Comparing U.S. and other medical systems

After reading all the responses, it seems that no matter where one lives, no matter the health insurance/care available, there are both good and bad situations.

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Originally Posted by Nomilynn

. . . . . I am a diabetic and I have several items that I have to buy on a monthly basis. However, they aren't expensive when compared to how much they cost in the USA . . . . . .

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BIngo!! This is my main gripe about medical care/supplies in the US - especially for those of us on Medicare.

Medicare seems to think that a non-insulin dependent diabetic should get by testing only once a day - so they will only pay for one strip/day. Being pro-active, I think it important to know what different foods do to my blood glucose - so I test frequently. I can buy 200 strips from Canada (on-line) for $100. Here in the USA companies charge $100 for 100 strips - twice as much!

This being a pet board, I will include some info about pet meds. I use Revolution once a month - prevents ear mites, heart worm, round worm, etc. Buying on-line from a place in Australia (thank you Ellie), I save $20/month over the cost in this country. That's a savings of $240 each year.

I have to agree with Gretchen (Grace) - there is good and bad in every system.

I too am on Medicare and a supplemental private insurance, and those combined cost me a little over $200 per month. With both of those, I have no out of pocket that I have to pay - ever! What Medicare doesn't pay, the supplemental picks up the balance. However I have no prescription coverage since it is quite expensive, and doesn't even cover full cost. For what few meds I take, it's a whole lot cheaper just to pay it on my own, and can get great prices thru Sam's or Canadian pharmacies. Even my brother who takes a pharmacy worth of meds, finds it cheaper thru Sam's or Canada than to carry prescription coverage here.

I cannot fathom having to wait months, or longer, for a non-emergency procedure. The longest I ever waited for a surgical procedure was a couple of weeks, and diagnostic tests such as an MRI or CT Scan, just a few days - blood tests no wait - just walk into the lab and it's done right away. Doctors are plentiful with no real wait for an appointment, and I can go to any doctor of my choice without any referral being necessary.

So even tho I believe that our system in the U.S. has many flaws and in need of fixing, I still prefer what I have over what some other countries have. This country needs to find a way to cover all of it's people that want to be covered. If you don't want insurance, then that's fine, but for those that desperately want and need it but can't afford it, there needs to be some kind of solution.

Yeah that's kind of my biggest gripe about that system. I guess because the money is being taken from us BEFORE we even get to see it and anytime we buy anything (that includes nessecity items) so everyone says it's "free" when it's not really free it's just being taken from you before you get to see it and it's still not enough because they keep making more and more cutbacks.

But beyond that... because it is seen as "free" people overlook the wait times for non life threatening things. So yeah if you are about to die without the surgery you get it right away but otherwise you need to just suffer and live your life in pain until they finally find an opening for you... or until you get to my grandmothers age and they just try to wait you out rather than waste their time giving her the hip replacement she needs so badly.

When my step dad went in for his second surgery... he couldn't get an actual date and time for the surgery. He had to just sit and wait for them to call if they had a cancellation. Luckily after just over a week he got a call one night telling him he had to be in for 7 am the next morning because they had a cancellation. then he was booted out about 30 hours later when he was SUPPOSED to stay for 5 days. if they hadn't had that cancellation who knows when he would have gotten in because they couldn't or wouldn't give him a date.

but like Grace said... there is definitely pros and cons to each system although the cons seems to be weighing down the pros for both systems. There's gotta be some middle ground.

One thing I would like to see change is the way services are paid for. (I work in a claims office) We received a claim for a service that is not covered under the insurance plan I work for. The patient had the service at a hospital in the PPO network, so the claims came in with the billed charges and the contracted rates. But the patient will not get to know the contracted rates - she will get a bill for the services at the billed charges, which are a LOT higher than the contracted rates. That stinks.

The other thing that is frustrating to no end is the cost of prescription drugs.

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Originally Posted by cassiesmom

One thing I would like to see change is the way services are paid for. (I work in a claims office) We received a claim for a service that is not covered under the insurance plan I work for. The patient had the service at a hospital in the PPO network, so the claims came in with the billed charges and the contracted rates. But the patient will not get to know the contracted rates - she will get a bill for the services at the billed charges, which are a LOT higher than the contracted rates. That stinks.

The other thing that is frustrating to no end is the cost of prescription drugs.

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This I agree with. the way the billing and rates and stuff go here is ridiculous. I know we did a TON of pricing and shopping around when I was pregnant and it AMAZES me the differences between what the customer sees and what insurance sees and not only that but the differences in price between a customer with insurance and a cash customer

there needs to be regulation in that area for sure

I heard a story that Chemo Therapy for cancer is outdated, that there are a lot better ways to fight cancer , but that there so much money invested in chemo therapy and chemo therapists that they cant afford to change over.
If you have the money there are cancer clinics that will use these homepathic cures which are easier on the patient , or try to find natural meds to fight this on the internet.

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Originally Posted by cassiesmom

One thing I would like to see change is the way services are paid for. (I work in a claims office) We received a claim for a service that is not covered under the insurance plan I work for. The patient had the service at a hospital in the PPO network, so the claims came in with the billed charges and the contracted rates. But the patient will not get to know the contracted rates - she will get a bill for the services at the billed charges, which are a LOT higher than the contracted rates. That stinks.

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This happened to me. J had speech, covered at 20 visits a year, cause anyone knows that speech problems clear up on that 20th visit, duh!

Anyhow, I asked if I could continue the service, at the discounted rate, and was denied. Add that on top of the fact the insurer did not count the payments made for additional speech treatment as medical care going towards the significant deductible, and things stunk.

I think one of the largest lobbying groups in DC is the insurance industry. Too bad, as that will keep things the way they are for a long time now.

I can't even begin to understand the American Health system, but all I know is i prefer what we have here from what i do understand, no health system is perfect and our's is far from it either.

We have waiting lists like any other public system,and because of that i choose to have private medical insurance at least for surgery cover, i cannot really afford anything else.

We do have subsidised Doctors visits and ACC here which contributes to your care if you have an accident, that recently had an overhaul and we are now paying a lot more than we used to, i guess our government just cannot sustain it as is.

We have free dental care until you are 18, providing it is just standard care,not for wisdom teeth removal that sort of thing, and free blood tests still at this stage, i am wondering how long that will last though.

All in all i am happy with it as it is,but i guess it is because i have the security of knowing if i need surgery i can have it quickly due to taking out insurance, but i pay through the nose for that, and i will not be able to continue paying as i get older, as it will be too expensive and i will have to rely on the public system then.

At accident and emergency they try and get you out within 6hrs, which is far too long, we went there recently with my mother and were there for four hours, so that is not too good.

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Originally Posted by phesina

Are there many people in your country who want to do away with the medical system you have there and adopt one like ours?

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Phesina, there must be people in Britain who would like to abolish the NHS and set up a US-style system, but I can honestly say I have never met one.

What do we hear about the American system? That it is possible your medical condition will go untreated if you do not have the money/insurance to pay for it. Frankly, this freaks us out. As a nation we tend not to believe that your right to healthcare should be dependant on your income.

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Originally Posted by Killearn Kitties

What do we hear about the American system? That it is possible your medical condition will go untreated if you do not have the money/insurance to pay for it. Frankly, this freaks us out. As a nation we tend not to believe that your right to healthcare should be dependant on your income.

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And I think that this is the biggest flaw in the U.S. system.

However, I don't believe that there is a hospital ER that would ever refuse to treat a patient, just because he had no insurance. I may be wrong, but I believe it's law that someone be treated, regardless of insurance coverage, race, ability to speak English, and some others that I can't put my finger on right now. I know that all satellite offices and clinics of the local medical center have signs posted stating this.

I have to agree with Killearns Kitties, that is exactly what we hear over here as well, we have a pretty similar system to the British i think, and i want it to stay that way.

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Originally Posted by pomtzu

And I think that this is the biggest flaw in the U.S. system.

However, I don't believe that there is a hospital ER that would ever refuse to treat a patient, just because he had no insurance. I may be wrong, but I believe it's law that someone be treated, regardless of insurance coverage, race, ability to speak English, and some others that I can't put my finger on right now. I know that all satellite offices and clinics of the local medical center have signs posted stating this.

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That is true that a hospital emergency room must treat everyone who comes in. However, the result is that the ER has become the family doctor for people who don't have health insurance. You have a headache? Kid has the sniffles? Off to the hospital to sit and wait for several hours for someone to see you! This is a phenomenal waste of money and health care resources.

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Originally Posted by phesina

That is true that a hospital emergency room must treat everyone who comes in. However, the result is that the ER has become the family doctor for people who don't have health insurance. You have a headache? Kid has the sniffles? Off to the hospital to sit and wait for several hours for someone to see you! This is a phenomenal waste of money and health care resources.

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Exactly! And this is why the hospitals and doctors and clinics charge such outlandish prices - to make up for the freebies. I'm definitely not saying this is right, but it will continue to happen. And who takes the beating in the end??? - you and me - paying for it in the form of higher insurance premiums - or cost in general if we don't have insurance.

A couple of years ago I fractured my wrist and arrived at the ER around midnight. When I got checked in I asked the clerk about how long a wait I had, and she said there were patients in the waiting room that had been there for about 5 hours. I just kind of groaned with the thought of that wait, but she said they would take me right back. The ones that had been waiting were no emergencies - a headache, baby with diaper rash, and some other ridiculous "ailments". After my x-ray and my orthopedic surgeon saw me, he had to laugh and tell me that there were some people not too happy with me. It seems that the ones with nothing really wrong and were still waiting , made a complaint that I had been taken ahead of them. They have no insurance, use the ER as their primary care, have someone else footing their bill - and they complain???? What's wrong with that picture??

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Originally Posted by phesina

That is true that a hospital emergency room must treat everyone who comes in. However, the result is that the ER has become the family doctor for people who don't have health insurance. You have a headache? Kid has the sniffles? Off to the hospital to sit and wait for several hours for someone to see you! This is a phenomenal waste of money and health care resources.

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but that isn't something that will stop with a different system. that's one of those things that is going to be that way no matter what. Doctor can't see you right away? off to the ER. Can't find a family doctor that is taking patients? of to the ER. After doctors hours? of to the ER.

I've waited TWELVE hours in the ER before :O

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Originally Posted by sparks19

but that isn't something that will stop with a different system. that's one of those things that is going to be that way no matter what. Doctor can't see you right away? off to the ER. Can't find a family doctor that is taking patients? of to the ER. After doctors hours? of to the ER.

I've waited TWELVE hours in the ER before :O

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I don't understand where you are coming from here. Why would anybody wait in an enormous queue in ER when they could go to their family doctor? I can certainly say that that does not happen here.