Comment by slowmovintarget
5 years ago
That's not what the data showed. Doctor-run hospitals, before ACA disallowed new ones and restricted existing ones from expanding, had overall better patient outcomes than state run hospitals.
MRI scans, which could sometimes mean the difference between life-saving diagnoses, or a missed diagnosis, were cheaper and easier to come by in the U.S. because clinics could run a scanner at a profit and specialize in MRI scans. Locking them away under government rationing destroys the cycle of signal and response a market can bring. We've seen this in other countries where it is exceedingly difficult to get one when you need one.
That doesn't mean there aren't sensible cases for government-funded research. But looking at the current health system with massive government interventions already in place and saying the problem is not enough government intervention seems like a mistaken conclusion.
> We've seen this in other countries where it is exceedingly difficult to get one when you need one.
Well, I don’t know which country you refer to but it’s not the case in France and lots of European countries where healthcare is totally free.
Yes you have to wait months for a scheduled PET scan or an MRI but you also can have access to one as soon as you enter the hospital as long as the medical team think it may save your life. It’s just ressource planning. I know it because it saved my life twice and for 0.00€.
edit : Just to be clear, I’m not writing this as « US bashing » but to help you consider that free and effective healthcare is totally possible and that working models already exists around the world. Free healthcare IS a solved problem.
I live in a country with public and private healthcare. One thing that people don't realize is that the public healthcare system has better equipment because they have a much larger budget than private hospitals. So for MRI or PET scans, it's better to go through the public healthcare system.
Now you don't get 5 star service that the private healthcare has like luxury rooms and better food, but that's not the core focus when your life is on the line.
As someone who lives in a country with “free” healthcare, no it’s not a solved problem in the least. There is a constant struggle over budget control and selecting what healthcare is worth funding and what isnt.