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> longer queues for advanced treatments Americans always toss this out like it means something. If you're not in queue because you can't afford it, then you ar

by XorNot 2y ago

> longer queues for advanced treatments Americans always toss this out like it means something. If you're not in queue because you can't afford it, then you are in the queue it's just infinitely long but you're not counted. Your entire culture here is so broken you are fundamentally incapable of even beginning to understand how other countries discuss these metrics: when they discuss wait times it's for everyone who needs it - no one is unable to afford it or being denied it by their health insurance. "The queue" is triaged against available resources - i.e. patients needing urgent care will get it earlier then those who are stable. Could it be shorter? Of course it could, but it also includes everyone who needs it. And if you don't like the queue the gasp you can still pay to be treated privately and receive prompter service under most systems. Your system is so broken you literally can't comprehend the wording of complaints about other systems because you contextualize it through your own. Built into the entire model is that "the queue is long and also we already kicked a bunch of people out of it, which is not what anyone is talking about in regards to the NHS, or Australian Medicare or any other system.

nradov 2y ago
I am quite familiar with the systems in other countries. Every country rations care. Some do it by condition severity, others by ability to pay. The vast majority of US consumers have health plan coverage and the co-insurance or co-payment amounts are fairly low. I won't attempt to defend the vagaries of the US healthcare system but let's not pretend that everyone who needs treatment in other developed countries actually gets it in a timely matter. Why are 5-year cancer survival rates higher in the USA than the UK? It's pretty common to see affluent Canadians come to the US as medical tourists and pay out of pocket for procedures like MRI scans or joint replacement surgery. This is a real thing that happens all the time. Depending on your perspective that might be acceptable in the name of fairness and cost control but there are always trade-offs.

by XorNot 2y ago

nradov 2y ago

I am quite familiar with the systems in other countries. Every country rations care. Some do it by condition severity, others by ability to pay. The vast majority of US consumers have health plan coverage and the co-insurance or co-payment amounts are fairly low. I won't attempt to defend the vagaries of the US healthcare system but let's not pretend that everyone who needs treatment in other developed countries actually gets it in a timely matter. Why are 5-year cancer survival rates higher in the USA than the UK? It's pretty common to see affluent Canadians come to the US as medical tourists and pay out of pocket for procedures like MRI scans or joint replacement surgery. This is a real thing that happens all the time. Depending on your perspective that might be acceptable in the name of fairness and cost control but there are always trade-offs.