3 ms·

But even that isn't even true. The US system doesn't even benefit the wealthy. For profit health care means a lot of over-treatment which causes several proble

But even that isn't even true. The US system doesn't even benefit the wealthy. For profit health care means a lot of over-treatment which causes several problems in US health care which kills people: - Something like 2x as much surgery done in the US than in other countries, because it is profitable, not because it is needed. So perfectly health people are cut open, because they got a good insurance which can pay for it. - Opioid crisis. Again having health insurance is a problem, not a benefit in this case. That turns you into a money bag, they can push opioids on. - Antibiotic resistance. America is all about getting more of everything. Quantity over quality, which unfortunately also means excessive use of antibiotics making Antibiotic resistance a major problem. The US system really isn't working for anyone. It means those who cannot pay get too little treatment, and those who can pay get too much. If only there was a way to even it out...

zusoomro 6y ago
Do you have any citations / resources that can be used to read more about your perspective here?
StanislavPetrov 6y ago
>The US system doesn't even benefit the wealthy. That's a ridiculous statement, it benefits the wealthy massively. We can argue over whether or not these benefits would be even more massive without over-treatment, but there is no doubt about the overall benefits to the wealthy. >A Harvard analysis of 1.4 billion Internal Revenue Service records on income and life expectancy that showed staggering differences in life expectancy between the richest and poorest also found evidence that low-income residents in wealthy areas, such as New York City and San Francisco, have life expectancies significantly longer than those in poorer regions. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/04/for-life-expectancy-money-matters/ https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/04/for-life-expe...
pbadg3r 6y ago
If you're wealthy maybe you're also savvy enough to deal with the system. When a few second opinions with doctor friends are only a phone call away it's not hard to imagine better outcomes better. I recall an article on HN where a dev quit his job to do cancer research when he was diagnosed, and spent the next year getting to top 1% level in cancer analysis for his subtype. That's disposable income in action. Fatal opioid use is less common with wealthy folks, and great diet + exercise + friends (easier if you're rich) are all good prevention mechanisms against antibiotic resistant bacteria.
- TuringNYC 6y ago
  Going further, many wealthy people hire services (either part of their concierge medicine practice or a la carte) which helps them navigate the system, evaluate doctors, get appointments at the best medical practices, avoid bad doctors, evaluate the gestalt of the recommendations across all doctors, fight incorrect insurance copay/co-insurace bills, etc.

zusoomro 6y ago

Do you have any citations / resources that can be used to read more about your perspective here?

StanislavPetrov 6y ago

>The US system doesn't even benefit the wealthy. That's a ridiculous statement, it benefits the wealthy massively. We can argue over whether or not these benefits would be even more massive without over-treatment, but there is no doubt about the overall benefits to the wealthy. >A Harvard analysis of 1.4 billion Internal Revenue Service records on income and life expectancy that showed staggering differences in life expectancy between the richest and poorest also found evidence that low-income residents in wealthy areas, such as New York City and San Francisco, have life expectancies significantly longer than those in poorer regions. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/04/for-life-expectancy-money-matters/ https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2016/04/for-life-expe...

pbadg3r 6y ago

If you're wealthy maybe you're also savvy enough to deal with the system. When a few second opinions with doctor friends are only a phone call away it's not hard to imagine better outcomes better. I recall an article on HN where a dev quit his job to do cancer research when he was diagnosed, and spent the next year getting to top 1% level in cancer analysis for his subtype. That's disposable income in action. Fatal opioid use is less common with wealthy folks, and great diet + exercise + friends (easier if you're rich) are all good prevention mechanisms against antibiotic resistant bacteria.

TuringNYC 6y ago
Going further, many wealthy people hire services (either part of their concierge medicine practice or a la carte) which helps them navigate the system, evaluate doctors, get appointments at the best medical practices, avoid bad doctors, evaluate the gestalt of the recommendations across all doctors, fight incorrect insurance copay/co-insurace bills, etc.