ANother sign the USA is heading into ruin - outsourcing surgery

...is that a serious question?

"And why is this stuff so much cheaper in other countries anyway?
...is that a serious question?"
Its as serious as you want it to be

single-payer insurance would alleviate a lot of these problems, simply because if somehow your treatment got fucked, it would be free to get it sorted anyway.

malpractice is serious business, though, and is one of the major reasons we're going to have a doctor shortage (particularly OBGYNS) in the coming years.

xp - right

xxpost

xp obviously that's what the insurance is for. it's just that doctors are not just paying for patients dead from septic shock, they're paying for small and often unavoidable side effects/patients not caring for themselves post-op, etc.

someone gets taken to the ER, they get treated, no matter what. if they can't pay for it, rates go up for the next guy.

xp sure, lifestyle is key to preventative medicine. but so is being able to go see a GP on a regular basis.

I have heard people say of the canadian healthcare system taht it is flawed, but at least its there. Fixing a flawed system is easier than having no system. But I still think it will not happen in america due to private business interests influence - Aetna, Blue Cross, Unum...

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/press/ctc_mmt01.htm

xpost - my understanding is that the list of $4 drugs available at Wal-Mart is pretty small and comprised of drugs that are dirt cheap to begin with anyway. I think I heard it on the radio, so I can't name a source.

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/civil.htm

Lots of interesting stats on that site.

And back to stats nerdery, this PDF about tort suits is pretty interesting.

also, insurance companies are NOTORIOUSLY cheap when it comes to paying their lawyers (ask any lawyer you know -- OK, ask me -- what comes to mind when they hear the term "insurance defense" and get ready for lots of profanity) ... and even if a plaintiff's attorney manages to get a large damages reward for a client, the insurance companies stretch paying that shit out as long as they can get away with.

http://www.aarp.org/research/health/carequality/Articles/aresearch-import-711-IB35.html#INCIDENCE

The "malpractice insurance" complaint is an easy dodge for the industry. It's somewhat true, but it also dishonestly implies that you're paying too much for healthcare because of those unscrupulous people who keep suing doctors rather than because of flaws in the system. Limiting the amount people can sue for might lower your costs, but it's also going to increase the chance that, if you are harmed by a medical mistake, you can't recover your medical costs, lost wages, etc. Some victory.

this site could prove useful over time eh?

'Why is this stuff so much less expensive in other countries anyway'

The answer is (at least in the case of US vs. Canada, UK, much of Europe) that these other countries have their government and national health orgs running their health services, not private corporations. That is, the body at the top of the heath care chain is primarly mandated to provide health care for citizens, whereas in the US the body at the top of the food chain is first obligated to make as much profit for it's shareholders as possible.

Here's an example - I'm a Canadian citizen. I have now lived abroad for about 4 years, and so the last time I returned to Canada my 'heath card' had expired. While I was in Toronto I got an eye infection and had to go to a clinic to get it looked at. When I told them my health card had expired they told me I'd have to pay for their services, as if I were an 'uninsured' person. I saw the doctor, he checked out my eye and wrote me a perscription. They handed me a bill, $40.00 CDN. This represents what the doctor is charging back to OHIP for his time, and some overhead and administrative costs.

Now, go for a visit to the emergency room or a walk-in clinic in the US, and tell me how much the same costs. Probably several hundred dollars based on examples I've seen, including charging up to $40 US for bandages etc on top of various fees. The reason being that every person in the chain that provides you with that service is out to make as big a profit as reasonably possible.