Why is healthcare so expensive in the states? People seem to focus on private Heath insurance vs Obama care. But neither should be so expensive. Why are other countries able to provide way cheaper care?
2. The USA subsidizes drug development for the rest of the world. All the R&D happens here, and the only reason so much money is spent on this R&D is because the drug companies can charge maximum price to Americans. Other countries negotiate as a block to lower prices. This is great for those countries (cheaper drugs) and the drug companies (marginally expanded markets), but it increases the fraction of money from the US going to that R&D.
I've heard that Cuba has the best doctors, and they often play a crucial role in emergency aid to other countries.
For quality of health care overall, the US is just a solid middle ranker when it comes to life expectancy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expe... That's only one metric, of course, but it seems like an important one.
It seems like the US pays about 3x more (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_hea...) for moderately worse outcomes.
If we were to supply Cuba with bacon double cheeseburgers and unlimited soda refills, that life expectancy would not be so hot. Also, give them all desk jobs.
Healthcare is better in the USA. We just like to do bad things to ourselves.
I mentioned Cuba because I've heard many anecdotes about how skilled and well-trained their doctors are -- they don't have the money and resources for lots of modern drugs and equipment, so they invest in their workforce instead. I'm not saying Cuba is in great shape overall, just that I have heard they have excellent doctors. (I don't have data to back that up, though)
Similar to broadband and mobile phone services, the free market hasn't been able to drive prices down as effectively as it theoretically should. I think it's because the incumbent providers have successfully lobbied for a network of regulations that protect their monopolies. What's actually needed is better regulations (a la net neutrality) to level the playing field.
Or alternatively, just run it as a free public service like many other countries do. That approach works pretty well.
The USA freight rail system exhibited some monopoly through the 1880s, but since has been quite regulated. Perhaps the current level of regulation may not be ideal, but since the USA freight rail system is the best in the world it would seem foolish to tamper with it.
I didn't mean those are monopolies now, I meant that they had wandered into monopoly territory in the past, and regulation has been somewhat (not entirely) successful in fixing that.
Sometimes it is good thing, I admit, but in most cases it is not consumer friendly.
People in the US aren't use to making those kinds of tradeoffs, which is why we spend half of our medical dollars on the last year of people's lives. We might decide not to operate, but financial considerations won't enter into the decision.
That's why I will be surprised if anything the government does short of rationing care will affect the cost of medicine in the US. It's about expectations.