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That may be so, but doesn't necessarily imply that health care is more expensive in the US. It's possible that in the US they simply spend more money on useless

That may be so, but doesn't necessarily imply that health care is more expensive in the US. It's possible that in the US they simply spend more money on useless things, or do more screenings with better technology, for example. Many things can go wrong with interpreting such statistics, see also my comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21760725 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21760725 Afaik, some of the best (and also most expensive) medical procedures are only available in the US.

swebs 7y ago
In Sweden, you pay taxes for healthcare and everyone receives healthcare. In the USA, you pay taxes for healthcare, but only the old and the poor receive that tax funded healthcare. So the average taxpayer has to buy their own health insurance in addition. The linked chart also shows a clear correlation with Purchasing Power Parity, which also should be accounted for.
- afarrell 7y ago
  > only the old and the poor Also government employees, and those under the care of the VA. > Purchasing Power Parity, which also should be accounted for. Yes, I agree. To illustrate with a simplified example: Imagine nation A has median wage of $20k and nation B has median wage of $40k. Also imagine that their income distribution is the same. Then, if healthcare costs in nation B are twice as high, healthcare is equally as affordable.
- adventskalender 7y ago
  " So the average taxpayer has to buy their own health insurance in addition." How the money is collected is pretty irrelevant (indirectly via taxes or directly by the insurance company or physician). What matters is the overall cost.
  - pnutjam 7y ago
    Don't forget profit, and the incentive for insurance companies to care less about what they pay and probably prefer higher prices.
    - adventskalender 7y ago
      Why would insurance companies prefer higher prices?
      - pnutjam 7y ago
        Their profit is capped at a percentage of payouts. Pay more keep more profits (after raising rates).
  - afarrell 7y ago
    It is relevant due to the complexity and uncertainty imposed. When I lived in the US, I didn't have a way of learning how much an interaction with a medical system would cost me. Now that I live in the UK, I do.
afarrell 7y ago
> It's possible that in the US they simply spend more money on useless things, or do more screenings with better technology These are both components to saying that the health care system is more expensive in the US. > a rich country could spend more money on health care and still have worse average health than poorer countries Yes. I think that multiple people on this thread would argue that this is the case with the US. > many health outcomes may also depend on wealth - for example over-consumption leading to obesity, which might affect health more than spending on health care can compensate. This implies that differences in social services and urban design have an impact on healthcare spending. This is relevant to /u/sykick's statements "the cost of healthcare, housing, food, and transportation should be taken into account." and "I'd rather be poor in Sweden than in the U.S."
- adventskalender 7y ago
  "> It's possible that in the US they simply spend more money on useless things, or do more screenings with better technology These are both components to saying that the health care system is more expensive in the US." Sorry, but that doesn't make sense. If the service is better, the higher price is justified. Presumably you can always choose to not use the better technology to save money. "This implies that differences in social services and urban design have an impact on healthcare spending." How does it imply that? More social services would stop people from overeating? Do you have a citation for that?

swebs 7y ago

In Sweden, you pay taxes for healthcare and everyone receives healthcare. In the USA, you pay taxes for healthcare, but only the old and the poor receive that tax funded healthcare. So the average taxpayer has to buy their own health insurance in addition. The linked chart also shows a clear correlation with Purchasing Power Parity, which also should be accounted for.

afarrell 7y ago
> only the old and the poor Also government employees, and those under the care of the VA. > Purchasing Power Parity, which also should be accounted for. Yes, I agree. To illustrate with a simplified example: Imagine nation A has median wage of $20k and nation B has median wage of $40k. Also imagine that their income distribution is the same. Then, if healthcare costs in nation B are twice as high, healthcare is equally as affordable.
adventskalender 7y ago
" So the average taxpayer has to buy their own health insurance in addition." How the money is collected is pretty irrelevant (indirectly via taxes or directly by the insurance company or physician). What matters is the overall cost.
- pnutjam 7y ago
  Don't forget profit, and the incentive for insurance companies to care less about what they pay and probably prefer higher prices.
  - adventskalender 7y ago
    Why would insurance companies prefer higher prices?
    - pnutjam 7y ago
      Their profit is capped at a percentage of payouts. Pay more keep more profits (after raising rates).
- afarrell 7y ago
  It is relevant due to the complexity and uncertainty imposed. When I lived in the US, I didn't have a way of learning how much an interaction with a medical system would cost me. Now that I live in the UK, I do.

afarrell 7y ago

> It's possible that in the US they simply spend more money on useless things, or do more screenings with better technology These are both components to saying that the health care system is more expensive in the US. > a rich country could spend more money on health care and still have worse average health than poorer countries Yes. I think that multiple people on this thread would argue that this is the case with the US. > many health outcomes may also depend on wealth - for example over-consumption leading to obesity, which might affect health more than spending on health care can compensate. This implies that differences in social services and urban design have an impact on healthcare spending. This is relevant to /u/sykick's statements "the cost of healthcare, housing, food, and transportation should be taken into account." and "I'd rather be poor in Sweden than in the U.S."

adventskalender 7y ago
"> It's possible that in the US they simply spend more money on useless things, or do more screenings with better technology These are both components to saying that the health care system is more expensive in the US." Sorry, but that doesn't make sense. If the service is better, the higher price is justified. Presumably you can always choose to not use the better technology to save money. "This implies that differences in social services and urban design have an impact on healthcare spending." How does it imply that? More social services would stop people from overeating? Do you have a citation for that?