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11. Never, ever get any kind of sick. Our medical care is of lower quality than in most OECD countries, inefficiently delivered, and catastrophically expensive
by michaelochurch 13y ago
11. Never, ever get any kind of sick.
Our medical care is of lower quality than in most OECD countries, inefficiently delivered, and catastrophically expensive. (Rates of medical error are quite high, because younger doctors-- esp. residents-- work extreme hours.) An ER visit can run you $5,000 or more. Appendicitis goes into the $50,000 range.
- saryant 13y agoThen why do people from around the world flock to American hospitals? As one example, the Texas Medical Center, one of the best in the world, treats 18,000 foreign patients a year who've traveled there specifically for the quality of care.
- jtbigwoo 13y agoPerhaps it should be revised, then, to say, "If you're going to get sick, make sure it's in a place like Austin, Cleveland, Rochester, Baltimore, or New York that has a great hospital. And make sure that you get taken to the premier hospital in the region (e.g. don't let somebody take you to Kings County instead of New York Presbyterian). Be prepared to pay considerably for care at these facilities. Quality and cost are highly variable overall."
- michaelochurch 13y agoThen why do people from around the world flock to American hospitals? They don't. Absolutely no one comes "to the U.S." for medical care expecting superior treatment. Not since the 1980s. Some people, for whom money is no object, come to specific doctors. If that doctor's in Paris, you go to France. If that doctor's in New York, you go to the U.S.