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The quality of health care is so high in Europe that I really cannot imagine any European going to the US for treatment apart from perhaps very few experimental

The quality of health care is so high in Europe that I really cannot imagine any European going to the US for treatment apart from perhaps very few experimental treatments that are not permitted in Europe.

therealmarv 9y ago
Overall it's good in Europe. But there are some specialists and specialist clinics in USA (high priced of course!) which can be better than in Europe. E.g. Houston medical center is a big area of specialist clinics (e.g. cancer) and I can imagine rich people do medical tourism to this places. It's somehow comparing Europe Universities with US ones... they are not on the same level.
nostrademons 9y ago
Unsure what it's like in Europe, but when my Canadian cousin had a brain tumor, he went to the U.S. for treatment. Canada's health care system is on average better than the U.S, but when you have a brain tumor, you don't want an average doctor, you want the best. And by and large, these are still in the U.S. because they can make an order of magnitude more money than they could in a country with socialized medicine.
- jacquesm 9y ago
  The US has a much larger number of inhabitants than Canada does, so a much larger number of people that could be outliers in any one profession. On top of that the bigger pay draws the top players from Canada as well. So it is no surprise that that 'best' doctor is in the US, it would be far more surprising if they were in Canada (and stayed there).
- luckydata 9y ago
  Are they actually better doctors or just doctors that make more money?
  - rayiner 9y ago
    Quality migrates towards compensation. It’s like how the best programmers are in the US.
    - jacquesm 9y ago
      And the best lawyers too ;)
    - guitarbill 9y ago
      From what I've seen, compensation isn't a great indicator of skill or quality. And how do you even measure the "best programmer"? I don't buy it.
- refurb 9y ago
  This was my experience in Canada as well. Everybody get the same level of care, but when the shit hits the fan, I'd prefer to get care in the US. A good example is cancer. Cutting edge cancer drugs are pretty universally covered by both public and private insurance, right after FDA approval. In Canada it can take years before the gov't agrees to pay for it and sometimes they say "no".[1] "It's crazy that I live in Canada, but now I'm looking at having to sell my house for coverage of my medication." [1] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/a-tale-of-2-friends-with-breast-cancer-1-has-coverage-for-costly-drug-the-other-forced-to-pay-1.4495123 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/a-tale-of-2-f...

therealmarv 9y ago

Overall it's good in Europe. But there are some specialists and specialist clinics in USA (high priced of course!) which can be better than in Europe. E.g. Houston medical center is a big area of specialist clinics (e.g. cancer) and I can imagine rich people do medical tourism to this places. It's somehow comparing Europe Universities with US ones... they are not on the same level.

nostrademons 9y ago

Unsure what it's like in Europe, but when my Canadian cousin had a brain tumor, he went to the U.S. for treatment. Canada's health care system is on average better than the U.S, but when you have a brain tumor, you don't want an average doctor, you want the best. And by and large, these are still in the U.S. because they can make an order of magnitude more money than they could in a country with socialized medicine.

jacquesm 9y ago
The US has a much larger number of inhabitants than Canada does, so a much larger number of people that could be outliers in any one profession. On top of that the bigger pay draws the top players from Canada as well. So it is no surprise that that 'best' doctor is in the US, it would be far more surprising if they were in Canada (and stayed there).
luckydata 9y ago
Are they actually better doctors or just doctors that make more money?
- rayiner 9y ago
  Quality migrates towards compensation. It’s like how the best programmers are in the US.
  - jacquesm 9y ago
    And the best lawyers too ;)
  - guitarbill 9y ago
    From what I've seen, compensation isn't a great indicator of skill or quality. And how do you even measure the "best programmer"? I don't buy it.
refurb 9y ago
This was my experience in Canada as well. Everybody get the same level of care, but when the shit hits the fan, I'd prefer to get care in the US. A good example is cancer. Cutting edge cancer drugs are pretty universally covered by both public and private insurance, right after FDA approval. In Canada it can take years before the gov't agrees to pay for it and sometimes they say "no".[1] "It's crazy that I live in Canada, but now I'm looking at having to sell my house for coverage of my medication." [1] http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/a-tale-of-2-friends-with-breast-cancer-1-has-coverage-for-costly-drug-the-other-forced-to-pay-1.4495123 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/a-tale-of-2-f...