7 Things You Never Knew About The US Healthcare System
January 13, 2010 by admin
How much do you know about the US healthcare system? Do you consider yourself totally informed are you are completely in the dark? Well, here are 7 things you never knew about the healthcare system. Maybe you never knew them because you had a feeling that there are always changes coming anyway.
Many People Don’t Have Enough Health Insurance
Many people cannot fathom a life without health insurance. How would you pay for medical bills without it? The truth is that many people do not have health insurance. Currently, more than 46 million people in the US have no health insurance and another 25 million don’t have enough. Maybe you didn’t know that the healthcare system doesn’t protect as many people as you would think.
The US Spends More Per Person On Health Care Costs Than Other Countries
This does not mean that people are receiving better health care. It just means that it is costing more. In 2007, health care costs totalled $2.4 trillion in the US. This amounted to about $7,900 for each person. This is one reason why health care reform has become such a popular topic.
Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Are Often Out Of Luck
If you do not have any pre-existing conditions then you may not realize how difficult it is for these individuals to get health insurance. Either they cannot get it or it costs a lot more than it does for those without these pre-existing conditions.
The US Healthcare System Is Nowhere Near The Best In The World
The World Health Organization has ranked the healthcare systems of different countries and the US occupies the 37th spot on the list. The majority of Europe along with Japan and France have better healthcare systems. Many of the countries with better healthcare actually have socialized medicine.
US Healthcare Costs Drive People To Seek Medical Care In Other Countries
A growing number of people in the US who need various operations are travelling to other countries where the care is excellent but the cost of procedures is much lower. People go on these medical vacations and save a bundle even after factoring in travel costs. These individuals get their operations done in professional medical facilities, get to take a vacation in whatever country they travel to for the procedure, and still end up paying less for a complete procedure and a vacation that they would have paid for the procedure alone in the US.
The US Healthcare System Wastes Up To $850 Billion Each Year
Nothing more needs to be said about that shocking fact. That’s a lot of money to waste.
Medical Mistakes Waste Between $50 to $100 Billion Every Year
You probably knew that medical mistakes could be costly but these numbers show just how costly they can be.
These 7 things you never knew about the US healthcare system can be jarring to learn. You would like to think the system is in good shape but many of these facts indicate otherwise. No wonder people keep talking about healthcare reform.
Mary E. Ward writes about how get a masters in health care.
