[quote=captcha][quote=sdrealtor]Exactly. Our system is not perfect nor is any system. If your dad’s case turned out to be unusual or complex he may have had a different experience. You dont get to pick what is wrong with you, it just happens and you have to deal with.[/quote]
Are you getting the most for the money? If your friend is saying that some of the hospitals in the US offer treatments that can be received in very few other countries, if any – I agree.
But I’ve also had disappointing experiences with the local health care system.
My wife’s condition was misdiagnosed by two different doctors as gas-related. It turned out she had a gallon of liquid in a benign cyst. Two days later she had a surgery, but it took 6 months and several “it’s just gas, just fart more” to get there.
It took me less than ten minutes to get to the urgent care when I injured my foot. It took another 30 minutes to get to triage. And another three hours to get to the x-ray and see a doctor. Now I’m being told that my recovery would be more complete and speedier if I had put some ice on my foot in the first few hours. And I was in the freaking urgent care facility.
Similarly, my son had to wait nearly four hours to get his cut glued when he cut his forehead. The scar would presumably be less visible had he receive treatment sooner.
I was forced to deal with health professionals in three different European countries and the US. In no other country was I told to come in two weeks to see my primary care physician. Based on my experience the US doctors are either incompetent or overworked while being less accessible and 5-10 times more expensive.
Again, I am comparing to countries like Hungary or Slovenia, not Iraq or Indonesia.
EDIT: The facilities in the US are generally equipped with better looking and more expensive equipment.[/quote]
Agree very much with what you’ve said here, captcha.
I’ve seen far too many friends and relatives get misdiagnosed here in the U.S. A few times, the correct diagnosis was far too late, and they died. I’ve also had to wait for hours just to see our PCP, and that was **with an appointment.** I’ve also seen the old, “the doctor can see you in two to three months,” when dealing with a serious issue.
sdr,
While our BEST hospitals and BEST doctors might indeed be some of the best in the world, the Average Joe does not generally have access to those doctors or hospitals. I’d venture to guess that the average HMO member in the U.S. deals with a healthcare sytem that is no better — and probably far worse — than a sociaized healthcare system in a developed part of the world (Germany, Austria, Sweden, etc.).
Again, we all have different values and perceptions based on our own experiences and knowledge, but many of us are not nearly so enchanted with our healthcare system, no matter how much the U.S. healthcare/pharma industries try to brainwash us into thinking we have the “best” care in the world. On average, we don’t, and the statistics prove it.
