4 barely known reasons American Healthcare sucks [View all]

[DetlefK]

Last edited Wed Jan 25, 2017, 11:23 AM - Edit history (1)

http://www.cracked.com/article_24568_5-under-reported-reasons-american-healthcare-sucks.html

4. People without health-insurance

Without health-insurance they are forced to make do with emergency-rooms, which are much more expensive and shift the financial burden on the taxpayers. And some people who want health-insurance aren't even allowed to: illegal immigrants.



3. Nobody knows shit

There is no organized effort to keep track whether a certain medical procedure works at all or how patients are doing in the long term or whaddup with medical errors.



2. The US is running out of doctors

The average age of doctors is 52... And Medicare puts a cap on how much money may go into training new doctors at hospitals, but why spend money on new doctors if you can spend it on the military.



1. Free-Market Healthcare and no competition means basic stuff is expensive as shit

Why does a hospital charge you $12 for a paper-cup that costs 2 cents? Because they can.
Why do they charge you hundreds of dollars for a pill that costs only a few dollars? Because they can.

The drug-industry is effectively a monopoly. There simply is no competition that could push prices down.
And hospitals have the "Saudi Sheikh Problem": A "saudi sheikh" is a wealthy patient who could afford to be ripped off with inflated prices. But since all treatments must cost the same for all patients, hospitals are simply ripping off everybody, just in case a "saudi sheikh" comes along one day.