Health The U.S. health care system is possibly the most inefficient in the world

[tom_mai78101]

The U.S. health care system is possibly the most inefficient in the world: We spend twice as much per person on health care as other advanced countries, but we have worse health outcomes, including a lower life expectancy. The government, through programs like Medicare and Medicaid, pays for approximately half of the country's health care, almost all of which is actually provided by the private sector. Thus, the bulk of our projected rising budget deficits are due to skyrocketing private health care costs.

The CEPR Health Care Budget Deficit Calculator shows that if the U.S. can get health care costs under control, our budget deficits will not rise uncontrollably in the future. But if we fail to contain health care costs, then it will be almost impossible to prevent exploding future budget deficits.

The Calculator lets you see what projected U.S. budget debts would be if we had the same per person health care costs as any of the countries listed below, all of which enjoy longer life expectancies than the U.S. (Life expectancies are listed in parentheses.)

The blue line shows projected deficits based on baseline projections from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). This includes the projected impact of cost savings associated with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The red line shows where the deficits would be if health care costs in the U.S. were to follow a path that does not include the projected cost savings from the ACA. By default, health care costs for other countries is based on the current health care share of gdp. You may also choose to base it on current health-care expenditures per person.

Health Care Budget Deficit Calculator

The enormous budget deficits projected for future years have the starring role in the documentary IOUSA. However, the simple fact that the film conceals is that these scary deficits are driven almost entirely by projections of exploding private sector health care costs.

www.cepr.net

 

[Fatmankev]

Shit. I wanna hear some healthcare debate. TheHelper.net, activate!

Go, Firecat! Finangle some words into what might be construed as a strongly opinionated sentence! Boo-shah!
Next, Accname! Shoot down Firecat's nonsense and find a way to shit talk the healthcare system! Ka-ka-ka! I know you won't have any trouble.
Counter, Varine! Tell us all something we don't know, then let us know how dumb we are 'cuz we didn't! Kerr-pow!
Enter, FatmanKev! Get two paragraphs through a response, re-read everyone else's comments, then delete your stoned post that revealed how little you actually knew about the subject and replace it with a one line zinger directed at Firecat! Zing! After all, FC has responded at least once to everyone at this point in order to lead them down a path that only ends in self-loathing for us and what I can only imagine is a sense of smug, self-satisfaction for Firecat.
Finish him, Kaerfnomekop! Go on a 'like'-ing spree, hittin' every post that even remotely grabs your attention... after all, why the hell not?! EXPLOSION!

Good battle, guys.

 

[FireCat]

I see, you create your own "weird battle." Fatmankev
Why not continue your battle a bit moar? lol

 

[Frosthowl]

I just wanted to add that statistics like the life expectancy of a region tell you little about the overall state of healthcare. For example, while the United States is behind many other developed countries, it also has one of the highest homicide and accidental death (because we drive more) rates. Both of these attributes have nothing to do with the condition of healthcare, yet actively bring down the life expectancy value.

Another good example of a misleading statistic is infant mortality. Many people have the misconception that this is a universally standardized statistic. However, different countries each have their own definition as to what constitutes infant mortality. In one or two of the European countries for example, it only counts if the child takes at least one breath, while in the US, I believe we also count stillborns in that statistic as well. I don't remember the exact details off the top of my head, but the United States has one of the most broad definitions out of the developed countries.

I am not saying there isn't room for reform in the healthcare system, just that a lot of statistics are misleading and that you should really do your research carefully. Things may not be as bad as they seem at a glance.

 

[Varine]

Shit. I wanna hear some healthcare debate. TheHelper.net, activate!

Go, Firecat! Finangle some words into what might be construed as a strongly opinionated sentence! Boo-shah!
Next, Accname! Shoot down Firecat's nonsense and find a way to shit talk the healthcare system! Ka-ka-ka! I know you won't have any trouble.
Counter, Varine! Tell us all something we don't know, then let us know how dumb we are 'cuz we didn't! Kerr-pow!
Enter, FatmanKev! Get two paragraphs through a response, re-read everyone else's comments, then delete your stoned post that revealed how little you actually knew about the subject and replace it with a one line zinger directed at Firecat! Zing! After all, FC has responded at least once to everyone at this point in order to lead them down a path that only ends in self-loathing for us and what I can only imagine is a sense of smug, self-satisfaction for Firecat.
Finish him, Kaerfnomekop! Go on a 'like'-ing spree, hittin' every post that even remotely grabs your attention... after all, why the hell not?! EXPLOSION!

Good battle, guys.

Best description of every remotely controversial topic that comes across this website.

And of course our health care system sucks; half the time you are being encouraged to do damage to your body under the belief that it will make you healthy. A common example would be the lipid hypothesis.

 

[Accname]

I dont know anything about your health care system. Its hard to base any kind of conversation around this...

But still, whatever firecat says is wrong. Period.

 

[tom_mai78101]

That definition is broad by itself.

 

[Dan]

I don't know man. I've got nothin'. I really want to say something witty or remarkable here but I've really got nothing to say. -_-

Honestly, our healthcare system is messy and inefficient, but I couldn't really say what could be done right now to help spiff it up.

I think I'm almost hurt that I wasn't mentioned in your story. Probably a good thing, though.

 

[tom_mai78101]

I think I'm almost hurt that I wasn't mentioned in your story. Probably a good thing, though.

Now that you've mentioned it, I'm also lucky to be an observer and not a part of the Battle Royale.

 

[Slapshot136]

^ ditto - and my comment on the story: why am I not surprised

 

[Accname]

I am opposed.

 

[FireCat]

Ha! Not at all @Accname

 

[Varine]

I encourage all of you to go watch Fat Head. It's a documentary that kind of contradicts Super Size Me, but it contains actual information, not some moron trying to make a bunch of money while making McDonald's look like an evil corporation that makes you eat too much.

 

[tom_mai78101]

I encourage all of you to go watch Fat Head. It's a documentary that kind of contradicts Super Size Me, but it contains actual information, not some moron trying to make a bunch of money while making McDonald's look like an evil corporation that makes you eat too much.

What Super Size Me attracted me was that the director himself played a game. A game that sets the boundaries between healthy and unhealthy. I haven't watched Fat Head, but I hoped to see some sort of documentary in which someone is playing a dangerous game.

 

[Varine]

What Super Size Me attracted me was that the director himself played a game. A game that sets the boundaries between healthy and unhealthy. I haven't watched Fat Head, but I hoped to see some sort of documentary in which someone is playing a dangerous game.

... what is this? What are you going on about? Explain yourself.

 

[tom_mai78101]

I'm only interested in documentaries that sets a challenge upon the creators.

In Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock gave himself a challenge to eat at McDonald's for a full month. That's a challenge I liked to see, and documenting the results along the way.

 

[KaerfNomekop]

And thus the cycle completes.

 

[Varine]

I'm only interested in documentaries that sets a challenge upon the creators.

In Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock gave himself a challenge to eat at McDonald's for a full month. That's a challenge I liked to see, and documenting the results along the way.

I hated Super Size Me. I actually worked at McDonald's for a year or so as a manager and know most of the health aspects of the food. That movie is just a completely unfair attack, I think. Don't get me wrong, I don't really like McDonald's, but they are, one, a pretty charitable organization and deserve some respect for that, and two, their food really isn't that unhealthy in comparison to every other place (not just fast food, but anywhere. Even the food you buy at the grocery store usually isn't significantly better, and use most of the same production techniques and chemicals). The movie basically said that everything in McDonald's is poison, but so is the food you eat at any other restaurant. Ours has a slightly higher fat value but that's not really bad (fat is a very necessary form of caloric intake), just cheap and allows for faster cooking. None of the meats have pink slime (most restaurants still use meats with that shit) and no preservatives (also used in most restaurants). The only 'challenge' really afforded to him, as far as I can see, is making sure he overeats everything he can in that month so he gained a bunch of weight and I think their food is kind of gross, I don't really like most of it. If you ate that amount of food anywhere you would have similar results.