Health Care; U.S. vs. U.K.

I was just reading a magazine called Patient Safety and Quality Health Care (I know, fun reading!), and ran across a quote that kind of floored me.  We have had much discussion about access to health care, and which systems have what benefits and draw-backs.  OK, I'll just get to the point:

"According to the World Health Organization's 'The World Health Report 2000 - Health systems; Improving Performance:

The U.S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 our of 191 countries according to its performance....
The United Kingdom, which spends just six percento of the GDP on health services, ranks 18th."

I just found this very interesting, and wondered how the rankings were made.

The main point of the article was that the U.S. has actually provides universal health coverage to 305 million citizens and legal residents.  The big difference is that facilities that receive money (grants, subsidies, etc.) under Title XVI of the Public Health Service Act are required to provide uncompensated services in perpetuity.

In other words, people go to emergency rooms instead of clinics, costing much, much more.  These people have almost no continuity of care, and little or no preventitive health care.  

Just think, if we could take the trillions spent on this, put it into a system like the U.K. has, maybe we could have the best of that system; there would be enough funding to pay doctors well, provide healthcare to everyone without the waits that seem to plague countried with universal health care, and have a heck of a lot more healthy people.

I know that my summary is too simple, there would have to be a lot of planning and bargaining, and there would probably be inequity in health care, still, with wealthier people still being able to pay to go to private clinics or something like that.  Sigh, I can dream, though.

I'm climbing down off my soapbox now, and getting ready to go to a Laura Love concert that I forgot I was going to.  I really should have taken a nap instead of reading that magazine!  Good music usually makes me feel better, forget pain, and forget any worries.  Laura Love is an Afro-Celtic musician with a great sense of humor.  I found her by accident when I wandered into a free concert in a park in Seattle a few years ago.

Hope you all have a good evening!  Maybe tomorrow I can catch up with you all some more.

Hugs,

Kathy

[julia111]

Hi, I don't really know enough about this topic to form my own opinion at this point -

however, recently I met two people (on two separate occasions) who are from the U.K. and they say that the system there doesn't work and that it is going bankrupt.  

I don't know if this is accurate or not - but just thought I'd pass it on.

[Fluffysmom]

Yes, I've known that it is under-funded, don't pay their doctors enough so they don't have enough coverage for all the patients that need to be seen.  I'm sure it's gotten worse since that study, but still, the difference in ranking of their health system's performance as opposed to ours, when we spend so much more on it, is really sad.  Sad that something that isn't working in is going bankrupt was ranked higher than our system.

I've read some posts by some very disgruntled patients of the U.K. health system.  I'm sure others have found excellent care.

I think that health care all over the world needs to be improved.  I don't know why that article caught my interest, and as you're the only one that commented on it, either it isn't very interesting, or it is to volatile a subject to discuss on this board.

On another front, my roommate came home from a physical therapy appointment and said that she didn't feel up to going to the Laura Love concert, either.  We popped a Laura Love CD in the car stereo and went out for some BBQ turkey for dinner.  Sometimes you just have to take life as it comes.

[JemmAus]

Is the US health system a "for profit" type of system (please correct me if I'm wrong) ? Isn't the aim of the game huge profits for insurance companies, drug companies etc, sometimes at the expense of other things?

Also, isn't  the US the ONLY country in the western world without universal health care?

I'm frequently shocked when I hear the prices yanks ahve to pay for medications just to stay alive. Most of ours are subsidised so we don't die due to lack of money for pills.

Ours isn't perfect, but I'm very glad I live in a place where it doesn't matter if you're poor - you still get good treatment....

[Fluffysmom]

The US health system is definietly a "for profit" system; you are right in all of that.  Fortunately, the drug companies make such huge profits that they often have Pateint Assistance Programs to help low-income people without insurance get the medications they need.  The trick is in knowing how to ask for it.  

That, of course doesn't work for the people on Medicare or with some pitiful coverage; sometimes their prescription costs make them choose between medicine and a place to live, or food.  The state I live in has an "Extra Help" program that helps fill the gap even if you have insurance, if your income and medical expenses fall within a certain range.  Without this program, I wouldn't be able to afford my medications, even with Medicare and a Supplemental insurance that I pay over $85 a month for.

Our only Universal Health Care is for people that turn up at the Emergency Room, who can't be turned away.  I've heard that they often have collection agencies sent after them.  The cost of this care is passed on to those who do pay their bills, sending the cost of health insurance even higher.

Our candidates for the next presidency are using this as a campaign issue; perhaps they will take a look at Australia's system while trying to figure out what will work here with our bloated large corporations and masses of people without proper access to health care.  

We pay way more for health care than any other country and are listed 37 out of 191 countries in performance; providing quality healthcare.  Something has to change!

I've heard that Australia has pretty strict immigration laws, right?  :o)  

Kathy