While the US does contain some stellar hospitals and surgeons, by broader metrics the US performs poorly. From 2010 to 2015 (before COVID messed with the data), the US ranked 43rd [1] in overall life expectancy. This is behind countries like Cuba and Slovenia, and well behind other rich countries like Japan, Canada, or the UK.
Healthcare costs and outcomes can't be separated from each other. The more expensive it is to receive treatment, the fewer people will get the treatment they need. Having good service isn't sufficient if that service isn't available to everyone.
Right but if you only consider those that are covered by health insurance then overall health quality is top notch. In the US system you have the luxury of choosing your providers and having your insurance cover things (like elective surgeries) that wouldn't be covered by single payer systems.
For example, I had a knee surgery for a partial patellar tendon tear last year that cost me <$500 out of pocket (insurance was billed $20k) and this surgery wouldn't have been covered by any single payer health care system.
> Right but if you only consider those that are covered by health insurance then overall health quality is top notch.
That is debatable. I have the top-tier plan my employes makes available (blue shield platinum). It's $2500/month.
That still doesn't guarantee anything, if the insurance company doesn't feel like paying it because it cuts into their profit margin too much.
Right now I've been prescribed some medicine I need to heal some damage and I can't get it because insurance company says "too expensive, we don't feel like paying for it, sucks to be you".
(Wrapped in many pages of legalese, not those exact words.)
> In the US system you have the luxury of choosing your providers and having your insurance cover things
Well no, not really. If you mean chose between gold and platinum levels offered by employer, ok, but that's the extent of the choice.
I'd like to choose an insurance company that gives me the medicines my doctor prescribes me. But no, I have no such choice available.
I 100% agree the US system isn’t that great. I don’t like that your health care choices are tied to your employer.
Ideally we should just have an open private insurance market where you shop for whatever insurance you want and your employer pays some part of it or reimburses somehow. Imo this would drive competitiveness amongst private insurers the best and give everyone their best plan.
With that said, I prefer private insurance over single payer because I’ve had good experiences with my insurers so far. I am one of the lucky ones though
And I'm sure Kim Jong-un gets fantastic healthcare, but that doesn't change the fact that North Korea is ranked #124 in life expectancy.
I'm happy the American healthcare system worked well for you. And I'm sure there's plenty of people in Canada who've had terrible experiences with their healthcare system. But that doesn't change the fact that the average Canadian has better health outcomes then the average American.
The American healthcare system fails to support many people most needing help. The fact that the richest country on the planet doesn't provide adequate healthcare to everyone is an embarrassment. Something needs to change, and I refuse to believe that we can't (or shouldn't) provide world class healthcare to every American.
When you have a good insurance provider, the health care is top notch. You're able to choose your doctors, hospitals and that can make a big difference in your health care coverage. You're also able to get coverage for things that most single-payer systems won't cover.
Last year I was able to choose my surgeon who operated on my knee last year and my total out of pocket expenses were less than $500 for a $20k surgery. In most single-payer health care systems I wouldn't have been able to get the surgery because it was elective and only a partial tear of my patellar tendon.
