Something is seriously screw up with the medical system in the US

My sister in law works pretty high up in the Baylor system of hospitals in Dallas and she was talking about how jacked up the system was the other day. A few of the things she said really struck a chord with me. One, she said that more than half of the patients are "unfunded." That's the hospital's PC term for patients who can't or won't pay for services. She said the majority of those patients though end up using the most expensive services (like the trauma type care in ER). Somebody has to pay for all of that.

She also mentioned how smart people are at "working" the system. For instance, unfunded pregnant mothers will get all of their prenatal care at a certain hospital because it is known for quicker and better service, but that they'll always show up at another hospital to deliver--because that hospital will give an epidural where the other one won't.

She was also talking about some other things that don't have as much to do with this conversation, but I found them interesting nonetheless--such as the day before Thanksgiving, she saw a high number of late term mothers walking the halls in a given area. She knew what was happening; they all had been given drugs to induce labor and they were waiting for them to take effect. The doctors wanted to make sure they delivered BEFORE the holiday so they wouldn't be called in during their vacation. Smart, I guess--but my sister in law isn't a big fan of screwing with nature so much,

 

The ******* that delivered my brother (C-section) did the same thing because he didn't want to miss his skiing trip. He ended up in NICU for 3 months because he had under-developed lungs and got a staph infection.

 

Biotech and pharmaceuticals are some of the leading industries in profit margin.


I think what is just as scary is that American facilities and doctors really aren't that much more capable than what you might find in a "third world" country. My gf is in medical school now - how many do it for the sake of wanting to save people or knowledge vs. the prestige/money involved.

 

did you just totally throw your gf under the bus??

 

damn, that's ****ed up. curious though, how did you get that info?

 

My dad and brother are both medical doctors. They readily admit they only entered the field for money. I once asked them what is the percentage of doctors who share the same view and they said around 70% of doctors they know are only in it for the money.

But that being said- doctors are earning far less now then they did 20 years ago. This is mainly due to insurance hassles of not getting reimbursed properly. My dad and brother told me early on not to get into medicine if you are looking for the financial aspect of it only. The only positive thing of the whole thing is that many of todays younger doctors who are entering the field have the purpose of helping other people foremost.

I can tell you more of how corrupt alot of these doctors are in terms of prescribing unnecessary tests and referals to colleagues of theirs, but then you probably wouldn't trust doctors anymore

But back to your story of only paying 800 Bhat for your treatment. It is to be noted that in real terms of purchasing power by Thais that money is significantly higher for locals than it would be for an American tourist.

 

The docs nurse told us but wouldn't testify in court about it.

 

I work with MDs and PHDs and second this entirely. I think it's a higher percentage, more like 90%, that are in it for the money and/or the prestiege of being an MD. And the best docs are the other 10%, hands down. On the other hand, probably about 90% of PHDs are in it because they are nerds, but I have met a few intelectual snobs who are just degree whores and love to flaunt it.

 

I don't know the details of the Thai tax or health care system, but it's quite likely alot of the health care system expenses are paid through income and other taxes. As a foreigner you were probably able to come out so cheap as a courtesy.

 

Last year, my sister accidentally ate something that had peanut sauce on it and wasn't aware. The next morning she wakes up with her throat swelling shut and we try and get to a clinic just to get a prescription to take care of it, no luck since it was a sunday, so we go to an emergency room where she has to wait for over an hour just to get looked over and have a prescription written up. Total bill comes out to over 300 dollars.

I can understand if they rushed her in or something, but we sat out there for so long, it just doesn't make sense.

 

That's the whole problem with the medical system here. It's gone from patient care first to profit first.

 

Agreed...Hell, my monthly premiums are going up again next year...As costs increase, they are pushed down to the employees..It's a way of life now...I went to the doctor the other day and it didn't take 20 minutes, it took an hour and I spent $25 copay and $15 on scrip (after $15 coupon)...

Hope your girl's alright...Great deal and I'm sure great service...I love Thailand...

 

I've learned quite a bit about the Swedish system and they pay about 1/2 in taxes. I pay about 1/3 right now. I'd gladly, in a heartbeat, pay an extra 1/6 to get the kind of benefits that they get as citizens. It's silly how well they take care of their own.

 

An extra 16% of my taxes would be 10 times at least the amount I pay for healthcare every year.

 

Judging by the thread title, our educational system is also seriously screw up.

 

The U.S. is into incarceration more then education and healthcare.

 

That's because non-profit hospitals and emergency rooms were falling left and right in the 90s.

We expect and demand the cutting edge, so doctors are pushed to buy fancy machines that might not give the same returns for its costs. There are parents who demand antibiotics when their kid is sick, despite the drugs only working on bacteria and not viruses. Their justifcation is that since they're already paying 300 bucks for the visit, that they need something tangible for the trip other than "rest 3 weeks".

On the other end, doctors are lured by industry boosters to peddle new drugs that also might not give the same returns as an older patent-expired drug.

It's a messed up system. Anti-nationalization people believe that as long as they have enough money to pay for their own health plan then they're safe. It only excacerbates the current problem while dividing the quality of healthcare between haves and have-nots.

 

This is one of those instances where I have ZERO faith in capitalism. Lower regulations, cap lawsuits, increase tort reform and prices will go down. Guess what? They don't. In fact, they skyrocket.

Over 40 million Americans have no healthcare due to rising costs. Doctors and hospitals are paying massive insurance costs.

And despite all of the problems, nothing EVER gets fixed. Why the hell is that? Isn't the demand of the free market supposed to balance this out? It doesn't simply because healthcare is often a matter of life and death. People will pay anything to survive and be healthy. That doesn't make charging them out the wazoo for it ethical.

So much for the life part of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

 

Why isn't this in the D&D?

 

our med system is almost as screwed up as the texans

Vince Young for Surgeon General!!