As we all know our country is tied in knots right now, liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats ready to go toe-to-toe over health care reform, aka Obamacare. As I've stated before, I'm afraid Obamacare is going to be a mess because it was written hurriedly by a bunch of bureaucrats and industry lobbyists. IMO, however, the general concept seems to have merit based on some numbers I've just researched.
First....why do we go to a doctor or hospital? To become and stay healthy, right? To live a long life. How do we measure that? By measuring the "average life expectancy at birth". Here are some current OECD* life expectancy statistics:
Switzerland........82.7 years
Spain..................82.33
Italy....................82.09
Sweden..............81.8
France................81.67
Norway...............81.3
Netherlands........81.2
Austria................81.03
UK......................80.75
Germany............80.74
Belgium..............80.49
Finland................80.47
Denmark.............79.8
US.......................78.64
The United States ranked 27th out of 34 OECD countries, which is more than a little worrisome to me.
Next, consider this: All of those other countries mentioned have some sort of "universal health care". Sometimes it's mandatory purchase of health insurance (in Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, I believe), and in others it's flat out government provided (as in the UK).
In common vernacular we here in the US just call it all "socialized medicine". And that's the bug-a-boo. Say the word socialized ______ and Americans just freak. "Socialized, like in the old USSR? No sirree, none of that commie crap here!) We're very touchy about that word.
Now lets look at OECD numbers comparing the percentage of GDP by country spent on health care:
US......................17.6% of GDP
Netherlands........12
Germany............11.6
France................11.6
Switzerland........11.4
Denmark............11.1
Austria................11
Belgium..............10.5
UK.......................9.6
Sweden...............9.6
Spain...................9.5
Norway...............9.4
Italy.....................9.3
Finland................8.9
The United States ranked first (by a large margin) in a field of 34 advanced countries. In this case being #1 is NOT a good thing.
"Yes, but all those countries pay a LOT more in taxes than we do." True, from 5% to 16% more. But that buys them a lot more than just health care. That also pays for free (or at least very inexpensive) child care, college tuition, a much earlier retirement age, more generous "social security", more generous unemployment benefits, etc. And as has been pointed out, that total "cradle to grave" welfare system is breaking their banks.
But I'm not looking at any of that here. I'm just looking at health care, and in that one category, it seems like they're getting a MUCH better deal than we are. They are spending less yet living longer. (If I've misinterpreted anything here please feel free to correct me, and give your sources.)
The big complaint as I understand it is the wait time for elective procedures over there. They might have to wait a year or more for, say, a hip or knee replacement, where here it can be scheduled in a matter of weeks.
That is one of our medical establishment's big gripes against Obamacare.....30,000,000 new people are getting health care, yet no new doctors are being trained to treat them. It's a very valid point, and will likely be a major nuisance. Some, however will question even that, pointing out these people are getting care now, but just not paying for it.
Opponents of Obamacare say it is destroying our freedom. Freedom to....what, pay more and die sooner?
Here is my question for you: Forgetting about Obamacare as it is now written, and without using the dreaded "socialized" brand, do you think some form of "universal health care" is an option we should consider? If no, please leave me a brief comment as to why you think not. I honestly want to hear some different opinions.
Thanks,
S
* The OECD is a widely accepted international economic organization of 34 advanced nations founded in 1961 (an outgrowth of the 1948 US Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe) to promote economic growth and world trade.
The people who don't think we need it are either rich, already have great insurance, or have never faced a series medical issue. Ten years ago I had my gall bladder taken out and the bill for the surgery was something like $9000. If I hadn't had insurance I'd have been stuck with all that bill. And that was just a simple outpatient surgery; if you have something major you're talking much, much more money. Like when my first niece had to stay in the NICU for weeks; I'm sure that cost a ton of money.
ReplyDeleteBasically it's like the reason we require people who own cars to have insurance, because when the crap hits the fan the bills can add up pretty fast.
The problem with the Affordable Care Act is that it didn’t go far enough. Single payer universal health care has proven successful in other countries, as your documentation pointed out. With the ACA the consumer is still dependent on the wolves (insurance companies) to set fair rates. Even before the ACA took effect insurance companies were raising their rates to hedge against the ACA.
ReplyDeleteIn a March 4, 2013 Time magazine special report by Steven Brill (Bitter Pill - Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us) he documented how the consumer doesn’t stand a chance in the convoluted and secretive medical billing system. The article demonstrated how, “hospitals - and the executives who run them - are gaming the system to maximize revenue and sticking patients with bills that have little relationship to the care that is provided.”
Essentially, medical billing is secret, inconsistent and dependent on who you are. Exorbitant rates for the average person, negotiated rates for insurance companies and set rates for Medicare (Medicare does not negotiate - they pay fair market value for services provided). Medicare is a clear example of how a single payer system works and clearly leaves room for reasonable profit for the medical industry (and it has become an industry, rather than health care providers).
Everyone screamed “socialism” when Social Security and Medicare came about. They are proven programs and you can be sure those who obstruct the ACA will not turn down either when their time comes.
Yes--universal healthcare is working extremely well in many countries around the world. My niece was working in China a few years ago and she got sick and had to be hospitalized for a week. She had to purchase a health card for around sixty bucks to be admitted and when she left the hospital her bill was approx. $24. In America her bill would have cost thousands of dollars and bankrupted many people.
ReplyDelete"Opponents of Obamacare say it is destroying our freedom. Freedom to....what, pay more and die sooner?" Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm for universal health insurance. Kind of like how I don't mind that everyone HAS to have car insurance (why is nobody screaming about that?).
ReplyDeleteThe freedom to... pay $3,000 for a colonoscopy here in the U.S. vs. $800 in Germany! If everyone has insurance, medical costs should go down. Common sense dictates that...we'll see if it happens (I won't hold my breath, but I will hope). We are paying for care for uninsured people already - in the most ineffective way (ER visits instead of regular office visits, serious illness because beginning symptoms are ignored, and then involvement of collection departments, collection agencies, and then writing off bad debt by the hospitals).
And I don't buy all the "...the sky is falling because of this forced socialized Obamacare..." hysteria. Let's look at Romneycare in Massachusets - has this state fallen into an abyss?
as a country and to over generalize a bit - because hey that's what you get on 1/2 a cup of coffee - we are, as a country, not really known for our care of the young nor the old .... "you gotta make you own way! you gotta pull yourself up by your own bootstraps! no free handouts here!" .... or at least the media, and most of the hell hole called Washington would want you to believe .... it's like we are all walking through life declaring we are our own islands - but it takes a village .... always has. I feel I am ranting and have lost track of my point ... so I will end with forgiveness for all and to say .... my coffee is excellent this morning.
ReplyDeleteUmmm....enough coffee for this morning, OK? ;)
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