4 barely known reasons American Healthcare sucks

[DetlefK]

Last edited Wed Jan 25, 2017, 12:23 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.cracked.com/article_24568_5-under-reported-reasons-american-healthcare-sucks.html

4. People without health-insurance

Without health-insurance they are forced to make do with emergency-rooms, which are much more expensive and shift the financial burden on the taxpayers. And some people who want health-insurance aren't even allowed to: illegal immigrants.



3. Nobody knows shit

There is no organized effort to keep track whether a certain medical procedure works at all or how patients are doing in the long term or whaddup with medical errors.



2. The US is running out of doctors

The average age of doctors is 52... And Medicare puts a cap on how much money may go into training new doctors at hospitals, but why spend money on new doctors if you can spend it on the military.



1. Free-Market Healthcare and no competition means basic stuff is expensive as shit

Why does a hospital charge you $12 for a paper-cup that costs 2 cents? Because they can.
Why do they charge you hundreds of dollars for a pill that costs only a few dollars? Because they can.

The drug-industry is effectively a monopoly. There simply is no competition that could push prices down.
And hospitals have the "Saudi Sheikh Problem": A "saudi sheikh" is a wealthy patient who could afford to be ripped off with inflated prices. But since all treatments must cost the same for all patients, hospitals are simply ripping off everybody, just in case a "saudi sheikh" comes along one day.

[hunter]

1. Seriously??? "Illegal Immigrants?"

That's not what the article says. Did they change it?

All sorts of people end up in the E.R. who shouldn't be there, often because it's impossible for them to get a timely doctors appointment, or even find a doctor who will see them.

For serious psych problems the E.R. is just about the only entrance into the health care system. Psychiatrists and other mental health care professionals will tell you explicitly to dial 911 or get yourself to the E.R., especially if they don't know you well. Very few of them are taking on new patients in any sort of timely manner; waiting lists are commonly measured in months.

Shortages of primary care doctors are not caused by bottlenecks in training. The problem is the job sucks. Being forced to practice assembly line medicine, always arguing with multiple insurance companies about one thing or another, not having the time or proper resources to deal with your patients' problems, it's horribly discouraging. And the burden of student loans channels new U.S. doctors into more lucrative specialties. The U.S.A. also imports doctors. Like many other immigrants they'll settle for abusive working conditions because the place they're coming from is worse.

[DetlefK]

3. It's the essence of the point.

People without health-insurance go to the ER and that puts their healthcare-costs on the taxpayers instead of a health-insurance.

[Ms. Toad]

4. People do not have health insurance for many reasons,

only one of which is their immigration status.

The article does not use the word illegal, at all, and the only number attributed to uninsured immigrants is 18%.

Your revision makes it sound as if that portion of uninsured population is entirely to blame for the problem of costs rising due to individuals without insurance using ER rooms.

[hunter]

5. Oh bother.

You're the one who rewrote that.

Own it.

[DetlefK]

6. I needed something short and inflammatory.

This is DU after all. An online-forum. Not a real conversation.

[Ms. Toad]

2. Thank you!

I'm not fond of calling people illegal, but your summary now accurately reflects the article. (And it is a significant economic and access to health care issue that the law prohibits immigrants who have not followed the formal legal channels to enter the country from buying health insurance.)