Quote:
Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin
As others have said, we have a terrible obesity problem in this country. They don't have that problem in Japan. People in Japan have much healthier diets. I think they live longer because of that, not because of a better healthcare system. How can you expect people in this country to live longer than in Japan with our high levels of obesity?
I think a lot of the numbers in that chart are very misleading. Practically every medical facility in this country has a cash price, in addition to their retail price. I needed an MRI last year. I asked what the price was and they told me it was $2,300. I had a high deductible so my insurance wasn't going to do me any good. I asked them how much it would be if I just paid cash and didn't go through my insurance company. If I paid cash the price was only $500.
It is pretty silly that a place will charge $2,300 to the insurance company but only $500 if you pay cash. That shows that our system certainly needs some reform. But as I said before, I still prefer our imperfect system to most other countries' healthcare systems. I'd rather pay $500 in this country and get my MRI immediately than have to wait for 4 or 5 months in countries like England and Canada.
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i'd imagine the cash price is there, much like with auto body shops, because if you have to deal with insurance the payout could take months.
yes, there's obesity here. what that has to do with our efficiency of care and infant mortality i don't know. we have obesity because we have poverty-seems to be counterintuitive, right? it's not, because study after study has shown that people with very limited funds have to get as many calories with as few dollars as possible-hence, bad diet, obesity. i doubt one in seven in japan is on food stamps. i wonder what japans poverty level is. i'll look. i also wonder if many of their lower paid workers are also on subsistence such as food stamps, since so many of our employed are working poor, because walmart, fast food etc don't pay a decent wage, unlike in the past when minimum wage was enough to support oneself.
also, more kids then ever in this country are in a poor household, with food insecurity. this also affects our education, as studies have shown that kids raised in poverty don't do as well in school, which will cause another downward spiral. these things will all present a snowball effect in this country.