have no real choice), so they'll be shopping around for the optimal price/performance provider.

The alternative solution often proposed, Medicaid/Medicare for all (socialized medicine), actually has no solution to this problem (except sweeping it under the rug even more, then it will be the government overpaying for medicine so people will care even less).

wil421OP5y ago

We already have the ACA system and state marketplaces. Someone can search for health insurance if their company doesn't provide it. The plans are expensive for most people and the deductibles are much higher than most employer plans.

The cost of supplies and services are not going to go down overnight if we decouple employers sponsored insurance.

Personally I don't think universal healthcare is the correct option or a viable one in the US. The existing government plans should be expanded to lower incomes (way above poverty line), self employed, and allow unemployed people to float until their next job. Also add a percentage of your salary structure similar to what wikipedia says about Swiss healthcare.

It would be nice to have the option to buy in to government plans if your employer doesn't offer anything or you are retired. Everyone already pays into theses plan and a small increase combined with a % of salary structured buy in isn't going to bankrupt people.

Swiss healthcare costs are more similar to the US than other countries. The private system is also similar to the US. I still think the expenses need to an overhaul. It's way past time for the government to step in.

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