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You're right that the back-end of any healthcare system is complex, but a government-funded single-payer system is simpler for the end user (every citizen), tha
by minikites 6y ago
You're right that the back-end of any healthcare system is complex, but a government-funded single-payer system is simpler for the end user (every citizen), that was my point.
- giantg2 6y agoI must be missing something then. In the current system you walk in and hand them your card (insurance, Medicare, medicaid, etc) and they treat you. You get mailed a bill later. Tax funded systems would be similar. Walk in, give them your ID/card and get treated. Get a bill if it's a taxable condition (like Italy). Obviously there are other non-payment related differences like scheduling and what's covered.
- minikites 6y ago>In the current system you walk in and hand them your card (insurance, Medicare, medicaid, etc) and they treat you. You get mailed a bill later. The thing you're missing is that the current system in the USA is in no way like this.
- giantg2 6y agoThat's completely false. I've had to deal with many medical bills in the US last year.
- minikites 6y agoYou must have good insurance if you think your experience is typical. Most people aren't so lucky.
- giantg2 6y agoIt's this way for everyone I know, except for medicaid recipients.
- mcguire 6y agoYou are healthy and not self-employed, I take it.
- giantg2 6y agoDo you have insurance? I fail to she how being healthy and not self-employed affects the scenario as described (present card, get treated, recieve a bill).
- RHSeeger 6y agoThat bill can be for an amount that varies wildly based on your insurance, the doctor, who helps the doctor, what lab they send things too, and a large number of other options. If things work out well, your bill could be for $30. If you don't remember to ask the right questions, the bill could be $30,000.
- warkdarrior 6y agoIn the current US system, if your employer does not provide (any|sufficient) insurance coverage, you have to get your own and there are a million options all ready to fleece you. It is almost impossible to comparison shop and choose between 100 bad options. Yes, the mechanics are the same (go to doctor, get a bill), but your purchasing power as individual patient is really small compared to a whole country.
- giantg2 6y agoI agree many options are bad. Even employer insurance is expensive. Where is the individual's purchasing power a part of that scenario? Regardless of the group or person paying the provider, the bill is still substantial. The main money saver between the types is in system efficiencies like removing overhead, or instituting restrictions.
- minikites 6y ago>The main money saver between the types is in system efficiencies like removing overhead I agree, we should remove the overhead created by the existence of private insurance companies.
- giantg2 6y agoAnd replace it with what? Government has overhead and inefficiencies too.
- minikites 6y agoI know decades of conservative rhetoric say otherwise but governments often run things efficiently and effectively.
- giantg2 6y agoMaybe other governments. Medicare has billions in fraud each year. The process for signing up for Medicare and Medicaid can be complicated. If you've ever served in the military or government you know how much waste can be involved.
- mcguire 6y ago"I must be missing something then." The part where you are one of the people who doesn't have a card from insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, etc.
- giantg2 6y agoIs that a real concern though? The ACA provides income-based funding and expanded Medicaid.
- pjc50 6y agoThe difference is in the NHS everyone is "on the same side", so the amount of bill inflation and money juggling that happens is basically zero. The NHS does demand management with waiting lists instead. Basically it's amazing for things that can be easily identified and given cheap medication for (insulin, antibiotics etc), amazing for emergencies which can be resolved with surgery, OK (but variable) for obstetrics, does a decent job at screening for common conditions, but tends to leave anything that won't actually kill you to wait. I've never had to think about billing.
- vidarh 6y agoAt the same time you can get super-cheap private insurance in the UK because they are effectively a "queue-jumping service" that leaves most urgent and lethal conditions to the NHS and gives you access to private treatments for the things the NHS would put on a waiting list, while cutting their costs by renting excess capacity from the NHS (some private clinics are even run by NHS trusts, as the trusts are allowed to derive some income from private treatments). I think the best demonstration of the quality of the NHS is that despite the low cost of private insurance in the UK, and despite the fact many companies offer health insurance as a perk, only about 10% of the population has any kind of private cover.
- lkbm 6y agoHere are some things in the current system I'm hoping a single payer system would fix: * I walk in, and they can tell me right away whether I will be billed or not. There's no "we'll see" and then maybe I get a bill in a few weeks. * I walk in to a different doctor's office and the answer as to whether I'm billed or not is the same as at the other doctor. * Because of these first two items, I walk in and they can tell me ahead of time what my bill will be. * We can now replace "walk in" with "check their websites (or call) and comparison shop". Maybe they can't tell me if my treatment is taxed until I'm diagnosed, but that still gives me the option to find out my bill before treatment. Once I'm diagnosed, if it's non-urgent I can shop around. Price transparency is non-existent in US healthcare. There's no big mystery as to why that would cause inefficiency and absurd costs.
- giantg2 6y agoInsurance companies do have tools to price compare between facilities. I've used it on my insurance company's website. Manh states have price transparency requirements for cash payers too. Edit: Why downvote? It's all true.
- vidarh 6y agoThe fact that there is a need for tools like that demonstrates the complexity of the current system. Apart from being extremely expensive.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]