Holy Diver

"USA's Healthcare system is the best in the world!"

I hear that a lot from conservatives (mostly those on the take from insurers) and people who repeat that claim, despite the W.H.O.'s report that we rank 37th although we pay the most.
I heard a great question from a caller on talk radio this morning, and thought I'd bring it up for discussion here.

Lets assume for sake of argument that we DO have the #1 system.

If we have the best system in the world, who on Earth is attempting to copy it....


?

ljuneau

Yea, that's why you here about all those famous people, both in Hollywood and in Washington, go to other countries for their healthcare. You know who I mean.....um.....ahhh......never mind, can't think of anyone at the moment.

And nobody important from other countries ever come here from important medical procedures. Nobody. Never. Absolutely not.

<satire off>

__________________
“If you have been voting for politicians who promise to give you goodies at someone else's expense, then you have no right to complain when they take your money and give it to someone else, including themselves.” ~ Thomas Sowell

Holy Diver

Oh...I'm not saying it ISN'T the best for Millionares and Billionares.....for them its frickin SWEET. Funny how you include 'Hollywood'...but not Rush Limbaugh...classy move, Joey.


I'm still looking for an answer.


IF OUR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM IS SO GOOD, WHAT OTHER NATION IS ATTEMPTING TO COPY IT?

Mrs.PatsFanInVa

That's because all those "famous people" can afford to stay here - however "medical tourism" is spreading - rapidly.

A forecast by Deloitte Consulting published in August 2008 projected that medical tourism originating in the US could jump by a factor of ten over the next decade. An estimated 750,000 Americans went abroad for health care in 2007, and the report estimated that a million and a half would seek health care outside the US in 2008. The growth in medical tourism has the potential to cost US health care providers billions of dollars in lost revenue.

http:www.Medical tourism - Wikipedia...e encyclopedia

Next year alone, an estimated 6 million Americans will travel abroad for surgery, according to a 2008 Deloitte study. "Medical care in countries such as India, Thailand and Singapore can cost as little as 10 percent of the cost of comparable care in the United States," the report found.

Companies such as Los Angeles-based Planet Hospital are creating a niche in the service industry as medical travel planners. One guidebook says that more than 200 have sprung up in the last few years. "We find the best possible surgeons and deliver their service to patients safely, affordably and immediately," said Rudy Rupak, president of Planet Hospital. "No one should have to choose between an operation to save their life or going bankrupt."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/27...vel/index.html

Holy Diver

So.....Juneau....

I guess that an estimated 750,000 people who go to other countriesfor healthcare is something you didn't bother to Google....

ehhh?


still waiting for the answer to the question .... (Here's a hint: the answer is _____)

cupofjoe1962

We may not have the best healthcare system, but we have the best
doctors and hospitals.

What good is a cheap healthcare system, if the doctors and equipment
are not great?

Foreign leaders come to America for their health care !
The price may not be cheap, but they get what they pay for.

Mrs.PatsFanInVa

In a comparison with five other countries, the Commonwealth Fund ranked the United States first in providing the “right care” for a given condition as defined by standard clinical guidelines and gave it especially high marks for preventive care, like Pap smears and mammograms to detect early-stage cancers, and blood tests and cholesterol checks for hypertensive patients. But we scored poorly in coordinating the care of chronically ill patients, in protecting the safety of patients, and in meeting their needs and preferences, which drove our overall quality rating down to last place. American doctors and hospitals kill patients through surgical and medical mistakes more often than their counterparts in other industrialized nations.

Life and death. In a comparison of five countries, the United States had the best survival rate for breast cancer, second best for cervical cancer and childhood leukemia, worst for kidney transplants, and almost-worst for liver transplants and colorectal cancer. In an eight-country comparison, the United States ranked last in years of potential life lost to circulatory diseases, respiratory diseases and diabetes and had the second highest death rate from bronchitis, asthma and emphysema. Although several factors can affect these results, it seems likely that the quality of care delivered was a significant contributor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/12/op...gewanted=print

cupofjoe1962

World Hospitals' ranking on the Web: Top 1000 World Ranking

The United States has the top 6 ranked hospitals in the world.
They also have 18 of the top 22 ranked hospitals in the world.

Mrs.PatsFanInVa

And they work just wonderfully for those who can afford to access them, I'm sure.

I guess it all boils down to if you're content to be known as "the best" for a select few people or if you'd prefer to have affordable health care for everyone. Seeing as how this is suppposed to be a country founded on the principal of equality for all I'd say we're doing a pi$$-poor job.

cupofjoe1962

I know a lot of people out of work and without medical in a state that
requires everyone have medical.

Last year a close fiend who was 60 without insurance had chest pains.
He went to the emergency room and they kept him until they were
able to insert 2 stints to open his clogged arteries.

He did not pay a dime & received top care.

I see a lot of Hatians are being flown to American for medical treatment.
How much do you think the Hatian goverment is going to pay us for
their medical bills?

Did France offer to pay for their medical bills or offer any type of
medical service to the Hatians?

You seem to love to toot the French horn.
Too bad your French horn plays nothing but sour notes.