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by _xy8h 1804 days ago
Yet somehow the US spends the most per person health care...

($10,623.85 per capita vs Switzerland $9,870.66 vs Norway 8,239.10)

And manages to NOT cover 30 million people...

(10+% vs Switzerland, Universal, vs Norway, Universal)

No matter how you look at it, we spend more on private insurance than anywhere else in the world and manage to cover less people with it.

On top of that, medical debts are the single largest cause of bankruptcies in the US.

(Third overall worldwide ranking for US vs 100th for Switzerland vs 118th for Norway)

And despite (oh mer ghurd socialism!) paying the most, we rank among the worst for first world countries.

(37th for United States vs 20th for Switzerland vs 11th for Norway)

TLDR: We pay more for less and get worse care overall.

If I could trade in my private insurance premiums for taxes and get better care as a result without the risk of bankruptcy, why wouldn't I? Bonus, I wouldn't lose my health insurance if I had to switch jobs. We are one of the only countries in the world that tie health care to employment, which is detrimental to everyone.

The US system is FUCKED.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/best-heal...

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/medical-b...

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/11/this-is-the-real-reason-most...

https://aspe.hhs.gov/system/files/pdf/265041/trends-in-the-u...

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD

1 comments

Healthcare outcomes, quality of care, and wait times are worse in the US compared to countries with universal healthcare, as well.
There's always the people who chime in about "but, but, but private insurance means you don't have to wait 6 months to have surgery!"

I had to wait year. US Health Insurance is a fucking nightmare to deal with that the largest allocation of man hours within a hospital is billing between multiple networks. Imagine the savings on that alone if coverage was universal.

I waited on a six month long waiting list to see a pretty common type of specialist in the largest metro area in the US. Every practice and doctor I got in touch with had a similarly long waiting list, even if I paid in advance with cash. Some people will die waiting on that list.