How does healthcare in the United States compare to other countries?

Healthcare in the United States compares unfavorably with healthcare in any other advanced society, and indeed, measured against some poor countries we come out badly. I work in the healthcare industry in the USA. I spent the first 30 years of my life in the UK.

More money per person is spent on health care in the USA than in any other nation in the world, and a greater percentage of total income in the nation is spent on health care in the USA than in any United Nations member state except for East Timor. Our life expectancy here is lower than many countries, and is on a par with that of Costa Rica. And 16.7% of Americans have no life insurance whatsoever. These are facts.

I am well versed in Health Insurance claims. This is my area of expertise. I’m a systems analyst, and I’m never out of work because our system is overly complicated, overly controlled, and a hostage to special interest groups such as the Pharmaceuticals industry.

However, we do have freedom in this country, freedom to die in a draughty corridor in a hospital where the bottom line is money. Ten years ago, I was back in the UK, with my Californian wife, and daughter. On Christmas Eve my daughter became ill with what we rightly suspected was pneumonia.

As we wrapped her up, and frantically phoned the emergency hospital, we were wondering whether the snow outside would kill her. The operator at the hospital berated us and told us to stay indoors.An hour later, the doctor arrived, talked to us and medicated my daughter. He visited us on Christmas day, and boxing day, thoroughly checked my daughter, and stayed for a cup of tea.

We ended up paying a total of £6 (about $9) for all of this.My wife wanted to stay in the UK, but I work here. And, oh yes, this wasn’t some quiet backwater with lots of doctors and few patients; we were staying in Central London. I thought about penning a calm, measured article, but there are too many people in this country who refuse to see just how Americans lives are damaged by the health care mess.

There are many who won’t believe my story.

Expensive. I just got a very basic health plan which costs $200 a month from a basic provider. The policy has a deductible of $2700 and there is a variable copay every time I see a doctor.

This means it costs me at least $70 plus my monthly to walk into the doctors office and tell him I am sick. If I want anything else prescriptions, medications or tests of any kind I pay, pay and pay again. Magazines in the waiting room are however free when available.

On the plus side there is lots of choice In Los Angeles where I live there are doctors dentists and hospitals on every street corner. So if you ever feel the need to rush in and spend cash you will have ample choice. If you are ever unfortunate to enough to need hospital treatment in the US you quickly find that you have to spend an undue amount of time filling in financial questionaires which is bizarre and annoying for all concerned.In certain cases your health insurance provider may veto a procedure and force you to have another more economical one ( you can always pay if the extra if you want) Social provision is currently scant in the US the Medicare is designed to care for the old and Medicaid for families and individuals on low incomes.

Coverage is patchy and the publicly funded schemes rarely pay all the costs of required care. President Obama is hoping with his new healthcare bill to redirect medicare and medicaid money and provide a more equitable and efficient health care system. Critics argue these plans will be inefficient and expensive.

But many political figures , drug companies, and medical conglomerates have a lot invested in the current system and have a lot to lose financially if and when it changes so it is not surprising that there are many vociferous pressure groups making a lot of noise against so called Obama care. Conversely In England for example there is a national health system funded by taxation.In the UK you can visit a doctor or hospital ER for free. You can also have many operations free.

But have to be referred to the hospital by your doctor and there is often a waiting list which means you may have to wait years for treatment. Also health funding is often insufficient in many areas which means that treatment may be unavailable until the next financial year. And many new drugs that are considered too expensive by government watchdogs will not be approved for use.

There is a thriving private sector in the UK. Many more affluent citizens opt for private treatment to skip waiting lists and receive a better standard of healthcare than the NHS. While eye tests are often free in the UK particularly to those who have health issues such a history of galucoma in the family.

It is very difficult to find a NHS dentist. Most dentists opted out of the NHS after the government froze their fees. So it is a question of pay up or deal with your tooth ache!

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.