Elisabeth Rosenthal, "An American Sickness"

[@rkrw576]

As a European, I've got to say that American healthcare (like the cost of university education) is insane. In France, universal care costs 1/3 per capita what it does in the US with epidemiological results that are twice as good. Of course, Americans have no idea of that contrast.

[@bobs182]

Americans get too many procedures that have little benefit as they are the money makers for specialists. Diagnostic and treatment procedures many times cause injury to patients with little to no benefit. I call it the medical mill.

[@energyeternal]

*most* Americans have no idea of that contrast.

[@fatmibenayed9844]

The french health system has problems of its own. The public hospitals (the "CHUs" Centres Hospitaliers Universitaires as they are called in France) are underfunded. Their staff is underpaid; so they "migrate" to the private sector (the clinics or self-employment) where the pay is better. It is a self-feeding process.: if there are too few nurses in the public sector then they are overburdened, so they burn out and quit for the private sector, and so on... As a result, patients can be kept waiting hours (even days) waiting to be examined. Whole sections of CHUs are closed for want of staff. There is a lack of physicians too: many of them are immigrants from former french colonies, because french nationals don't want to work in the CHUs. There are strikes in the french public sector to protest against this situation.

[@rubybenge9301]

@@bobs182 this is not actually born out by the statistics. On a per person basis Americans get fewer procedures per person. Procedures are not the reason American healthcare cost so much. The reason American healthcare cost so much is that the insurance companies are not regulated by any antitrust laws. Since most are privately held, we have no idea of How much they are profiting or profiteering, off of our medical problems.

[@rubybenge9301]

@@fatmibenayed9844 What do you say may be true. However it is indisputable that France’s healthcare system produces the best healthcare results In the world. The United States is at number 37 where Frances is number one in terms of healthcare outcomes. This is measuring by international agencies that is not biased towards any given country

[@4terrascorned]

My mother has a masters degree in medical record technologies. That is the billing, codeing, terminology, medical records side of things. Basically administration. She talks about what is mentioned in the video as happening during the late 90's. In the early 00's she left. She couldn't suffer it any longer. She won't say straight out that it was corruption, but that is what happened. Specifically what she saw was the self dealing of the hospital management. The insurance companies were always a functioning boondoggle. Then the senior management started stuffing their own pockets. Salaries of facility managers and senior staff began to explode. They offered to double her salary. It made no sense to her and thought that what was going on was not right. Mostly she feared that sooner or later it would be found out and a lot of people would go to jail. When I try to get her to talk about it she just shuts down. Not the fact that she didn't "get hers". The fact that she plainly sees the corruption and fraud that has taken over but they are her piers. Her class. Hear no, see no, speak no evil. She has taught the same now for about 10 years. When I call her about my children's bills. In an effort to understand them, she can't tell me anything. "That makes no sense." "Why are they doing that." "That is illegal." "I just don't understand." are the phrases she most often uses.

[@rubybenge9301]

Insurance companies have always been a complete boondoggle only because they rigged the system before the hospital administrators started. For example the first antitrust lawsuit that was successful against a group of insurance companies for price-fixing was validated by the Supreme Court in 1944 1945. In 1946 the Supreme Court gave the McCarran Ferguson decision that legalized the insurance companies fixing the prices of their products. It did this by saying that the federal government could not regulate insurance companies; only state government could. The only state that is large enough to actually have the kind of regulation that the federal government can have is California and it did not have it until the late 1980s. Until you fix a mess of the insurance companies being unregulated, you won’t be able to fix the healthcare system. They are taking too much of the money. Just fixing hospital greed and the greed of specialist positions, won’t do the job because most of the money is being taken by the insurance companies.

[@justgivemethetruth954]

The "brokenness" of the American health care system is merely a symptom of the overall brokenness of the country from being systematically taken over by large corporations that citizens have no inherent right to view what goes on inside or who owns, controls or manages these companies and how they interact with the country and people.

[@serferten]

You're partially right, but big pharma and medicine have compromised the FDA and CDC too, as well as both political parties with millions in donations and the promise of high paying jobs. HB3 was an attempt to get some balance in drug pricing but it's been ignored by both parties.

[@justgivemethetruth]

@@serferten > You're partially right, but big pharma and medicine have compromised the FDA and CDC too That's just what I said.

[@mauritiusdunfagel9473]

Cigna Insurance refers to its patients as customers. That speaks volumes.

[@mjinba07]

The problem with asking billing questions to medical providers or billing departments is that there's an effective layer of insulation between you, the patient, and anyone capable of responding with accountability. So you get lots of anxious double talk and the end result is some variation of, 'well too bad, but that's the bill. Pay it or go into collections.' That's after having spent several hours navigating phone trees and listening to, "Your call is very important to us. Please stay on the line and someone will be with you shortly."

[@serferten]

How true, an amazing frustration I am personally experiencing personally. Any ideas how to handle it.?

[@mjinba07]

Wish I knew. Work your way up the managerial food chain? Write editorials in the local paper? Recruit other patients of the facility to help amplify the issue? Sue? My medical provider has a patient advocate but their job is to address complaints on a case by case basis so I imagine they could help explain mystery charges, but wouldn't be likely to challenge them. Best of luck -- I hope you find a good strategy, and hope you're either better now or will be soon.

[@thomasseibold4055]

brokenhealthcare.org has information on how to both deal with your particular billing issue and become part of a movement to force providers to price transparently. You CAN dispute your bill without going to collections, or rather--without getting a legal judgment against you or your credit being harmed.

[@2011littlejohn1]

@@serferten Vote in politicians who wish to provide a sane health system. Instead of waving the freedom flag saying it's an encroachment on civil liberty say it's everyone's right to be so provided for.

[@serferten]

@@2011littlejohn1 Sounds so simple. But who are these politicians you can trust? They don't exist. We subsidize Western Europe by paying for their defense allowing them to pay for their substandard health care for. Care for yourself, bro, take responsibility. I'm vegan 4 decades. No alcohol, no drugs, no processed food. Good herbs etc. You can do it and in 5 years you'll feel better and more in control than ever.

[@rubybenge9301]

The American healthcare system makes complete sense if you just follow Goethe’s advice. Instead of asking do I like the healthcare system, ask instead what were the people who created the system trying to do? If the people who created the system we’re trying to create a system that shoveled as much money to the 1% as possible, our healthcare system is a thing of pure beauty.

[@Eric-ye5yz]

I hope the Australian Government takes notice of this and does not try to emulate which is more likely under a Liberal Coalition.

[@sudeshthapa7099]

Yeah,master of the puppet is US carefull downunder , eventually they will import that idea,dont let it happend G,day mate

[@mns8732]

I am buying this

[@redmed10]

the last question was so revealing. puts her book into context of american health care 'system'.

[@TejasM14]

Elizabeth and her book are both great and insightful. But no amount of shedding light seems to change much. I wish someone would just come out and say it. The behavior of enriching oneself at the cost of the public good is rampant across many industries in America. And I think that is called corruption.

[@4OHz]

The irony is that is was the Kaiser Health “Care” system that lobbied long and hard to remove the non-profit status of health insurance companies

[@MCJSA]

I broke my leg in a traffic accident in Egypt. I paid about $15 for an xray and nothing for the orthopedic surgeon who set the break and changed the cast twice thoghough I did have to buy plaster sashing for about $20. The doctor did not charge me because, "You are a guest."

[@antonywagner8079]

I am from the uk, and use the nhs. so what is billing? what is coding? what is this about paying for it. :P

[@sudeshthapa7099]

Oh, billing,coding is keeping patience record for insurance, its like h2o means water so keep record so the doctor ,coder and pharma can only read it

[@rizvy99]

I am the same in every country in the world.

[@BeverlySchnett]

i spent another evening watching a Horror movie from the U. S.

[@serferten]

On super high cancer drug prices and even hosp charges, it seems big gov't --both parties--have let us down. I'm very concerned I won't be able to close to afford what I may have coming, with just regular Medicare.

[@4OHz]

Cancer, essentially an industrial disease is an industrial level money maker- look at all the health care networks (insurance companies that own the hospitals) are building 1st class American facilities.

[@MichaelLantz]

How come America did not have these problems in the 1960's and 1970's.I went to the doctor back in the early 1980's and it only cost me $20.00 to see my local doctor and get diagnosed for the flu.Threre was no co-pays fees in 1981.

[@Theinternalrewrite]

Apparently their were health insurance companies that were run not-for-profit. These were bought out by the 90s by bigger companies that were for profit. They have charged more and more and more. Government didn't restrict this because the companies lobbied against this. Obamacare has tried to help but has not been able to take control. Why? Because the idea of government taking control of anything is against US ideology. But clearly leaving it to the market doesn't work because, similar to the housing market, they won't lower prices to beat competitors but raise them because people will pay. Will coronavirus burst the bubble? People dying and too much debt?

[@MichaelLantz]

My father had Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Maryland,through his work, and he was a Government Worker (He was a claims examiner for Social Security:He dealt mainly with senior citizens).That covered our hospital bills

[@4OHz]

Because Kaiser lobbied the Nixon administration to remove the non-profit status of health care insurers

[@mns8732]

omg. here's the industry insider

[@norag8265]

Just recommend medicare for all doctor!

[@mauritiusdunfagel9473]

If universal health care is socialism then so is auto insurance.

[@melissamybubbles6139]

Are there any KZbinrs who review the books promoted here?

[@chumkrimson8161]

No, YA only.

[@bearsagainstevil]

you have socialised defence and policing ,if you phone the police they wont ask are you insured or give you a massive bill . Healthcare can be the same and all your major competitors capitalist nations have some sort of universal system . we are not communists

[@nonyourbuz5805]

...look at the comments below....See how you can make a Yes or No answer by the thumbs up/down ?.........then think of the form your Dr. Gives you to fill out.....YOUR answers in up in the SAME data base.....

[@roadracer1584]

I have a simple solution to the broken American health care system. Hope and pray you never get sick.

[@serferten]

Or seek out cheaper natural alternatives earlier in life-- you may find you prevent most or a lot of your challenges.

[@jcarter3238]

We need a state or county price directory or it should be readily available somewhere for patients to look up prices or ask for prices from a facility. Especially with HSAs becoming more common on plans. We should encourage future generations of patients to take a more proactive and responsible role in their healthcare. We could also make preventative insurance obsolete someday if patients do take the driver's seat. And adding more biology other than sex organs to primary education would GREATLY help us. They seem to make sure children know what a penis and vagina is yet fail to teach about common pathogens and preventing contraction. 🤔

[@Superman679]

@J Carter You sound like a mouth piece for an insurance, pharmacological company or the Republicunts, are you fucking kidding me ? You're blaming the patients for not being or making sure they get and stay healthier and the education system for not teaching them how. "We should encourage future generations of patients to take a more proactive and responsible role in their healthcare" "And adding more biology other than sex organs to primary education would GREATLY help us" What do you do on your days off, go tell people who's house just burnt down that they should have educated themselves better on fire prevention ?

[@mjinba07]

Accessing health care is not equivalent to buying a car. One cannot plan for illness or serious injury, they are hugely unpredictable. And when one IS sick, researching the best price and accessing the cheapest, competent medical care, in a timely fashion, within geographical reach, is just not realistic for most people. Being seriously ill is terrifying. It saps one's energy, stresses one's family, risks one's job, and assaults one's sense of control and physical security. It can imply life changing repercussions and, at worst, it threatens to end your life. That said, if you spent a day in my office, working with people who actually do a heroic job of navigating the exceedingly complicated, shifting sands of health insurance and health care, while they're in a vulnerable and essentially dependent state, you would see how idiotic the idea of taking "a more proactive and responsible role" is. I'd like to see our health care system take a more proactive and responsible. role.

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

*How can peole live this way ? I lived allover Europe. , did earn O.K , sometimes a lot, but somethimes very litle. I had my share of small accidents & a doctor visits, Tests, etc etc over the decades. Looking back, .I would be broke & homeless if I lived in the U.S. ****When I hear these numbers. Tens of thousands here , few hunderd there..Pfiew,

[@HumanStructureVideos]

29:25 dermatology scam exposed

[@stephen8745]

Actually the Government interference causes the majority of problem. The American Hospital are the best

[@4OHz]

29:28 Radiologist are inherently lazy physicians compared to other sub-specialists - sorry its true 9-5, them and dermatologist.