Healthcare

africanspur

Full Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2010
Messages
9,148
Supports
Tottenham Hotspur
berbatrick said:
No US healthcare horror story, but just amazed at some of the numbers involved.

I had a visit to a specialist, paid $35 upfront. They did a bunch of tests: lung function, blood allergy, and some nitrous oxide thing.

According to this bill, these tests cost (drumroll) $2600, which is more than what i make in a month, while the doc herself gets $500.
I'm on the hook for about $180, i can deal with it.


I could see that the tests and equipment were good and probably not cheap, but $2600 is just a made up nonsense number. And indeed today, I got a bill showing that, while the insurance "covered" $1944+$959 = $2900, what they actually paid the hospital was $1100. The remaining $1800 is just made-up, accounting tricks that vanish into the air to somehow keep this system going. I found examples online where these made-up numbers are sometimes as high as 10X the real money paid by insurance.


A real shocker is with the new inhaler I'm getting:

A list price of $500 for one month's medicine! (and I have other meds too, it would add up to over 1k). I wonder how much of the $435 they "cover" is actual money.
Click to expand...
Jesus christ.

https://bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-forms/tiotropium.html

The NHS 'indicative price' of Spiriva.
 

Carolina Red

Moderator
Staff
Joined
Nov 7, 2015
Messages
36,423
Location
South Carolina
There was a commercial on TV last night during the college baseball national champs game for a medication to take to manage HIV/AIDS. The medicine, called Biktarvy, is billed as a 1 pill, 1 per day treatment and the commercial showed people with HIV/AIDS who are on the medication happily living life to the fullest.

The cost is $4000 per month.
 

VorZakone

What would Kenny G do?
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
32,960
https://www.reuters.com/world/europ...nce-surgery-2021-07-11/?utm_source=reddit.com

Pope reappears after surgery, backs free universal health care


ROME, July 11 (Reuters) - Pope Francis, seeming in good overall condition, appeared in public on Sunday for the first time since undergoing intestinal surgery a week ago and made a plea for free universal healthcare.

The 84-year-old pope, who had part of his colon removed in the surgery, stepped out on the balcony of his suite on the 10th floor of Rome's Gemelli hospital to lead his weekly prayer before hundreds of cheering people below.

He stood for about 10 minutes, reading from a prepared text but also adding many impromptu remarks.

He appeared to be slightly short of breath at times and his voice was occasionally raspy. He had part of one of his lungs removed when he was a young man in his native Argentina.
Click to expand...
 

coolredwine

lameredboots
Joined
Aug 11, 2011
Messages
17,065
Location
Je m'en fous!
some of the amounts posted here are absolutely mind-boggling. I recently had the experience at a hospital emergency and surgery, and the final cost to me has been 0. the maximum that I spent was actually on taxi rides back and forth from my place to the hospital and that too totalled at €22 something.
 

VorZakone

What would Kenny G do?
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
32,960
What do you guys consider to be the best healthcare system in the world? I realize no system will be 100% perfect but all things considered, which one performs the best at the moment and looks like the most sustainable long-term?
 

Massive Spanner

Give Mason Mount a chance!
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
28,187
Location
Tool shed
VorZakone said:
What do you guys consider to be the best healthcare system in the world? I realize no system will be 100% perfect but all things considered, which one performs the best at the moment and looks like the most sustainable long-term?
Click to expand...
France is the one generally touted as the benchmark. It has a good mix of public healthcare (with statutory health insurance) and private healthcare. But @JPRouve might have more to say.

Italy, too. Think they have the highest life expectancy in Europe?

I reckon every country you go to will probably complain about their healthcare in some way though because it's very difficult to get right. I think I can safely say that Ireland has one of the absolute worst out of the wealthier nations. You honestly wouldn't believe the amount we spend vs the services we get and the awful mismanagement involved.
 

JPRouve

can't stop thinking about balls - NOT deflategate
Scout
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
65,932
Location
France
Massive Spanner said:
France is the one generally touted as the benchmark. It has a good mix of public healthcare (with statutory health insurance) and private healthcare. But @JPRouve might have more to say.

Italy, too. Think they have the highest life expectancy in Europe?

I reckon every country you go to will probably complain about their healthcare in some way though because it's very difficult to get right. I think I can safely say that Ireland has one of the absolute worst out of the wealthier nations. You honestly wouldn't believe the amount we spend vs the services we get and the awful mismanagement involved.
Click to expand...
According to WHO, the top 5 is in that order France, Italy, San Marino, Andorra and Malta. It's interesting to see that France and Andorra are linked while Italy, San Marino and Malta are linked, I wonder if it's a coincidence.

But yeah in France even if you were to pay the actual full bill it wouldn't be close to the kind of figures that you see in some other countries, my only issue is that in public hospitals it is likely that you won't have access to free internet.
 

Massive Spanner

Give Mason Mount a chance!
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
28,187
Location
Tool shed
JPRouve said:
According to WHO, the top 5 is in that order France, Italy, San Marino, Andorra and Malta. It's interesting to see that France and Andorra are linked while Italy, San Marino and Malta are linked, I wonder if it's a coincidence.

But yeah in France even if you were to pay the actual full bill it wouldn't be close to the kind of figures that you see in some other countries, my only issue is that in public hospitals it is likely that you won't have access to free internet.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah we don't have that either. Also, my wife was admitted to A&E and spent 20 hours sitting on a chair in a pod before she was seen. Got an X-ray and CT scan then and had a fractured pelvis.

20 hours on a chair with a fractured pelvis.

Got the A&E bill in the post fairly sharpish, though. Can't even pay it online, have to post it back to them!
 
Last edited:

JPRouve

can't stop thinking about balls - NOT deflategate
Scout
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
65,932
Location
France
Massive Spanner said:
Oh yeah we don't have that either. Also, my wife was admitted to A&E and spent 20 hours sitting on a chair in a pod before she was seen. Got an X-ray and CT scan then and had a fractured pelvis.

20 hours on a chair with a fractured pelvis.

Got the A&E bill in the post fairly sharpish, though. Can't even pay it online, have to post it back to them!
Click to expand...
The last experience I have had with the A&E, it was for my grandfather, an ambulance took him around 5pm and every tests were done by 8pm and I got a call from the emergency doctor who explained to me what they searched. Total cost 8 Euros and a few cents sent months later by the ambulance company.
 

hasanejaz88

Full Member
Joined
Dec 3, 2017
Messages
5,928
Location
Munich
Supports
Germany
VorZakone said:
What do you guys consider to be the best healthcare system in the world? I realize no system will be 100% perfect but all things considered, which one performs the best at the moment and looks like the most sustainable long-term?
Click to expand...
Germany I think has a very logical system. Pubic insurance that covers everyone and everything outside of cosmetic surgeries and dental (though a checkup twice a year and fillings are covered), and private as well if the person wants a cheaper more customizable option of what they want covered.
 

Jericholyte2

Full Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Messages
3,580
hasanejaz88 said:
Germany I think has a very logical system. Pubic insurance that covers everyone and everything outside of cosmetic surgeries and dental (though a checkup twice a year and fillings are covered), and private as well if the person wants a cheaper more customizable option of what they want covered.
Click to expand...
Couldn't we all just wear chastity belts?
 

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,317
JPRouve said:
According to WHO, the top 5 is in that order France, Italy, San Marino, Andorra and Malta. It's interesting to see that France and Andorra are linked while Italy, San Marino and Malta are linked, I wonder if it's a coincidence.

But yeah in France even if you were to pay the actual full bill it wouldn't be close to the kind of figures that you see in some other countries, my only issue is that in public hospitals it is likely that you won't have access to free internet.
Click to expand...
San Marino basically is Italy.

Talking to the doctors here (they're always interested in how they compare to the much talked about NHS) there are a few reasons the health service works so well.

They're conservative in treatments and do what's well known to work.
They don't blow billions on new IT systems and PFI.
The co-pay model stops people turning up to hospital with a cold.
Lab testing and things like that is outsourced to private companies who run it better.
People are generally healthier.
 

calodo2003

Flaming Full Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2014
Messages
41,822
Location
Florida
I have zilch to do today, might take a quick trip to ATL to patron this restaurant (excuse the source)...

 
You must log in or register to reply here.