Why is american healthcare so ridiculously expensive?

Hospitals, Doctors, and Nurses Charge More in the U.S. UU. As in other countries, hospital costs increase much faster than professional salaries. In other countries, the government controls at least partially the prices of medicines and health care.

It would be good to say that high prices are a mistake of our medical system. They are part of a choice we have made. But you probably haven't realized how absurdly expensive it is compared to other countries. Health system, everything costs more.

Being in a hospital costs more. Because our medicines cost more (prescription drug prices can be 10 times higher than in the UK or Germany). And our doctors cost more (an American family doctor wins 3 times his German counterpart). Because their education costs more (the education of a German doctor is almost free).

All of these systems require another inefficiency: the existence of compilers, intermediaries who compile the bills that doctors send and transport them through the payment system. The U.S. Government Accountability Office concluded that if we could reduce the administrative costs of our medical system to the Canadian level, the money saved would be enough to pay for the health care of all Americans who don't have insurance. Member Discounts Take advantage of exclusive member discounts on health-related products and services.

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Leading the Way in Health Insurance Since 1929 The Price of Health Care Is the Most Important Factor Behind the U.S. Health care costs, which account for 90% of spending. These expenses reflect the cost of caring for people with chronic or long-term illnesses, an aging population, and the rising cost of new drugs, procedures and technologies. In addition, the Health Care Reform Act has expanded access to insurance for millions of Americans.

We have transitioned to a healthcare system where everyone can get health insurance regardless of age or health status, and many newly insured people need ongoing medical care. We can all play a role in helping make America healthier and reduce health care costs. Our healthcare system must focus more on quality care for patients that helps them stay healthy faster and stay healthy longer. Meanwhile, everyone can reduce the risk of developing many costly chronic diseases by adopting healthier lifestyles.

Prescription drugs play a critical role in helping to prevent, control and cure a variety of conditions and diseases, but the costs are draining the budgets of families, businesses and taxpayers alike. Learn what BCBS recommends to address prescription drug prices Chronic disease treatment accounts for 86 percent of the U.S. Chronic diseases and conditions such as arthritis, obesity, cancer and heart disease are among the most common, costly, and often preventable health problems. Americans' Unhealthy Lifestyle Choices Linked to Costly Chronic Conditions.

Read how BCBS companies enable healthier lives and improve the quality and affordability of healthcare. We have identified four strategies that are fundamental to improving the U.S. Healthcare system and ensure that every patient receives high-quality medical care. Reuters Cancer drug prices rise much faster than inflation The Washington Post US spending on drugs will grow faster than other health services over the next decade Providing key perspectives and trends that support affordable, quality healthcare for all the Americans.

Retail clinics are becoming increasingly popular with employer-insured consumers seeking convenient, low-cost care. But use by individually insured Americans goes to z. New technologies save patients money by choosing to have complex procedures performed in an outpatient setting. This finding provides a new explanation for why U.S.

spending is so excessive. According to researchers at Harvard Chan School, which establishes the U.S. In addition, there can be inflated prices across the board. In the U.S.

Hospital services and diagnostic tests cost more. And much more money is spent on the planning, regulation and management of medical services at the administrative level. In other areas, despite conventional wisdom, there seems to be less discrepancy between the U.S. And other countries that are commonly thought of.

Experts have previously suggested that high utilization rates could explain high spending in the U.S. But by looking at hospital discharge rates for various procedures, such as knee and hip replacements and different types of heart surgeries, researchers found that the use of care services in the U.S. It's not that different compared to other countries. In fact, compared to the average for all nations, Americans seem to go to the doctor less often and spend fewer days in the hospital after being admitted.

Think tanks such as the Brookings Institute have suggested that low social spending could also be partly to blame, as funding programs to help low-income families, the elderly and the disabled would mitigate the demand for health care. But again, researchers didn't find a substantial difference in the U.S. Spend less than average, but not much. Another popular argument is that the US system has an unnecessarily high number of specialists, who usually earn more than general practitioners, and that increases spending.

However, according to this report, the ratio of primary care physicians to specialists was similar between the United States and other high-income countries. The real difference between the U.S. healthcare system and systems abroad is prices. Administrative costs, meanwhile, accounted for 8 percent of total national health spending in the U.S.

For the other countries, they ranged from 1 percent to 3 percent. Health professionals in the United States also reported a higher level of administrative burden. A survey showed that a significant proportion of physicians consider the time they waste on insurance claims and the presentation of clinical data to be a major problem. However, they conclude, it is not clear whether innovation justifies high levels of spending.

In terms of wages, high incomes can boost performance, and studies have suggested that some countries do not pay their healthcare professionals enough. In addition, high wages in the U.S. It can reflect the time and increased amounts of money that U.S. health professionals must invest in their education and training.

In general, researchers believe that prices in these areas should be analyzed and reduced whenever possible. “It continues to struggle with high health care expenditures, it is essential that we make progress in reducing these costs,” said author Irene Papanicolas, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Harvard Chan School. One of the most notable findings of this report is that, at least in some areas, the quality of healthcare in the U.S. Long waiting times for treatment, for example, aren't as much of a problem for Americans as they are elsewhere.

In the treatment of heart attacks and strokes, the U.S. In fact, it had the best record of any country. Therefore, contrary to previous findings, quality of care may not be much worse in the U.S. But the nation's still proved to be the least accessible healthcare system.

It is estimated that 22 percent of the population has lost an appointment because they couldn't afford it, according to the report, compared to an average of 11 percent among the eleven countries. The percentage of the population with health insurance has increased since the Affordable Care Act was passed, the report said. Even so, a substantial proportion of people would benefit from coverage but would remain uninsured in the U.S. Report Sheds New Vision on How U.S.

The health system compares with its peers, and the fact that the cost of labor, pharmaceuticals, and administrative organization seems to be driving spending. It also points out that, despite this level of spending, too many of its citizens are still without insurance and without coverage. The US healthcare system is the most expensive in the world, with the worst health outcomes compared to peer countries. Medical device technology, drugs, surgical procedures: all charge US premium due to lack of government regulation.

Healthcare has invented an arsenal of ways to inflate prices uncontrollably, and then use negotiation techniques or “discounts” to reduce the price to whatever level the patient can bear through their copays and premiums. At the end of the day, value-based care would be the most critical solution if Americans overused healthcare. Even if you're a wealthy employer for whom the cost of benefit plans doesn't matter too much (wink, wink, Big Tech), by feeding overwhelmed healthcare providers and protecting your employees from the real cost, you're supporting a situation where fewer people have access to healthcare. I could prove the role of the AMA (American Medical Association) in all of this, but I'm not that brave.

When they can hide patient bill prices, divert responsibility to other healthcare institutions, and bury healthcare policy in complexity, they can leave patients and voters feeling that the system cannot change and that they are forced to choose between terrible options out of pragmatism. If you refuse to use health care services that have an unreasonable total cost (not just your copay), providers will be pressured to create transparency about their prices and ultimately reduce them. There was a common fear that medical bills would be more expensive than expected, not knowing in advance the list of medical procedures that would be performed and widespread feelings of frustration and resignation that patients were denied true choice or autonomy throughout their healthcare experience. On average, Americans pay 56% more than other countries for the exact same drugs, a figure that underestimates the price increases of some of the worst offenders.

Rather, they are meant to demonstrate that U.S. healthcare is often several times more expensive than the same service in other countries in the industry. . .