Health Care or Wealth Care

ntst8 said:
That is one of the arguments for our NZ health system, and in particular our Tax Payer funded Accident Compensation system. It is a "no fault" system, we gave away the right to sue in exchange for (supposedly) guaranteed cover. So we don't have ambulance chasing lawyers consuming a chunk of "health" money.
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Also, as a national drug purchaser, Pharmac has good leverage to drive down drug pricing, getting significantly lower prices for many drugs, and promoting generics at every opportunity.

Look at this graph.

Health Care or Wealth Care

https://www.bmj.com/bmj/section-pdf/186576?path=/bmj/340/7758/Analysis.full.pdf
 
grandpaul said:
BLAME THE LAWYERS
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That is a fairly simplistic and inaccurate point of view.

It would be more accurate to blame the system itself. Starting with the financial lobbying of legislatures which drives corruption of the regulatory framework (or rather the lack of one) including by Physicians, then the Pharmaceuticals' price gouging, HMO and Insurance company's business models, and yes, ambulance chasers.

The system is rotten.
 
oldmikew said:
Depends on the speciality surely.
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Probably, maybe? Who knows.

Will you or anyone you know ever have the luxury of picking what country to fly to for medical care? Knowing you're going to spend 50k-100k-300k when all is said and done?


Bragging about how rich people come here for medical care is an indicator that a person does not fully understand or is disconnected from the reality of healthcare in this country.
 
NPeteN said:
Probably, maybe? Who knows.

Will you or anyone you know ever have the luxury of picking what country to fly to for medical care? Knowing you're going to spend 50k-100k-300k when all is said and done?


Bragging about how rich people come here for medical care is an indicator that a person does not fully understand or is disconnected from the reality of healthcare in this country.
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Agree. Was prompted by recollection of reading letter from Consultant complaining that his whole NHS departmental budget
for some specialisation was exhausted bytreating a visiting American
I think the sum was over £1,000,000 (2003ish) He appealed and was overuled. I assume the US recipient was here because at the timethe treatment on offer was only available in the UK.
 
Interesting. Curious as to what that might have been.

Just like an American to export medically induced bankruptcy...
 
NPeteN said:
Just like an American to export medically induced bankruptcy..
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No problem, Pete. We have plenty to spare. In 2017, 767,721 Americans filed for bankruptcy due to medical costs.

Maybe Paul will hit the medical bankruptcy lottery. Never can tell.

Here’s another interesting fact about unpaid medical bills. While most think the government picks up the tab, that is not the case. Hospitals and doctors inflate the charges to those who are insured to cover the costs of the uninsured.
 
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Fast Eddie said:
Wow. That’s an incomprehensible statistic for someone like me who comes from a country where we take free healthcare for granted.
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That’s why the cost for those who do pay (insured) is so high. The insured are also paying for the uninsured (30,000,000) when they are treated.
 
I guess that’s true Jim.

Other things are also wrong with your system over there though. I know of a pharmaceutical product that costs £70 here in U.K. and sells for $500 in the US. And I do not believe it is an isolated incident.
 
Fast Eddie said:
Wow. That’s an incomprehensible statistic for someone like me who comes from a country where we take free healthcare for granted.
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Get a load of this, giving birth is gonna set you back on average 5k. Thats WITH insurance!
 
Back in early ‘70’s I played in “friendship hockey” tourney in Boston we were all just entering high school , one of players took a high stick just above his eye , bad cut , someone took him to closest hospital and he got 17-20? stitches and returned to see us finishing a losing effort (damn) .... next day he sat beside me on plane on flight home , he had a bill for $2700USD in his pocket , he had signed a promise to send money so he could leave hospital , funny thing was he had signed as some famous black athlete ( he was black) wish I could remember name just too far back ... anyway we couldn’t believe each stitch was charged for neither one of us had any idea at time bout health care and such things but we were blown away by the big number could have bought a Mustang with that kind of coin ...
 
Craig said:
Back in early ‘70’s I played in “friendship hockey” tourney in Boston we were all just entering high school , one of players took a high stick just above his eye , bad cut , someone took him to closest hospital and he got 17-20? stitches and returned to see us finishing a losing effort (damn) .... next day he sat beside me on plane on flight home , he had a bill for $2700USD in his pocket , he had signed a promise to send money so he could leave hospital , funny thing was he had signed as some famous black athlete ( he was black) wish I could remember name just too far back ... anyway we couldn’t believe each stitch was charged for neither one of us had any idea at time bout health care and such things but we were blown away by the big number could have bought a Mustang with that kind of coin ...
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Your teammate probably got charged the “Canadian” rate.
 
Craig said:
Back in early ‘70’s I played in “friendship hockey” tourney in Boston we were all just entering high school , one of players took a high stick just above his eye , bad cut , someone took him to closest hospital and he got 17-20? stitches and returned to see us finishing a losing effort (damn) .... next day he sat beside me on plane on flight home , he had a bill for $2700USD in his pocket , he had signed a promise to send money so he could leave hospital , funny thing was he had signed as some famous black athlete ( he was black) wish I could remember name just too far back ... anyway we couldn’t believe each stitch was charged for neither one of us had any idea at time bout health care and such things but we were blown away by the big number could have bought a Mustang with that kind of coin ...
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This is just the type of reckless Canadian behavior that got us in this mess!

Adjusted for inflation that 2.7k becomes 17k in 2020. You'd need twice that for a 2020 Mustang.

Musta been nice back then....
 
The US has made it law to prevent drug price negotiations. That is why the same product, made in a US company sells many times higher than same item exported to and available in Canada and other countries. This law was the result of significant industry lobbying to congress.
We now have/had bus loads of sick and elderly coming into Canada specifically to buy their essential medicines at greatly reduced prices. Even Trump once stated he'd like to encourage such cross border purchasing.
 
NPeteN said:
This is just the type of reckless Canadian behavior that got us in this mess!

Adjusted for inflation that 2.7k becomes 17k in 2020. You'd need twice that for a 2020 Mustang.

Musta been nice back then....
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And 3 times that plus, up here to get that same car .... sorry for our behaviour , however it was an American stick that drew the blood ....
 
Craig said:
And 3 times that plus, up here to get that same car .... sorry for our behaviour , however it was an American stick that drew the blood ....
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You almost had me at "black Canadian hockey player" that's a rare person even these days!
 

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