- MyNameIsCharlie
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- Fabled Mythic Member
Studies show that men think about sex every 7 seconds. I do my best to eat hotdogs in under 6, just so things don't get weird.
Please allow me to introduce Myself
I'm a man of wealth and taste
I've been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man's soul and faith
Somehow I don't think people understand how socialized medicine actually works. Most of your posts make that pretty clear. Looking this thread over, and I see the most intelligent posts look like they are written by 20 year olds, to the worst looking like they are from 12 year olds.
The actual problem with any healthcare system is waste. People are willing to pay more for a system that works. The problem is that too few systems around the world work. From the "Barefoot Medics" (roaming nurses) in China, to the NHS is the UK. And the US system somewhere mixed in that.
Some facts about the US system:
Its inefficient. There is very little communication between the payment organizations and the doctors themselves. When there is, the communication doesn't work because you find doctors talking about procedures to high school drop outs. This adds time between the services rendered and payment for those services. Doctors have to keep their lights on, so they jack the rates up to cover this. It also leads to miscommunications, which causes people to get billed for the wrong things, and things not to be covered.
Not Everyone is covered. We still treat these patients. The hospitals can't turn anyone away from an ER. Its a law. When they dodge their bill, where do you suppose that money gets pulled from? Do you think the hospital eats the cost? Nope, they pass it along in higher prices. That's why a $3 catheter gets billed at $300. Those higher prices get passed to the insurance companies, and then on to the consumer.
Hospital Administration often times don't know what happens in their hospitals. It sounds strange, but often there are 2 or more organizations within one hospital building. I don't mean small solo practitioners or specialists. I mean different departments with different administrations. This often mean they don't communicate between the two (or more) sides. That often leads to doubled costs, as they take care of their own resources. Not to mention the payroll...
Now, these are just 3 reasons why costs are so high. There are hundreds more. I won't say that I am for or against socialized medicine. I am saying our system is breaking, and we should be discussing ways to fix it, and looking at the problems with it.
I do like this thread, as it keeps the conversation going. The problem is that the mix of ignorance and anonymity will mean it will inevitably get locked for some reason. That's too bad.