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> The wait times for basic diagnostics is on the order of months (not days or weeks). The crazy thing to me about this is, most Americans simply skip medical p

> The wait times for basic diagnostics is on the order of months (not days or weeks). The crazy thing to me about this is, most Americans simply skip medical procedures, or tests due to cost. So American wait times aren't lower because their hospitals are better, they just server a much smaller pool of people due to so many being priced out of being healthy. And honestly, the longer you go without doctor visits, more expensive, complicated and involved the process is.

mtberatwork 4y ago
This is a gray area too as unnecessary testing can be costly and lead to worse care: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/13/1104141886/cascade-of-care https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/13/1104141...
kasey_junk 4y ago
“Most” Americans do not skip procedures due to cost. About 1/3 have (https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs/ https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-chall...) and that is mostly dental procedures. That is an atrocious number and something that needs fixing but we don’t need to exaggerate it to make that true.
- qzw 4y ago
  Good link there, but assuming I’m looking at the same section as you, it seems like the 1/3 figure is for skipping or delaying tests and treatments recommended by their doctors, which doesn’t really tell us how many people forego seeing a doctor altogether due to cost concerns.
  - kasey_junk 4y ago
    Technically it was 1/3 had or had family members, which means the number is actually much better than 1/3 but I was being generous. We don’t know how many people skip healthcare because a doctor is inconvenient (in the states or in other regimes) either. So it seemed the most appropriate comparison to make.
- Goronmon 4y ago
  That's the lowest percentage out of all the sentences from that paragraph. The 1/3rd is people avoiding treatment recommended by a doctor. 43% of people reported to have avoided healthcare due to costs. To me "Not most people, only 43%" isn't what I would consider too much of an exaggeration.

mtberatwork 4y ago

This is a gray area too as unnecessary testing can be costly and lead to worse care: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/13/1104141886/cascade-of-care https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/06/13/1104141...

kasey_junk 4y ago

“Most” Americans do not skip procedures due to cost. About 1/3 have (https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-challenges-with-health-care-costs/ https://www.kff.org/health-costs/issue-brief/americans-chall...) and that is mostly dental procedures. That is an atrocious number and something that needs fixing but we don’t need to exaggerate it to make that true.

qzw 4y ago
Good link there, but assuming I’m looking at the same section as you, it seems like the 1/3 figure is for skipping or delaying tests and treatments recommended by their doctors, which doesn’t really tell us how many people forego seeing a doctor altogether due to cost concerns.
- kasey_junk 4y ago
  Technically it was 1/3 had or had family members, which means the number is actually much better than 1/3 but I was being generous. We don’t know how many people skip healthcare because a doctor is inconvenient (in the states or in other regimes) either. So it seemed the most appropriate comparison to make.
Goronmon 4y ago
That's the lowest percentage out of all the sentences from that paragraph. The 1/3rd is people avoiding treatment recommended by a doctor. 43% of people reported to have avoided healthcare due to costs. To me "Not most people, only 43%" isn't what I would consider too much of an exaggeration.