- Cheesusslice
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- Noble Heroic Member
Posted by: MyNameIsCharlie
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.
^^This quoted post is highly inaccurate.
To say there is very little communication in a hospital is absurd.
Hospital administrators know exactly what is going on in their hospitals.
Hospitals don't raise prices just because they had a bad quarterly...
Also, those "high school drop outs" that communicate with doctors are called "coders". They actually have to get a college degree in "coding" so they know exactly what some doctor is talking about, slap a code on the bill for whatever diagnosis the doctor gave the patient, and then send the bill to whatever insurance company it needs to go to.
Prices aren't high because hospitals don't want to eat the cost, it's because insurance companies don't like forking over money, and because people don't read their crappy health care policies before they sign them.
Hospital administrators are always meeting together, to communicate and to solve problems that arise in a quick and efficient manner...
For costs, blame pharmaceutical and insurance companies... A lot of doctors waive their fees when they work in hospitals anyway.
[Edited on 12.06.2012 8:57 PM PST]