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I live in a 3rd world country (Sri Lanka). Healthcare is not as advanced as it is in the US, but it is decent for all except the most complicated cases. The vas

by hliyan 9y ago

I live in a 3rd world country (Sri Lanka). Healthcare is not as advanced as it is in the US, but it is decent for all except the most complicated cases. The vast majority of people use the free services at state hospitals. If you want slightly better care, you can go to a private hospital and still come out with most of your wealth intact. I recently had a minor surgery to remove a conjunctival granuloma from my left upper eyelid. It was a private hospital, and it cost all of $50. Compared to US standards, the facilities were spartan, but adequate and hygienic. Also, doctors and hospitals do not live in constant fear of malpractice suites. I suspect these factors have a lot to do with the costs (in addition to the obvious cost-of-living adjustment for the third world).

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
39d3493I93 9y ago
You bring up a couple of interesting points even if you don't realize it. There are a couple of things that impact your experience that are externalizations. For example, your "cheap" healthcare is largely due to massive amounts of subsidies and NGO work that goes into helping third wold countries provide such "cheap" medical services. In many ways, due to rather authoritarian types in control in government in the west, who think they have the right to steal from their own citizens through taxes in order to "help" others, it is actually even more expensive for Americans in particular to receive medial care because none of those costs of shipping off billions and trillions of Americans' dollars overseas to "help" others is ever included in the cost of things like healthcare. You may ask yourself how that correlates, but it's because, e.g., while American doctors and people are overseas training and "helping" others, they are neglecting their own society and people, and while billions upon billions are spent to subsidize and "help" others, those billions and billions of dollars are drained from America and Americans and their communities, which in turn is money that they cannot use to receive quality healthcare in some cases. Another point you bring up is that while you are using facilities that are spartan compared to US standards but more than adequate for providing health services, in the USA the very same people who lament the cost of healthcare want well appointed and lavish facilities that are beautifully designed and have cafes and restaurants. I have this kind of argument all the time in a country where people think that a $120 million dollar library with a $10 million dollar yearly maintenance and operation cost is an even remotely reasonable cost when you could provide the very same kind of service in a facility that isn't like a luxury hotel. It's not just that doctors don't face the same kind of fear of malpractice suits, those doctors are also not under constant pressure to perform unnecessary procedures to pay for the $1.3 billion ... yes, BILLION ... hospital and the health care sector in many countries is not the scheming and conniving and fraudulent get rich quick kind of scheme it has become in the USA. In many of the emerging countries, doctors and hospitals perform their services out of a desire to help people, in the USA there is a whole cottage industry of the medical services that has figured out how to latch onto all the various Socialist schemes Liberals devise on how to dispense with other people's money to "help", which affords them fleets of private planes and ocean side mansions.
- SketchySeaBeast 9y ago
  Do we see these same trends of ridiculous costs across other philanthropic and "liberal" (you seem to apply more meaning to the word than I) countries? Because as a Canadian I can say that I fear no bankruptcy via health issue, and trust that I will be taken care of if I am in medical need.
  - mrybczyn 9y ago
    If you pass triage, and wait your turn... And outside of hospital emergency visits, if you can find a family physician. Free has a large time cost associated with it.
    - SketchySeaBeast 9y ago
      That's true, it's not flawless, but you certainly aren't getting too much unnecessary medical care!
    - Broken_Hippo 9y ago
      No system is perfect, nor is any system free. At least taxpayer funded costs are ones that can be budgeted by the citizens and it'll be affordable. Not like what you get making 25-30k a year in the US. I'm in Norway (immigrant). I've had no issues finding a family doctor. Other immigrants have had no issues at the hospital emergency room (I've not personally needed it). They even send me reminders to get cervical cancer screenings once every 3 years. Sometimes the appointments aren't as fast as some people would like, but I ran into similar issues in the states with some doctors and most definitely with specialists. And most times, it has been tolerable. When I've really needed in, my family doctor worked me in to see her. The cost isn't that large. Especially not compared to what I got in the states: Folks spending 2,000+ on maintenance medications for different diseases. Going without care for things. And so on. These aren't exaggerations - these were myself, friends, family, and pharmacy customers. Perfect here? Nope. But I'll take it.
- saagarjha 9y ago
  Wait, so you’re saying that we’re subsidizing Sri Lankan healthcare? US’s aid to Sri Lanka is in the tens of millions of dollars; this wouldn’t even put a dent in their total medical expenses.
0568p11xf 9y ago
Interesting. There are hundreds of other cost issues in the US in addition to malpractice. Perhaps foremost is the obesity epidemic and the chronic diseases that result from it.

by hliyan 9y ago

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

39d3493I93 9y ago

You bring up a couple of interesting points even if you don't realize it. There are a couple of things that impact your experience that are externalizations. For example, your "cheap" healthcare is largely due to massive amounts of subsidies and NGO work that goes into helping third wold countries provide such "cheap" medical services. In many ways, due to rather authoritarian types in control in government in the west, who think they have the right to steal from their own citizens through taxes in order to "help" others, it is actually even more expensive for Americans in particular to receive medial care because none of those costs of shipping off billions and trillions of Americans' dollars overseas to "help" others is ever included in the cost of things like healthcare. You may ask yourself how that correlates, but it's because, e.g., while American doctors and people are overseas training and "helping" others, they are neglecting their own society and people, and while billions upon billions are spent to subsidize and "help" others, those billions and billions of dollars are drained from America and Americans and their communities, which in turn is money that they cannot use to receive quality healthcare in some cases. Another point you bring up is that while you are using facilities that are spartan compared to US standards but more than adequate for providing health services, in the USA the very same people who lament the cost of healthcare want well appointed and lavish facilities that are beautifully designed and have cafes and restaurants. I have this kind of argument all the time in a country where people think that a $120 million dollar library with a $10 million dollar yearly maintenance and operation cost is an even remotely reasonable cost when you could provide the very same kind of service in a facility that isn't like a luxury hotel. It's not just that doctors don't face the same kind of fear of malpractice suits, those doctors are also not under constant pressure to perform unnecessary procedures to pay for the $1.3 billion ... yes, BILLION ... hospital and the health care sector in many countries is not the scheming and conniving and fraudulent get rich quick kind of scheme it has become in the USA. In many of the emerging countries, doctors and hospitals perform their services out of a desire to help people, in the USA there is a whole cottage industry of the medical services that has figured out how to latch onto all the various Socialist schemes Liberals devise on how to dispense with other people's money to "help", which affords them fleets of private planes and ocean side mansions.

SketchySeaBeast 9y ago
Do we see these same trends of ridiculous costs across other philanthropic and "liberal" (you seem to apply more meaning to the word than I) countries? Because as a Canadian I can say that I fear no bankruptcy via health issue, and trust that I will be taken care of if I am in medical need.
- mrybczyn 9y ago
  If you pass triage, and wait your turn... And outside of hospital emergency visits, if you can find a family physician. Free has a large time cost associated with it.
  - SketchySeaBeast 9y ago
    That's true, it's not flawless, but you certainly aren't getting too much unnecessary medical care!
  - Broken_Hippo 9y ago
    No system is perfect, nor is any system free. At least taxpayer funded costs are ones that can be budgeted by the citizens and it'll be affordable. Not like what you get making 25-30k a year in the US. I'm in Norway (immigrant). I've had no issues finding a family doctor. Other immigrants have had no issues at the hospital emergency room (I've not personally needed it). They even send me reminders to get cervical cancer screenings once every 3 years. Sometimes the appointments aren't as fast as some people would like, but I ran into similar issues in the states with some doctors and most definitely with specialists. And most times, it has been tolerable. When I've really needed in, my family doctor worked me in to see her. The cost isn't that large. Especially not compared to what I got in the states: Folks spending 2,000+ on maintenance medications for different diseases. Going without care for things. And so on. These aren't exaggerations - these were myself, friends, family, and pharmacy customers. Perfect here? Nope. But I'll take it.
saagarjha 9y ago
Wait, so you’re saying that we’re subsidizing Sri Lankan healthcare? US’s aid to Sri Lanka is in the tens of millions of dollars; this wouldn’t even put a dent in their total medical expenses.

0568p11xf 9y ago

Interesting. There are hundreds of other cost issues in the US in addition to malpractice. Perhaps foremost is the obesity epidemic and the chronic diseases that result from it.