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In most developed nations outside America, a doctor's opinion carries more administrative weight. There may be an administrator, but if a doctor says a procedur

by bdamm 9y ago

In most developed nations outside America, a doctor's opinion carries more administrative weight. There may be an administrator, but if a doctor says a procedure is to be done, the payment can generally follow. A doctor is like an officer in that regard. In America, the insurance company and their payment policies carry more weight than the doctor's decisions. This matters a great deal if you have a traumatic accident and require many surgeries, as happened to a friend of mine. In America, if you have a trauma, you are recommended to get a lawyer immediately to help your medical expenses be handled properly. Think about that... in America, if you get hurt, you need a lawyer almost a badly as you need a doctor. Not because you need to sue the cause, but because you need to encourage the insurance company. There's something fundamentally miserable about that.

chimeracoder 9y ago
> In most developed nations outside America, a doctor's opinion carries more administrative weight. In America, the insurance company and their payment policies carry more weight than the doctor's decisions. No, in most developed nations other than the US, the doctor has approximately the same power that they do in the US. The difference is that, under capitated systems or systems like the NHS (which is not actually capitated yet, but functions more or less like it is), the doctor factors the cost into their decision-making process. That might sound like a good thing for patients, but it's generally not - it means they have an incentive to avoid unnecessary care, but they also have a very direct incentive to bias on the side of avoiding necessary care as well, to avoid eating into their budget. This is absolutely a problem with the NHS, although Hacker News readers tend not to be the demographics that suffer from it the most, so you don't hear about it as much here. > in America, if you get hurt, you need a lawyer almost a badly as you need a doctor I get that this is intended to be hyperbole, but even on that scale, it's absurd.
- bdamm 9y ago
  It is not at all hyperbole. Companies that sell rescue insurance include lawyers fees in their benefits package.

by bdamm 9y ago

chimeracoder 9y ago

> In most developed nations outside America, a doctor's opinion carries more administrative weight. In America, the insurance company and their payment policies carry more weight than the doctor's decisions. No, in most developed nations other than the US, the doctor has approximately the same power that they do in the US. The difference is that, under capitated systems or systems like the NHS (which is not actually capitated yet, but functions more or less like it is), the doctor factors the cost into their decision-making process. That might sound like a good thing for patients, but it's generally not - it means they have an incentive to avoid unnecessary care, but they also have a very direct incentive to bias on the side of avoiding necessary care as well, to avoid eating into their budget. This is absolutely a problem with the NHS, although Hacker News readers tend not to be the demographics that suffer from it the most, so you don't hear about it as much here. > in America, if you get hurt, you need a lawyer almost a badly as you need a doctor I get that this is intended to be hyperbole, but even on that scale, it's absurd.

bdamm 9y ago
It is not at all hyperbole. Companies that sell rescue insurance include lawyers fees in their benefits package.