Report: U.S. health care expensive, inefficient

[Guest guest]

Report: U.S. health care expensive, inefficient

America ranks last among six countries on key measures, group finds

Updated: 10:48 a.m. ET May 15, 2007

http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2007/05/15/report-us-health-care-

ranks-last/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.msnbc.msn.com%2Fid%2F18674951%

2F & frame=true

WASHINGTON - Americans get the poorest health care and yet pay the

most compared to five other rich countries, according to a report

released on Tuesday.

Germany, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada all provide

better care for less money, the Commonwealth Fund report found.

" The U.S. health care system ranks last compared with five other

nations on measures of quality, access, efficiency, equity, and

outcomes, " the non-profit group, which studies health care issues,

said in a statement.

Canada rates second worst out of the six overall. Germany scored

highest, followed by Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

" The United States is not getting value for the money that is spent

on health care, " Commonwealth Fund president said in a

telephone interview.

The group has consistently found that the United States, the only

one of the six nations that does not provide universal health care,

scores more poorly than the others on many measures of health care.

Congress, President W. Bush, many employers and insurers have

all agreed in recent months to overhaul the U.S. health care system —

an uncoordinated conglomeration of employer-funded care, private

health insurance and government programs.

The current system leaves about 45 million people with no insurance

at all, according to U.S. government estimates from 2005, and many

studies have shown most of these people do not receive preventive

services that not only keep them healthier, but reduce long-term

costs.

said the fund's researchers looked at hard data for the report.

" It is pretty indisputable that we spend twice what other countries

spend on average, " she said.

Per-capita health spending in the United States in 2004 was $6,102,

twice that of Germany, which spent $3,005. Canada spent $3,165, New

Zealand $2,083 and Australia $2,876, while Britain spent $2,546 per

person.

Key measures

" We focus primarily on measures that are sensitive to medical care

making a difference — infant mortality and healthy lives at age 60, "

said. " Those are pretty key measures, like how long you live

and whether you are going to die before age 75. "

Measures of other aspects of care such as cataract surgery or hip

replacements are harder to come by, she said.

They also looked at convenience and again found the United States

lacking — with a few exceptions.

" We include measures such as waiting more than four months for

elective, non-emergency surgery. The United States doesn't do as

well as Germany but it does a lot better than the other countries on

waiting time for surgery, " said.

" We looked at the time it takes to get in to see your own doctor ...

(or) once you go to the emergency room do you sit there for more

than two hours, and truthfully, we don't do well on those measures, "

said.

Click for related content

Discuss: What do you think needs to be done?

Health care errors impact 1 in 10

States lag in oversight of hospice care

Doctors still taking drug company freebies

According to the report, 61 percent of U.S. patients said it was

somewhat or very difficult to get care on nights or weekends,

compared with 25 percent to 59 percent in other countries.

" The area where the U.S. health care system performs best is

preventive care, an area that has been monitored closely for over a

decade by managed care plans, " the report reads.

The United States had the fewest patients — 84 percent — reporting

that they have a regular doctor.

And U.S. doctors are the least wired, with the lowest percentage

using electronic medical records or receiving electronic updates on

recommended treatments.

[Guest guest]

,

The URL for that story is

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18674951

To read it without the Netscape chrome, people need to 'deframe' it...

[Guest guest]

Very interesting and timely article especially with s " comedy

about the richest country having 45 million uninsured people. "

The political fear mongering that has been used to continuously discourage

against a universal healthcare system is that patients will have to wait to

have certain types of surgery, we will not get the meds that we need or the

treatments that we require, or that we will have to wait for even basic care

The irony is that so much of what so many feared would take place with a

universal system is actually taking place on many levels within our system

today

and continues to worsen on a yearly bases. The difference is that we pay a

fortune to have our for-profit healthcare system that no longer works

especially

for the bulk of our middle class citizens.

I have worked for nearly 30 years in the healthcare industry and have

desperately watched the deterioration of our system from the inside. I left a

nursing career that I had loved because I could no longer tolerate what was

taking place. I had worked as a floor nurse, administrator and consultant. By

the time I left I was experiencing so many stressful days that were taking me

longer and longer periods to rebound from. Every nurse I knew was ending up

on anti-depressants, anti-anxiety agents as well as sleeping meds. Drug and

alcohol abuse began to increase amongst physicians and nurses. I chose to not

medicate my stress away through prescription drugs or otherwise but rather

to deal with it head on by making a change. It was the very fact that I let

myself feel this stress that pushed me into a productive change. Until that

point I was helpless in watching what was taking place

I watched helplessly as the profit game began to bounce between insurance

companies, hospitals and practitioners. I watched helplessly as our salaries as

nurses were cut and the profit margins for hospitals increased. I watched

helplessly as hospitals went from being about quality of care to quantity of

care. I watched as medical directors for certain types of units were placed on

a percentage getting paid a so called commission for the volume of patients.

I watched helplessly as a wonderful, highly skilled and caring medical

director was fired because he refused to participate in accepting these

financial

incentives. I watched helplessly as I witnessed kickbacks and embezzlement

become common place. I watched as patient deaths increased due to hospital

negligence.

My hopes were raised when Clinton was elected into office and the first

thing the Clinton's set out to do was in healthcare reform. As I watched the

most

powerful couple in the country unable to go up against the financial forces

that have kept our system in ruins, my hopes were dashed. I knew at that

point that I needed to take care of myself and do whatever I could to make a

change. The search for what I could do began at the most painful level.

Fortunately, about 15 years ago in finally being able to move forward in my

career I ended up in work that I again love. I feel so fortunate that I am

able to work, as so many with mycotoxin exposure have become disabled with

chemical sensitivities, neurological deficits and a whole array of other

symptoms that prevent them from earning a living. Though I have not been a

nurse now

for years, the role of the nurse which is to advocate for the patient will

always be with me at every level of my being. Nurses are troopers that are

committed caring human beings that often work in very difficult situations for

little money considering the lives they hold in their hands. They earn the

same amount as cashiers and trash collectors. As nurses continue to spread

themselves more than what is often safe to do with all the staffing cuts, they

are always the ones that the patients complain about, having no idea why it

takes so long for anyone to come when they press the call button.

We now in the public have been pressing the call button far too long hoping

our healthcare system we once knew will return. I am glad that has

made the type of movie that will get everyones attention and put this issue in

the forefront where it belongs.

Bobbins, RN, L.Ac, QME

In a message dated 5/16/2007 5:36:26 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

tigerpaw2c@... writes:

Report: U.S. health care expensive, inefficient

America ranks last among six countries on key measures, group finds

Updated: 10:48 a.m. ET May 15, 2007

_http://www.netscapehttp://www.netshttp://www.http://wwwhttp://www.n_

(http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2007/05/15/report-us-health-care-)

ranks-last/?ranks-lasranks-last/?ranks-lastranks-lasranks-last/

2F & frame=true

WASHINGTON - Americans get the poorest health care and yet pay the

most compared to five other rich countries, according to a report

released on Tuesday.

Germany, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada all provide

better care for less money, the Commonwealth Fund report found.

" The U.S. health care system ranks last compared with five other

nations on measures of quality, access, efficiency, equity, and

outcomes, " the non-profit group, which studies health care issues,

said in a statement.

Canada rates second worst out of the six overall. Germany scored

highest, followed by Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

" The United States is not getting value for the money that is spent

on health care, " Commonwealth Fund president said in a

telephone interview.

The group has consistently found that the United States, the only

one of the six nations that does not provide universal health care,

scores more poorly than the others on many measures of health care.

Congress, President W. Bush, many employers and insurers have

all agreed in recent months to overhaul the U.S. health care system —

an uncoordinated conglomeration of employer-funded care, private

health insurance and government programs.

The current system leaves about 45 million people with no insurance

at all, according to U.S. government estimates from 2005, and many

studies have shown most of these people do not receive preventive

services that not only keep them healthier, but reduce long-term

costs.

said the fund's researchers looked at hard data for the report.

" It is pretty indisputable that we spend twice what other countries

spend on average, " she said.

Per-capita health spending in the United States in 2004 was $6,102,

twice that of Germany, which spent $3,005. Canada spent $3,165, New

Zealand $2,083 and Australia $2,876, while Britain spent $2,546 per

person.

Key measures

" We focus primarily on measures that are sensitive to medical care

making a difference — infant mortality and healthy lives at age 60, "

said. " Those are pretty key measures, like how long you live

and whether you are going to die before age 75. "

Measures of other aspects of care such as cataract surgery or hip

replacements are harder to come by, she said.

They also looked at convenience and again found the United States

lacking — with a few exceptions.

" We include measures such as waiting more than four months for

elective, non-emergency surgery. The United States doesn't do as

well as Germany but it does a lot better than the other countries on

waiting time for surgery, " said.

" We looked at the time it takes to get in to see your own doctor ...

(or) once you go to the emergency room do you sit there for more

than two hours, and truthfully, we don't do well on those measures, "

said.

Click for related content

Discuss: What do you think needs to be done?

Health care errors impact 1 in 10

States lag in oversight of hospice care

Doctors still taking drug company freebies

According to the report, 61 percent of U.S. patients said it was

somewhat or very difficult to get care on nights or weekends,

compared with 25 percent to 59 percent in other countries.

" The area where the U.S. health care system performs best is

preventive care, an area that has been monitored closely for over a

decade by managed care plans, " the report reads.

The United States had the fewest patients — 84 percent — reporting

that they have a regular doctor.

And U.S. doctors are the least wired, with the lowest percentage

using electronic medical records or receiving electronic updates on

recommended treatments.

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[Guest guest]

, (and everyone else)

A better URL for the article you were talking about is:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18674951

Report: U.S. health care expensive, inefficient

America ranks last among six countries on key measures, group finds

WASHINGTON - Americans get the poorest health care and yet pay the

most compared to five other rich countries, according to a report

released on Tuesday.

Germany, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada all provide better

care for less money, the Commonwealth Fund report found.

" The U.S. health care system ranks last compared with five other

nations on measures of quality, access, efficiency, equity, and

outcomes, " the non-profit group, which studies health care issues,

said in a statement.

Story continues below ¢­

Complete story at

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18674951

On 5/24/07, bobbinsbiomed@... <bobbinsbiomed@...> wrote:

>

> Very interesting and timely article especially with s " comedy

> about the richest country having 45 million uninsured people. "

>

> ...

[Guest guest]

AMEN, SHELLY!! I WAS a nurse, trying to help others, & working in a VERY sick

building, which caused my horrific illness of acute transverse myelitis. I left

work one day with an awful back ache, & awoke 5 days later (after the pain never

relented) with HORRIFIC pain...... & could hardly move my legs. I was having my

acute onset of " TM " , which demyelinated my spinal cord!! I'm now called my

neurologist's " walking miracle " (I use a cane), & more.

Take care, & may God bless & help us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: [] Report: U.S. health care expensive, inefficient

Very interesting and timely article especially with s " comedy

about the richest country having 45 million uninsured people. "

The political fear mongering that has been used to continuously discourage

against a universal healthcare system is that patients will have to wait to

have certain types of surgery, we will not get the meds that we need or the

treatments that we require, or that we will have to wait for even basic care

The irony is that so much of what so many feared would take place with a

universal system is actually taking place on many levels within our system

today

and continues to worsen on a yearly bases. The difference is that we pay a

fortune to have our for-profit healthcare system that no longer works

especially

for the bulk of our middle class citizens.

I have worked for nearly 30 years in the healthcare industry and have

desperately watched the deterioration of our system from the inside. I left a

nursing career that I had loved because I could no longer tolerate what was

taking place. I had worked as a floor nurse, administrator and consultant. By

the time I left I was experiencing so many stressful days that were taking me

longer and longer periods to rebound from. Every nurse I knew was ending up

on anti-depressants, anti-anxiety agents as well as sleeping meds. Drug and

alcohol abuse began to increase amongst physicians and nurses. I chose to not

medicate my stress away through prescription drugs or otherwise but rather

to deal with it head on by making a change. It was the very fact that I let

myself feel this stress that pushed me into a productive change. Until that

point I was helpless in watching what was taking place

I watched helplessly as the profit game began to bounce between insurance

companies, hospitals and practitioners. I watched helplessly as our salaries

as

nurses were cut and the profit margins for hospitals increased. I watched

helplessly as hospitals went from being about quality of care to quantity of

care. I watched as medical directors for certain types of units were placed on

a percentage getting paid a so called commission for the volume of patients.

I watched helplessly as a wonderful, highly skilled and caring medical

director was fired because he refused to participate in accepting these

financial

incentives. I watched helplessly as I witnessed kickbacks and embezzlement

become common place. I watched as patient deaths increased due to hospital

negligence.

My hopes were raised when Clinton was elected into office and the first

thing the Clinton's set out to do was in healthcare reform. As I watched the

most

powerful couple in the country unable to go up against the financial forces

that have kept our system in ruins, my hopes were dashed. I knew at that

point that I needed to take care of myself and do whatever I could to make a

change. The search for what I could do began at the most painful level.

Fortunately, about 15 years ago in finally being able to move forward in my

career I ended up in work that I again love. I feel so fortunate that I am

able to work, as so many with mycotoxin exposure have become disabled with

chemical sensitivities, neurological deficits and a whole array of other

symptoms that prevent them from earning a living. Though I have not been a

nurse now

for years, the role of the nurse which is to advocate for the patient will

always be with me at every level of my being. Nurses are troopers that are

committed caring human beings that often work in very difficult situations for

little money considering the lives they hold in their hands. They earn the

same amount as cashiers and trash collectors. As nurses continue to spread

themselves more than what is often safe to do with all the staffing cuts, they

are always the ones that the patients complain about, having no idea why it

takes so long for anyone to come when they press the call button.

We now in the public have been pressing the call button far too long hoping

our healthcare system we once knew will return. I am glad that has

made the type of movie that will get everyones attention and put this issue in

the forefront where it belongs.

Bobbins, RN, L.Ac, QME

In a message dated 5/16/2007 5:36:26 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

tigerpaw2c@... writes:

Report: U.S. health care expensive, inefficient

America ranks last among six countries on key measures, group finds

Updated: 10:48 a.m. ET May 15, 2007

_http://www.netscapehttp://www.netshttp://www.http://wwwhttp://www.n_

(http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2007/05/15/report-us-health-care-)

ranks-last/?ranks-lasranks-last/?ranks-lastranks-lasranks-last/

2F & frame=true

WASHINGTON - Americans get the poorest health care and yet pay the

most compared to five other rich countries, according to a report

released on Tuesday.

Germany, Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada all provide

better care for less money, the Commonwealth Fund report found.

" The U.S. health care system ranks last compared with five other

nations on measures of quality, access, efficiency, equity, and

outcomes, " the non-profit group, which studies health care issues,

said in a statement.

Canada rates second worst out of the six overall. Germany scored

highest, followed by Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

" The United States is not getting value for the money that is spent

on health care, " Commonwealth Fund president said in a

telephone interview.

The group has consistently found that the United States, the only

one of the six nations that does not provide universal health care,

scores more poorly than the others on many measures of health care.

Congress, President W. Bush, many employers and insurers have

all agreed in recent months to overhaul the U.S. health care system —

an uncoordinated conglomeration of employer-funded care, private

health insurance and government programs.

The current system leaves about 45 million people with no insurance

at all, according to U.S. government estimates from 2005, and many

studies have shown most of these people do not receive preventive

services that not only keep them healthier, but reduce long-term

costs.

said the fund's researchers looked at hard data for the report.

" It is pretty indisputable that we spend twice what other countries

spend on average, " she said.

Per-capita health spending in the United States in 2004 was $6,102,

twice that of Germany, which spent $3,005. Canada spent $3,165, New

Zealand $2,083 and Australia $2,876, while Britain spent $2,546 per

person.

Key measures

" We focus primarily on measures that are sensitive to medical care

making a difference — infant mortality and healthy lives at age 60, "

said. " Those are pretty key measures, like how long you live

and whether you are going to die before age 75. "

Measures of other aspects of care such as cataract surgery or hip

replacements are harder to come by, she said.

They also looked at convenience and again found the United States

lacking — with a few exceptions.

" We include measures such as waiting more than four months for

elective, non-emergency surgery. The United States doesn't do as

well as Germany but it does a lot better than the other countries on

waiting time for surgery, " said.

" We looked at the time it takes to get in to see your own doctor ...

(or) once you go to the emergency room do you sit there for more

than two hours, and truthfully, we don't do well on those measures, "

said.

Click for related content

Discuss: What do you think needs to be done?

Health care errors impact 1 in 10

States lag in oversight of hospice care

Doctors still taking drug company freebies

According to the report, 61 percent of U.S. patients said it was

somewhat or very difficult to get care on nights or weekends,

compared with 25 percent to 59 percent in other countries.

" The area where the U.S. health care system performs best is

preventive care, an area that has been monitored closely for over a

decade by managed care plans, " the report reads.

The United States had the fewest patients — 84 percent — reporting

that they have a regular doctor.

And U.S. doctors are the least wired, with the lowest percentage

using electronic medical records or receiving electronic updates on

recommended treatments.

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