When UnitedHealthcare CEO was killed the public sentiment was that the health insurance companies are the bad guy—and the CEO deserved what he got. Then when stories like this come out we realize no, it is actually the hospitals. In reality the whole system is broken. Some people think single payer system is the solution but then when they talk to Canadians they realize that's not the solution either.
I think the correct solution is stronger laws for price disclosure, strong penalties for the kinds of abuses mentioned in this thread, and incentives for patients to question every charge.
> Some people think single payer system is the solution but then when they talk to Canadians they realize that's not the solution either.
I don't know a single Canadian who would swap their system for the USA's. Theirs might not be perfect, but nobody argues that it isn't at least better than the literal worst system the world has ever come up with.
Canadian here; our system has some pretty extreme issues. The vast majority of Canadians still prefer it to the U.S. Wealthy Canadians (>$500M net worth) would likely prefer the U.S. system in all cases though. Even moderately wealthy Canadians ($1M+ net worth) would likely get better treatment from the American system 95% of the time (when they don't have extreme issues which result in exceptionally costly treatment)
One thing to consider is that doctors seemingly prefer things about how the U.S. system works (I'm not just talking about the amounts charged, but inefficiencies and red tape in the Canadian system, some of which seem to be a consequence of socialized health care). Ultimately this does lead to some brain drain which then compounds the issues with our system.
>Some people think single payer system is the solution but then when they talk to Canadians they realize that's not the solution either.
I'm sorry but I don't understand this discourse. While we have gripes with the state of some hospitals that fall short of first world standards (e.g. Gatineau Hospital) and wait times for specialists for non-urgent care (it can take 2-3 months to see a dermatologist after referral for non-cancerous skin conditions in Manitoba for example), I really can't think of more than 3 Canadian residents having ever said in my lifetime that they prefer the US system (and for all of them, their objection had to do with the fact that the government funds treatments they don't like for gender dysphoria and abortions, not that they felt the US system was an effective economy of scale).
On top of that, there is a myth perpetuated in the US that we are constantly at the brink of a healthcare system collapse. We are certainly not - there is room for improvement and health inequalities that we must address, but to say that we're all an ER wait away from dying is simply untrue. [1]
I have been on the receiving end of health care inequalities here in Canada (in Manitoba and Quebec), but I don't go as far as to write off the achievement of having set up an effective single payer health system in a federal state.
Then it'll come down to an individualist vs a collectivist take.
Triage priorities in referrals are an acceptable trade-off for broadly improved access to health care. The reality is that my eczema doesn't need to be seen before someone else's melanoma.
While I appreciate being able to see a specialist earlier in the US with my health insurance, I know that many ordinary American citizens aren't able to at all and that my insurance displaces incentives to serve underserved communities. I'm not yet an American citizen so I will not preach what the US should or should not do, but I do think it is unfortunate that is the case and I hope that improves.
They're both the bad guy, but from the sound of it, the insurance companies are worse. They will delay cases and deny claims which result in people dying sooner rather than going through a long, costly, but ultimately life-saving treatment, to save themselves money in the long run.
the canadian system might suck but it's infinitely better than what we have in the USA.
we have a capitalist bastard child of for-profit "insurance" companies who are heavily subsidized (yet are still allowed to profit massively and turn profits over to shareholders) and in cahoots with hospitals who often employ more "billing specialists" and lawyers than they do actual doctors and nurses.
I think the correct solution is stronger laws for price disclosure, strong penalties for the kinds of abuses mentioned in this thread, and incentives for patients to question every charge.