American Health Care In a Comparative Context

How We Differ from Other Western Industrial Nations All have universal health insurance but the design is different in each of the nations. Only one western nation has socialized medicine—Great Britain. In a socialized system, the government owns the hospitals and doctors are government employees.

Except for America Doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and drug companies do not make large profits or salaries. Medical school is usually free and students often receive support stipends, especially after the first year. Doctors are protected from liability and malpractice claims. There are guidelines to limit medical care for patients who cannot benefit from further health care or who want elective procedures.

The 5% Half of Health care spending is used to treat just 5% of the population.

A Consensus There is widespread agreement in both Republican and Democratic circles that health care spending is at the crisis stage in America; simply unsustainable at the current rate. Reform is controversial because of politicians trying to make points, but also because of the power of the groups involved. The Health establishment is wealthy, making great profits, well-established in D.C., and sophisticated about how to get their way. It’s a toxic brew that has thwarted reform for 75 years.

Consensus Controlling health care costs, means reducing the profits, incomes and salaries of well-established health professionals, hospitals, drug manufactures, and medical device companies. It also means rationing—making decisions about when spending more on a patient does not make sense. This is very controversial in a county accustomed to no restraints on spending for patients with insurance.