American health care really bites.

[Ken Cheng]

Watch this video.

The UK, Japan, Germany, Taiwan, and Switzerland all do it way better. How the hell does the U.S. fail so hard at health care?

[Dirt]

Greed and wealthy lobbies in DC.

[Suzaku]

What exactly bites about the American Healthcare system? It's not perfect and some reform is necessary, but I don't see how other countries are doing better. I didn't finish the whole video, but 18 months for a hip replacement in England with recent improvements to 2-3 months turnaround time is ridiculous.

My grandma got her hip replacement within days and was discharged within a week. (The early discharge is more in the interest to save on the hospital cost.) But what do you expect a patient to be doing when waiting for the hip replacement, 18 months is 1.5 years. When you need a hip replacement you're, most likely, not using your legs - so you will be wheelchair bound for 18 months while waiting for a hip replacement.

If you're waiting 18-months for a hip replacement, how long are you waiting for a life saving surgery. Paying a medical bill or medical bankruptcy is not fun, but it is better than being dead.

[Trien Chieu]

Ken, if you are poor (don't have the money to pay for it) then countries like UK, Japan, Canada, ect. are better than the US because the treatment is free of charge. On the other hand, if you have the money then US is way better as Suzaku has mentioned. There are many many rich Canadians who do not want to wait and fly to the US to get things done. Not just faster but the treatment quality (doctor and technology) is also better in the US. US has the best healthcare in the world that money can buy, not the best healthcare that is covered by the government. Suzaku, I bet your grandma had to pay for treatment herself. I don't think the government covers for such expensive treatment. If I need a life saving surgery and have the money to pay for it, I would go to the US to get it done as well. I wouldn't want to wait in Canada for free either.

[JeffryMichl]

Thanks for your post.