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>I think one of the ways that health insurance (at least in the US) has gone horribly wrong is that it became a means to pay for routine medical things rather t

>I think one of the ways that health insurance (at least in the US) has gone horribly wrong is that it became a means to pay for routine medical things rather than just exceptional ones. Then why isn't this a problem in any country with socialized medicine or other required health "insurance" things? They have increasing costs but not nearly to the extent the US experiences. The cost of childbirth in the US is insane. It is literally cheaper to fly to another country, pay out of pocket the purposely inflated "tourist medicine" price, hang out in a nice hotel for a few days, and then fly back!

zdragnar 3y ago
There's a number of reasons. - malpractice insurance - cost of living difference - government rationing of care in public systems - lower capital expenses for nice looking buildings and top-of-the-line equipment - unpaid bills turn into higher prices Medicare/Medicaid have their own distorting effects. One doctor told me that, for certain billing codes, he was effectively making less than minimum wage because the government rate was so low. To make up for it, other billing codes had to be overpriced, or he had to stop accepting any non-private payments. Countries with socialized medicine have their own problems. It can be great for average people with average problems, but outside those lines you run into things that would be trivial in a US healthcare setting. Obviously, it varies by country, and there are plenty of things I hate about how healthcare works in the US.
JohnFen 3y ago
> It is literally cheaper to fly to another country, pay out of pocket the purposely inflated "tourist medicine" price, hang out in a nice hotel for a few days, and then fly back! I can top that... In my part of the US west coast, if you need to have two dental crowns done, it's cheaper to fly to Taiwan and have it done there than to have it done locally. As a bonus, the quality of care and materials will be much better and the dentist may even actually apologize for having to charge you at all.
- manuelabeledo 3y ago
  > In my part of the US west coast, if you need to have two dental crowns done, it's cheaper to fly to Taiwan and have it done there than to have it done locally. This is exactly what I do. I would take the kids back to my home country, pay out of pocket for any treatment, and have a nice holiday in the process. Last time we went back, I was chatting with the dentist and casually told her about the treatment costs in the US - she was flabbergasted. Markup prices in the US seem to be 500%+ of those in many European countries.
MandieD 3y ago
Total cost of planned C-section as a private patient (that is, paying significantly more than public insurance) in Germany, including 3 day hospital stay (short because pre-vaccine, pre-quick test Covid times): about 5000 EUR. That’s not what I paid out of pocket; that’s what the hospital cheerfully billed and collected from my insurance company, and what I theoretically could have opted to pay myself to retain my annual reimbursement level (3 months of premiums after several no-claims years on a higher-deductible policy)

zdragnar 3y ago

There's a number of reasons. - malpractice insurance - cost of living difference - government rationing of care in public systems - lower capital expenses for nice looking buildings and top-of-the-line equipment - unpaid bills turn into higher prices Medicare/Medicaid have their own distorting effects. One doctor told me that, for certain billing codes, he was effectively making less than minimum wage because the government rate was so low. To make up for it, other billing codes had to be overpriced, or he had to stop accepting any non-private payments. Countries with socialized medicine have their own problems. It can be great for average people with average problems, but outside those lines you run into things that would be trivial in a US healthcare setting. Obviously, it varies by country, and there are plenty of things I hate about how healthcare works in the US.

JohnFen 3y ago

> It is literally cheaper to fly to another country, pay out of pocket the purposely inflated "tourist medicine" price, hang out in a nice hotel for a few days, and then fly back! I can top that... In my part of the US west coast, if you need to have two dental crowns done, it's cheaper to fly to Taiwan and have it done there than to have it done locally. As a bonus, the quality of care and materials will be much better and the dentist may even actually apologize for having to charge you at all.

manuelabeledo 3y ago
> In my part of the US west coast, if you need to have two dental crowns done, it's cheaper to fly to Taiwan and have it done there than to have it done locally. This is exactly what I do. I would take the kids back to my home country, pay out of pocket for any treatment, and have a nice holiday in the process. Last time we went back, I was chatting with the dentist and casually told her about the treatment costs in the US - she was flabbergasted. Markup prices in the US seem to be 500%+ of those in many European countries.

MandieD 3y ago

Total cost of planned C-section as a private patient (that is, paying significantly more than public insurance) in Germany, including 3 day hospital stay (short because pre-vaccine, pre-quick test Covid times): about 5000 EUR. That’s not what I paid out of pocket; that’s what the hospital cheerfully billed and collected from my insurance company, and what I theoretically could have opted to pay myself to retain my annual reimbursement level (3 months of premiums after several no-claims years on a higher-deductible policy)