Text 12535, 55 rader
Skriven 2008-03-12 13:19:03 av Roy Witt (1:397/22)
  Kommentar till text 12428 av Robert Bashe (2:2448/44)
Ärende: Health care (was: Bush Vetoes Waterboarding Bill)
=========================================================
12 Mar 08 08:11, Robert Bashe wrote to Björn Forsström:

 BF>> A simple blood test for me (without an insurance) in USA would cost
 BF>> about $ 900. A penicillin cure for $ 140. Seeing a doc. $ 540. A day
 BF>> in hospital $ 1800 and if surgery is needed $ 5360/day. The source
 BF>> is a search done in Sweden...

 RB> ...which apparently neglected to mention that there is no such thing
 RB> as government-set "standard rates" for medical services in the US,
 RB> and thus that the prices for such services can vary widely from city
 RB> to city and doctor to doctor.

On the contrary, Bob. Times have changed and the government (social
security medical and social security disability sets prices they will pay
for services. That only amounts to 80% of it though, with the patient
liable for the rest. However, SSA and SSI patients who opt into an HMO
will be covered for everything, except a small amount of 'co-pay'...

Mine is Humanna. Yesterday I paid $5 for an office visit and some lab
work...I go again in two weeks and get the results and any modifications
to my HMO-paid-for drugs, for another $5 co-pay.

 RB> In the States, doctors actually _compete_ for patients - something
 RB> totally unknown in Germany and presumably elsewhere in the EU.

Only those in private practice. Those in HMO service don't compete with
anyone else in the HMO, as they're assigned patients by the HMO after the
patient selects them from a list of doctors. The patient has a choice from
a list of GP doctors, who are the patients' advocate in getting them care
in the field of practice that might apply to their cases.

 RB> Here in Germany, there are standard rates for all services, and
 RB> except for charging multiples of those (up to 2.3 times the standard
 RB> rate), doctors and hospitals are bound to those by law.

In private practice here, the doctors charge what the traffic can bear.
Usually higher than the average person can afford.

 RB> Although it's true that medical care in the States is generally more
 RB> expensive than in Europe - except if you have yourself treated at the
 RB> emergency wards of hospitals, where I believe even uninsured people
 RB> are treated - the differences are presumably not anything like what
 RB> you mention above. I know for a fact that a visit to a doctor,
 RB> without special treatment and tests, doesn't cost anything like $540.

Back in 02 I visited the ER and it only cost $100, which included some
morphine for the pain I was having. However, the MRI cost $1200...All
toll, my out of pocket costs were for my gasoline to get there...

                R\%/itt



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