3 ms·

I’ve seen this claim made a few times. If this is true then surely it would be in the US’s interest to stop doing it! Stop us freeloaders from mooching off you

by jeeeb 5y ago

I’ve seen this claim made a few times. If this is true then surely it would be in the US’s interest to stop doing it! Stop us freeloaders from mooching off your drug development! Personally I’m doubtful that this claim is broadly true though. I think it should at least be backed by some decent analysis.

IfOnlyYouKnew 5y ago
The US does pay about twice as much per capita for healthcare, while getting rather mediocre results. No, it's not in the country's best interest as any normal person would understand it. But there's a large segment of the US population that has very strange priorities. They are willing to pay a bit extra to avoid the possibility of, say, poor people getting healthcare. (They also pay 5x as much for their military, compared to their NATO peers. It's the export version of their particular brand of sadism.)
- spfzero 5y ago
  There is a reason Americans are willing to pay more for the system we have now, though it's not the one you mentioned. The U.S. health system is considered willing to go farther in treatment than socialized systems are. For example, say, giving 10 patients MRIs to detect one disease. If you're that 10th person, it worked out well for you, and if you're one of the other nine, you just had to pay more. Anecdotally, a co-worker told me he had moved here from Canada so he could bring his father here to be treated for some form of cancer. He was not going to get that particular treatment in Canada, no matter what he was willing to pay. I am in no way saying that this treatment was necessary or helpful, though it might have been. But my friend perceived that he had more options for treatment here. Second anecdote, a friend died of pancreatic cancer last year. Her doctor told here it was inoperable, and she had 8 months to live. She went to two other doctors and found one who was willing to put her through intensive chemo; she wanted to fight it. She still only lived 8 months. In another country, she would not have that option, and maybe she shouldn't have had, because it was very expensive and it had less than zero benefit. People can get more treatment options here, at a higher cost, for better or worse.

by jeeeb 5y ago

IfOnlyYouKnew 5y ago

The US does pay about twice as much per capita for healthcare, while getting rather mediocre results. No, it's not in the country's best interest as any normal person would understand it. But there's a large segment of the US population that has very strange priorities. They are willing to pay a bit extra to avoid the possibility of, say, poor people getting healthcare. (They also pay 5x as much for their military, compared to their NATO peers. It's the export version of their particular brand of sadism.)

spfzero 5y ago
There is a reason Americans are willing to pay more for the system we have now, though it's not the one you mentioned. The U.S. health system is considered willing to go farther in treatment than socialized systems are. For example, say, giving 10 patients MRIs to detect one disease. If you're that 10th person, it worked out well for you, and if you're one of the other nine, you just had to pay more. Anecdotally, a co-worker told me he had moved here from Canada so he could bring his father here to be treated for some form of cancer. He was not going to get that particular treatment in Canada, no matter what he was willing to pay. I am in no way saying that this treatment was necessary or helpful, though it might have been. But my friend perceived that he had more options for treatment here. Second anecdote, a friend died of pancreatic cancer last year. Her doctor told here it was inoperable, and she had 8 months to live. She went to two other doctors and found one who was willing to put her through intensive chemo; she wanted to fight it. She still only lived 8 months. In another country, she would not have that option, and maybe she shouldn't have had, because it was very expensive and it had less than zero benefit. People can get more treatment options here, at a higher cost, for better or worse.