Why the medical sevices in the us are so expensive?


Question:
In all Europe an japan the medical services are public, which means all medical services are afordable. The goverments of such countries understand the importance about controling something so basic as the health. Then, what is happenning in the us?, it seems the all american doctors want to become rich charging you and the goverment for services that should be free in many instances. What's your point of view about all the above?

Answers:
Actually it isn't the doctors who want to become rich. Its the drug companies and medical supply companies. Yes healthcare here is expensive. But so are medications, and medical supplies. What about the nurses? They deserve their salaries and that money has to come from somewhere. If they made everything free then our nurses and other healthcare workers wouldn't get paid as well as they do.

Other Answers:
Several reasons. With the threat of law suits, not only do physicians have to pay for mal practice, but they often prescribe tests and procedures that are probably not necessary in order to protect themselves from law suits.

Second, because health care in the U.S. is not "managed", those with insurance can get many services that those in other countries cannot, unless they are medically necessary. Similarly, patients there may have to wait a lot longer for those services that are not considered urgent.

Third, pharmacuitcal companies are not rewarded for helping people; they are rewarded for making a profit. Hence, they would much rather find a treatment for impotence than a cure for diabetes. This is compounded by the fact that there is more profit in treating diabetes than in curing it, particularly for the insurance companies.

Fourth, in a related issue, prices charged for drugs in the U.S. is usually the highest in the world, because the U.S. does not negotiate for discounts; each insurance company is on its own.

Fifth, with the pharmacuitcal companies advertising on the television, they convince patients to request more expensive drugs than they really need. Since they are not paying out of their own pockets, they don't think about the price. Many doctors who used to spend the time explaining this to the patient have just given up and prescribe it, as long as it will do no harm.

Sixth, service prividers have priced their services so the average person cannot afford them; then they negotiate discounts for the insurance companies. As a result, the poorest American has to pay the most for health care. This is also a key cause why the quality of health care here is among the worst in the developed world, even though we pay more than any other country in the developed world.

Seventh, we have created a strong demand for comfort and recreational drugs--viagra and new arthritus drugs are examples. Again, the pharmacuiticals would rather create a new drug that will be used regularly than one that is just a cure (such as an anti-biotic).

Is that enough?


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