The American Health System

[Gloomy Mushroom]

I'm sorry to all you Americans out there, but I have to have a bitch about your health system.

I, as many of you know, live in Australia. Our health system is free. We are under Medicare as well but we are also under the PBS, the Pharmaceautical Benefits Scheme, which entlitles us to medicines at a reduced price, including cancer treating medicines. I, recieved last year three installments of the anti-cervical cancer drug that reduces the risk of cervical cancer in women, and now is being given to girls in high schools from grade 8 onwards, for free. If we rock up to a hospital and we don't have insurance, that's ok, we won't be refused treatment. The American system has the right to refuse treating patients because simply they don't have insurance, we, however, in comparison to the American system, we cannot refuse duty of care. Now I know that I'm a big Michael Moore supporter, but eyes don't lie. Just today I saw an LPA member (shall go nameless) complaining that he doesn't have insurance and therefore, cannot afford treatment.

A couple of facts I've found out about the American Health System -

The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2000 ranked the U.S. health care system as the highest in expenditure, first in responsiveness, but 37th in overall performance and 72nd by overall level of health (among 191 member nations included in the study). The WHO study has been criticized by some for its methodology and lack of correlation with user satisfaction ratings

Uninsured Americans are less likely to have regular health care and use preventive services. They are more likely to delay seeking care, resulting in more medical crises, which are more expensive than ongoing treatment for such conditions as diabetes and high blood pressure.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_the_United_States

Yes, my fellow Australians, our hospital crisis is bad at the moment concerning overcrowding of Emergency Departments and bed shortages, but that's just the hospitals, the overral healthcare system.




-End of Rant-

[Theazninvasion68]

There's alot of things wrong in America ;).

Medical care costs a TON, thats why uninsured people are willing to delay seeking care.

[Gloomy Mushroom]

I think the only thing wrong with America, as much as I know of, is your health system.

[11:54]

There's a lot more wrong with it than that.

-Gas prices are outrageous, though I think that might be everywhere, I can't keep up.
-No one can buy a house, and everyone seems to be forclosing.
-The American auto industry it going downhill.
-Hot girls that wear words on their butts.

Everything kind of ties into one another though, it's like a domino effect. When one thing goes, everything else starts to fall. America isn't the only country in this state. If I understand correctly, it's the entire world. But since were supposed to be the #1 country, we get all the attention since we're supposed to be the great land. But when something goes wrong it becomes a huge issue, when in fact there are people in other countries who can't even afford clothes on their backs. Americans can be selfish.

I'm barely cutting bills, but I know it could be a lot worse. I could be in debt and have my car re-poed and not be able to afford food, but I'm just happy I can get by with a few extra hundered dollars in my account. But if I get laid off, then I will fall.

Sorry for the rant.

[Daniel]

Your gas is stupidly cheap compared to most countries.

[11:54]

What makes it bad here is that everything else is expensive, too. For a long time gas was the cheapest thing, while bills, food, and other things were still up there. The food and general bills have gone up some, but the gas has gone up a lot and threw everything off.

But lately, gas has been dropping down. It's gone down over a whole dollar since the summer.

[Penny]

Hopefully, Obama will change everything soon.

[11:54]

He's going to work on things, obviously, but he's not going to change everything in one moon. It isn't possible. it might not even be possible to fix everything in 4 years. It's going to take a long, long time.

[Harlz]

Yeah from what I've seen, your gas prices are incredibly cheap.

But the fact that if someone is sick, and goes to a hospital in the USA, and that hospital can refuse them treatment is disgraceful.
We get that treatment free. And our country, to put it simply, has less money than yours.
Hopefully Obama will change some of this, but seriously, some of the priorities over there are fucked. Healthcare before wars would be a good start...

[Chris.]

Gas here is pretty cheap compared to everywhere else but when Bush took office, gas was under $2 a gallon. When he got into office, gas shot up to $3.50 and nearly $4 a gallon. Ever since September, it has been steadily falling back down and currently, where I live, its at $1.87. Back on topic: Health Care is a big problem here and Obama has a clear plan to try and make health care more affordable for the middle class in an effort to try and provide nationwide health care. As for the auto industry, I dont see how people living in Michigan will be able to live without the auto industry. If that goes under, we are fucked.

[Arashi]

Hopefully, Obama will change everything soon.

For anything to materialize, it will take a long time. Even perhaps two terms, because for Obama to do anything, first he needs to clean up Bush's mess.

[Timothy]

There's no excuse for the U.S. not having universal health care. None. Period. End of fucking story.

[Dean]

There's no excuse for the U.S. not having universal health care. None. Period. End of fucking story.
Cuba has it?

[Timothy]

Cuba has it?


http://recollectionbooks.com/bleed/images/BB/commie2.jpg

I hear there's a new movement based around America shit-canning the constitution and basing all of our policies off of this picture.

[Theazninvasion68]

There's no excuse for the U.S. not having universal health care. None. Period. End of fucking story.

It used to be this, I think, I just thought up of it today on the way home.

If we were to have Universal Healthcare, Who would pay for the costs?

Well, if you say the Government, they'll point it right back at Tax-payers.

(The U.S Govt. Federal Budget is spent...questionably. :lol: )

What does that mean to the average person? Well.

Lets say a regular check-up costs $100. The Government would pay for the treatment, and to the tax-payers, that means ~.000000000001 much more on the taxes. Now, lets just say tax is...whatever, it'll be alot of people before it raises it a single penny.

Right?

Well, now think of this. If 25,000 people go in to get check-ups, thats $2,500,000 worth in a single day. Which would mean about...well, I'd say .0025 Cents more (Not doing super accurate math, just off the top of my head)

Now, out of those 25,000 people, 1,000 people had to had surgery or intensive care. The costs in USD ranges from 2,000. to 60,000+. It's a pretty broad range of costs and ect, so it's a big variable.

Now, of those 1,000, say 100 people in that day had to stay, or stay on life-support for a day or two. Life-support is extremely Expensive, At least, my guess, is $10,000 per day, or week whatever.

As you can see, the costs rises up pretty quick, and eventually, we'd be taxed alot more. Seeing that most people think that we're being taxed alot (Income tax, Sales and something i forgot) They'd rather apply for insurance, or not have one at all.

Tell me if I'm wrong here though :). I haven't taken Economics class yet.

EDIT
There has been a movement based around America Shit-canning the constitution, not based off the picture, but rather based on Corporations and foreign interests.

[Timothy]

http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu/health/spend/cost_longlife75.gif

Every other country with UHC pays substantially less (per capita) for health care than the U.S. So, we spend more money but insure less people. That's the very definition of "inefficient."