Hep C Discussion Forum

Huey · Guru

USA Ranks last in Health Care.

Loopy Lisa · Guru

I'd still rather be in the US right now being treated! :/

Isiscat2011 · Guru

The health care system in the US is dysfunctional and health care is almost entirely unaffordable to individuals. Only insurance companies and various governmental agencies can afford the costs of health care and many are stretched to the maximum. The Affordable Care Act was passed so that more people will have access to health care because so many Americans could no longer afford the cost of insurance or were underinsured.

So far the ACA has had success at getting significant numbers of low income people signed up for health care coverage. While that is a wonderful thing, it has done little to help the rest of the population, and has done nothing to cure the over-inflated, bureaucratic, health care mess we have created.

Unless an American can individually afford to pay exorbitant out of pocket costs he/she is at the mercy of insurance companies and government programs who often do not do the right thing. In short, health care in the US is a crap shoot. For some it will be good and for others it will be as bad or worse than having no medical care.

Preventable medical error is the 3rd leading cause of death in the US. Yes, we have often faster access to pharmaceuticals, but that isn't always a good thing, as evidenced by the high pharmaceutical related hospitalizations and death rates. Not to mention an ever increasing addiction to pharmaceutical drugs this country is experiencing. Doctors are increasingly dissatisfied with the practice of medicine and we are having to import new physicians.

I'm sure looking in from the outside the US health care system looks pretty good right about now, particularly in light of the perception that the new hepc drugs will be readily available in the US. But, the hepc revolutionary drugs are only a small piece of the bigger picture. And, even that will probably be a lottery.

Huey · Guru

.

Source: The Commonwealth Fund

Lead author Karen Davis, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, says the findings were disappointing, but not surprising. This is the fifth time in a row that the U.S. has landed at the bottom of the heap in the semi-annual report, in large part due to the fact that, until recently, access to affordable health care was severely lacking.

The data in the report pre-date the full implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the establishment of the healthcare marketplace earlier this year, so theres a good chance the U.S. will land higher on the list next time. Since the healthcare marketplace opened in October 2013, more than 8 million uninsured Americans have signed up.

With enactment of the Affordable Care Act the U.S. performance on access to care should begin to improve, particularly for low-income Americans, Davis says. The Affordable Care Act is also expanding the availability and quality of primary care, which should help all Americans have better care and better health outcomes at lower cost.

Beyond basic affordability, however, the U.S. suffered as well from a deeply fragmented health care system, Davis says.

[Our low ranking] is also related to time and administrative hassles that come from dealing with health insurers, trying to resolve billing disputes, administrative issues, she says. Even doctors report that they spend a lot of time getting [treatments] approved by insurance companies.

Heres where the U.S. health care system is failing:

Death rates: The U.S. ranked lowest among other nations in infant mortality rates and deaths that could have been preventable with timely access to health care. The country also had the second-lowest life healthy expectancy age at 60.

Access to affordable care: Low-income people in the U.S. were far likelier to ignore medical issues because of cost than other nations. Nearly 40% of American adults with below average incomes said they did not visit a doctor or fill a prescription due to costs, compared to less than 10% in of adults in the U.K., Sweden, Canada, and Norway. Low-income people in the U.S. were also more likely to wait longer to see a specialist than high-income patients. Even doctors take notice. In the report, nearly 60% of U.S. doctors admitted that health care affordability was a problem for their patients.

Health care quality: Quality was one of the few measures the U.S. showed strength in the Commonwealth report. The U.S. had relatively high scores (4th place) in effective care and patient-centered care (care delivered with the patients needs and preferences in mind), but it suffered from low scores in safe and well-coordinated care.

Efficiency: With so much money pumped into health care and so little to show for it, its no wonder the U.S. ranked last in efficiency. It scored lowest in reports of administrative hassles (e.g., dealing with insurers), timely access to records and test results, and re-hospitalization. Forty percent of U.S. adults who went to the E.R. in 2011 said their condition could have been treated by a regular physician but could not be seen in time more than twice the rate in the U.K. The U.S. also scored lowest in communication among healthcare providers and duplicate medical testing.

-- Edited by Huey on Monday 16th of June 2014 08:10:09 PM

(Edited to remove links to adverts...Jill)

-- Edited by Cinnamon Girl on Tuesday 17th of June 2014 11:29:48 AM

Hep C Discussion Forum

Legal Disclaimer: