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This could also be due to people in the US simply seeking more care than in other countries.
by trevyn 8y ago
This could also be due to people in the US simply seeking more care than in other countries.
- lostlogin 8y agoWhat’s the logic in that? If the cost is socialised surely you’d expect more people to seek care than if they were paying?
- trevyn 8y agoI think it’s cultural; strong families/communities seem correlated with not wanting to be a burden on that family/community when your time comes. Individualism, as in the US, seems more correlated with trying to stay alive/healthy at any cost.
- beagle3 8y agoWhat’s the logic in that? Am I going to get a quad bypass just because it is cheaper? People seek care because they need it. The kind of care that people use more because it is cheaper/available is maintenance care (which reduces overall costs because things are often treated before they become critical). The first time I heard “I am feeling sick / cut my hand / need stitches but I cannot afford to go to the doctor” was in the US, and it left me dumbfounded - I have lived in a few places, and that’s a US only thing. Also, I could understand some of George Carlin’s jokes (e.g. “dirty doctor” one) until I had lived in the US.
- lostlogin 8y agoI think I didn’t make my point clearly. The post I replied to was suggesting that Americans seek care more than others and that’s why costs are higher. I didn’t think that likely, and argue that direct exposure to the cost would lead to people seeking care less often.
- beagle3 8y agoThat's not true in my experience - it seemed like Americans seek less care, because it was expensive; but when they do, they seem to want to medicate everything away and go back to work ASAP (even if it's something that heals on its own, and even if it means taking painkillers for a while and risking complications), whereas in other places, it is acceptable to let many things run their course, and mild discomfort is considered acceptable. E.g., in the netherlands (and IIRC also in Germany), it is considered rude to come to work when you are sick - you expose everyone else to risk, for a work day that's likely less-than-effective (because, you are sick) -- whereas in the US, you're expected to just pop an advil and show up (and .. if you are visibly suffering, you'd be considered a hero).
- trevyn 8y ago“I have cancer and I went to the doctor and they gave me painkillers” is a non-US/EU thing.
- namdnay 8y agoI think there's a balance to be found. Here in France people will go to the doctor for a common cold, and immediately load up on unnecessary medicine at the pharmacy. I'm sure that if they were asked to pay even 5E out of their pocket it would significantly reduce the shortage of GPs and the lower costs.
- beagle3 8y agoIsrael tried this a decade or so ago - something like 10EUR/Qtr if you've used any services, and additionally 1EUR/visit -- both of which would be waived if you were in really bad financial shape. IIRC, it made zero measurable difference on the number of visits, but the bureaucracy involved with charging this was costing more than than the money collected, so it was eventually scrapped. (I might be mistaken, an Israeli versed in how the system works / worked is welcome to correct me)
- conanbatt 8y agoUtilization increases with decrease in cost. In argentina I remember calling a doctor home to check up on a cold. This would be unreasonably expensive in the US for very little healthservice in exchange.
- feanaro 8y agoFWIW, this isn't what I observe.
- Nasrudith 8y agoEven if that was true it doesn't necessarily map. Preventative medicine is known to reduce costs considerably for one. Paradoxically healthcare can be expensive because people aren't getting enough care.