U.S. health system costs four times more to run than Canada’s single-payer system

[carmel34 3,650]

I've lived 30+ years in the US, 30+ years in Canada, so I understand the arguments on both sides, the pros and cons of each system.  Many in the US realize that the current system is broken and is unsustainable, at some point a federal government financial crisis will lead to painful changes that should have been made a long time ago.  I am working on a research proposal right now, to better understand the rising cost of health care in the US and how to fix it, and it is a very complex problem that has even more complicated solutions, and as others have said, the impasse in Washington makes it almost impossible that significant change will happen anytime soon.  One big issue that often gets overlooked is that the new medical technologies developed by companies and researchers in the US, at a very high R&D cost, subsidize health care around the world.  So if somehow costs were controlled and reduced in the US, especially for new equipment or devices or drugs, the rest of the world, including Canada, would have to pay more if they want to buy them.  I really hope, for the sake of my children and grandchildren, that the US system can be overhauled, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Burnt Reynolds 5,058]

23 minutes ago, NikLR said:

Technically Canadian health care is provincial so maybe state by state?

I did mention state and local are more viable solutions (with far less barriers to adoption and more representation of that population's interests), but strangely the person who repped you for this post seemingly agreeing with my post criticized this idea and told me it wasn't going to happen. 🤔

[OriZ 3,157]

This is one of the topics that make me a real good MOR vip, because I think healthcare in the US is terrible. Everything about it is terrible, the insurance aspect for sure but also care itself. It's not worth paying more for than Canada or most other countries, at all. The US is the last developed nation on earth where you can pay a private company thousands of dollars and when you need to be treated for something they can basically tell you get lost.

 

The problem is most people don't see, or aren't aware of the issues with healthcare here, because they don't have reason to visit the doctor frequently, go through frequent tests, or procedures. Like, if I only drove a car once a month I probably wouldn't know it as well as someone who drives it every day. Due to my wife's medical conditions we have alot of experience...if I compare it to Israel it fails miserably. Not that the system there is perfect. 

 

I'm a free market person but I have always said that doesn't count when it comes to people's well being, personal health and safety. As a minarchist, I believe in a night watchman state. For some reason, most people only look at the financial aspect of healthcare and forget it's actually alot more a well being issue than a financial one. So I'm definitely not opposed to some sort of system where your health isn't in the hands of a for-profit corporation that you pay money to with no guarantee they'll approve the test or treatment you need(a totally insane concept, sorry to say).

 

Anyhow, I'm not endorsing a certain other country's system. I'm just saying we actually have the advantage, as the last developed country to not have done this, to thoroughly research the system in every country that has, see what worked and what didn't, and come up with something good. Right now health care in the US simply sucks. 

Edited January 23, 2020 by OriZ