Topic: Why is US health care so expensive?

Apr 24, 2012 09:58 AM cheryl1946 wrote:

Beats me why US healthcare is so expensive. I just had a PET/cat scan; it costs $6,000,my co-pay was $50.  My local hospital charges for each gauze pad,etc.;unbelieveable what the 3 biopsies I had cost. The sad part is the US is far down the list of the best in health care.

The cat scan guided bone biopsy done at Dana Farber costs one flat rate. Don't know how much,since they told me even if insurance didn't cover it all,I would never get a bill from them.

Apr 24, 2012 05:10 PM cheryl1946 wrote:

The reason meds are cheaper is that they are generic in other countries quickly. The US leaves them name brand for many years.

If you look at where some of the meds you take are made,it's Israel,India,etc.

I take generic hydrochlorothyazide,and it is made in India. 

Apr 24, 2012 05:29 PM 1Athena1 wrote:

The very, very short answer to the question of your topic title is: inefficiency. There is a patchwork of delivery systems there are not coordinated and that do not reach millions. A second key reason: lack of price controls which enable abuse by the price setters. Big Insurance has long been exempt from anti-trust law regulations, and it still is. This means there is limited competition, hence limited market incentives to lower prices.

It's too early to tell whether the Affordable Care Act will improve this, as some of its key provisions have yet to go into effect and rules are still being drafted for other parts.

Apr 24, 2012 06:16 PM Craftylass wrote:

I'll have to look up those books.  I'm not sure I completely understand the proposed health care policy that Obama has put forth, but one thing I'm convinced of is that we do need some kind of reform!  There's no excuse for things costing so much!  (I had forgotten . . . when my son was born in 2001, he had fluid in his lungs and had to spend a week in NICU for observation, etc.  When we saw the bill, the charges were $10,000 per day for the NICU alone.  The insurance company "settled" at $5,100 per day.  If we had paid out of pocket, we would have had to pay the full amount.  To me, that's just wrong.  Another time, when we got the kids checkups in the States, I told the doctor's office that I was going to pay cash and that I would like a discount for doing so.  I then said, "I'd like to pay the same as the insurance companies."  The reply was, "We can't do that . . . if we did, then no one would need insurance companies!")

I live in China's northwest (a relativaly undeveloped area) and I go down the street to a local hospital to get my blood counts checked on day 7 (typical nadir) and day 10.  The hospital has an electronic board that scrolls the costs of everything!  It's like a menu!  I was quite impressed.  (China has universal health care, but it only applies to seeing doctors.  Everything else is out-of-pocket for the private patient and most patients will say that tests and treatments cost too much.)  I pay about $5 US for my blood check.

Jun 7, 2012 08:09 AM Craftylass wrote:

I agree that the US is an incredibly expensive country, but dollar for dollar (or yuan for yuan), healthcare is equally expensive for the average Chinese citizen.  The universal health case system there only covers doctors' fees.  Everything else is out of pocket for the patient.  Medical insurance is a new industry there. 

Additionally, medical care is sub par in most of the country.  I'm getting my chemotherapy in Hong Kong (quite a different story than the mainland) and I go back home to recover.  I developed a fever one night and the local hospital said I would have to wait until morning to get any cultures done.  They do not have a 24-hour lab!  

Most Chinese people will say that they do not trust the government to care for them . . . that they have to care for themselves. 

Jun 7, 2012 09:38 PM Craftylass wrote:

Hong Kong has a two-tiered medical system.  The government (which is different than the government of mainland China) has a public health system which is very good.  You have to be a HK resident in order to qualify for this.  The main disadvantages to this system is the waiting for appointments, etc. A HK resident cannot be refused care at a government facility.

Then, there is the private health care system.  Many HK residents will purchase insurance that will cover private care outside of the public system.  This allows them to not have to wait for appointments.  All insurance policies in HK (and much of Asia) are "pay-up-front" with patients being reimbursed by the insurance companies.  The medical facilities do not process insurance paperwork at all.  It's all up to the patient to do so.  (On a personal note, the paperwork I filed for reimbursement was relatively simple.  It took six weeks for the company to process it and I've been reimbursed in full.)

There are government owned hospitals and privately owned hospitals/clinics/practices. 

The doctor/nurse pays for his/her own education unless there are scholarships.

Note:  There is a HUGE difference between Hong Kong and mainland China.  The two are classified as "One country, two systems."  Hong Kong has top notch health care while the mainland is quite questionable.  There is a big struggle right now with mainland Chinese crossing the border to have babies in HK.  A woman literally has to reserve a hospital room for delivery about the same time she discovers she is pregnant!  If it's an "auspicious" year, then it's even harder.  Many mainland Chinese want their child born in HK for all the benefits, but another reason is for the quality of care given during childbirth.

Jun 11, 2012 07:41 PM Chickadee wrote:

Can't die naturally because someone sees an opportunity to sue the Dr or hospital for not "saving" our life.

Jun 13, 2012 02:37 AM Craftylass wrote:

That's why it's important to write your own health care plan.  Both my husband and I have each other listed as health care power-of-attorney and we both have in writing for a non-machine-supported life plan (should something happen to both of us at once).  We also have a do-not-resusitate plan.

Jun 14, 2012 10:08 PM omg333 wrote:

i saw a pic of an elderly woman that had tatooed on her chest...do not resusitate! Many family members do not know in a huff, where to find the paperwork....i was taught, you put your paperwork in a plastic bag in the freezer, because paramedics are taught to look their first, in case they cannot reach a family member.

Jul 30, 2012 03:20 PM Blessings2011 wrote:

I was fortunate to work for a large university, represented by a strong union. Our benefits were negotiated every two years.

For most of my 20 years there, my employer paid the premium on my health insurance. Only recently did it start coming out of my paycheck, and later, my retirement check.

I pay just $40 per month for both myself AND my husband's Kaiser coverage.

There are no deductibles.

A visit to the PCP (who we love) is $15, as is a visit to any specialist we need (and referrals are easy to get.) All labwork, all X-rays, all mammograms, all MRIs, all biopsies, in fact all diagnostic procedures are at no additional cost.

My hospitalization and surgery (mastectomy with reconstruction) last December cost me nothing out of pocket. The $50 inpatient fee was waived because I was a breast cancer patient.

Drugs are either $5, $10, or $15, depending on the formulary.

My heart just breaks when I read how expensive medical care is for other people. I know we are extremely fortunate to have this coverage.