What is the Best Medical System in the World
In some ways, it is hard to compare one country's system for delivering medical services to another. In some cultures people follow the directions of authorities and do not in others. Some places have more equal incomes with fewer poor people. While I don't know for sure what it proves, it is worthy to note socialized medicine in Great Britain is beating our capitalistic system in beginning vaccinations for the Coronavirus. This makes it hard to say, "Socialized medicine doesn't work."
Canada's system is more government run than that in the U.S. I know a retired couple of expat U.S. citizens who lived there most of their adult lives but wanted to return to the U.S. in retirement. After they looked at the medical care issue they decided to stay in Canada--it was the only issue that made the decision.
I follow several expats, young and old, on U Tube who have moved to Mexico. Medical expenses for people in Mexico are a fraction of what they are in the U.S. The expats rave about the quality of the medical care they receive and its low price. Lots of U Tubers go to border cities for dental care. The quality of dental care ranges from excellent to not so good.
Just like in the U.S. there are complaints about individual doctors and hospitals in countries with socialized medicine. Mexico makes the complaints public and there are thousands each year. The legal system allows for suing doctors there but options and the time window available is more limited.
It seems like there should be a rational way to compare medical systems. If we could gauge the general health of people and compare it to cost we would know how to compare them. I know there are people trying to do this.
Making rational decisions on a medical system is not how choices are often made, however. England has socialized medicine because a socialized system was put in place as an emergency during World War II. After the war there was support to just keep it operating and that's what happened.
Obama worked hard to put into place Obama care. In spite of a big effort to kill it it is still there. Everyone expects Biden to expand it and perhaps there will be support in Congress.
If we compare the cost and resulting health of the population the U.S. system does not look as good as that in several other countries.
"What is the Best Medical System in the World"
ReplyDeleteObviously, Cuba. They have a very high doctor to patient ratio, and everything is free. Bi-Kam will aspire us to that level of expertise someday. We already have the best hack-proof voting system. We will also have the best health system and finally beat Cuba.
Henry "Bi-Kam will aspire..."
ReplyDeleteThat's cute. Reminds me of what is appearing on liberal sites. There is the thought legal quality would improve if the "woman", Sidney, would revert to his original gender. I don't care which gender Sidney is, but the legal work needs more quality. Wait, I meant to say SOME quality.
Jon,
ReplyDeleteI can’t locate the article just now but it was about a small town deep in the back woods of Guntucky. Their spiritual needs were met by attending one of two Christian churches. There medical needs were met by traveling two plus hours to the nearest clinic. Folks from the surrounding area got together and put out an add for a family practitioner to work out of a building they renovated into a “clinic” with an apartment upstairs. Months went by without a nibble. Then a young family medicine physician answered the call. He was an immigrant of the Muslim faith. Desperate, the town folk invited him to stay. It wasn’t long before his skill and dedication helped grow a thriving practice. Eventually he was able to hire a nurse from the local area. He made his bones and won the respect he deserved. Several of the good old boys with their pick-up trucks and rifle racks gave the good doctor their phone numbers assuring him that if anyone gave him trouble they would take care of it.
President Trump promised an incredible deluxe healthcare system once he got rid of Obamacare. Looks like the ACA will survive by popular demand. Then the pandemic took hold and the President responded by ordering a travel ban against six primarily Muslim countries.
“14 million doctors' appointments are provided each year by physicians from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — the six countries targeted by the recent Executive Order. They are spread out across America, providing vital services throughout the Rust Belt and Appalachia, especially in Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia, Indiana and Kentucky.”, https://immigrantdoctors.org
Nearly 1 in 3 US physicians were born abroad. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-12-physicians-born.html
Arby B-- Great story. There are a lot of doctors practicing in the U.S. who got their medical degrees from Cuba. We have a family friend from Fargo who did this. I think he is in his mid 30's now. He passed his boards in the U.S. and is practicing somewhere in the Midwest.
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