Interesting comparison of healthcare systems...

[Gob]

Healthcare is a costly item in national budgets, but who gets the best value for money, and who the best outcomes? We compare the systems in some of the world’s leading countries for healthcare.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016 ... is-the-nhs

[kmccune]

@GOB , I didnt get much out of that ,but it seeme the other countries are getting equivalent care and not having their citizens bankrupted because of a medical emergency .I havent any where close to the parity necessary to engage the services of healthcare providers in this country . If my wife didnt have Me on Her health plan ,I would have to find some kind of Obamacare ,bronze plan ,personally favor Universal Healthcare ,because I 'm poor and according to my research this country can well afford it for its citizens .

[MajGenl.Meade]

At a quick glance, I didn't see anything relating to the effectiveness of care. It all seemed to be financial.

[dales]

If American health care is so crappy, why do people the world over come here for operations?

[kmccune]

Nobody said crappy ,just overpriced ,Why do Americans go to Canada to buy drugs and go to Cuba for operations ?(not all of course -just some seniors and poor people )

[Gob]

If American health care is so crappy, why do people the world over come here for operations?

They only go to you if they want bigger tits and shiny teeth.

Top Destinations:

India - Home to Worldclass orthopedic and cardiac surgeons. India medical tourism produces $2.3 Billion annually.
Mexico - Mexico is famous for inexpensive weight loss surgeries and cosmetic surgeries.
Singapore - Their healthcare system is ranked very highly, and offers cancer and stem cell treatments.
Barbados - Well-known fertility clinic is home in the West Indies island.
Thailand - Thailand attracts 30,000 Americans each year for a whole host of procedures and surgeries. Thailand has many Joint Commission International accredited operators.
Brazil - Home to top cosmetic surgeons in the World.
Israel - Israel is known for IVF specialists, as well as other procedures.
South Korea - Home to cosmetic surgeons, cancer and spinal treatments. South Korea has many Joint Commission International accredited facilities.
Turkey - Many European, American trained doctors providing cardiac, cancer, orthopedic and laser eye surgeries.
Other Countries Include Costa Rica, Antigua, Hungary.

[dales]

U.S. Hospitals Worth The Trip





When you hear the term medical tourism, you probably think of the number of uninsured Americans taking advantage of low-cost heart surgery and hip replacement procedures in places like Thailand and India.



But while the trend continues, and raises important questions about why so many Americans can’t afford health care at home, a new report points out that the largest segment of medical travelers are headed stateside. And, experts say, they’re also growing in numbers.



An estimated 40% of all medical travelers are looking for the world’s most advanced technologies, worrying little about the proximity of the destination or cost, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Co. It narrowly defined medical travelers as only those whose primary and explicit purpose in traveling was to obtain in-patient medical treatment in a foreign country, putting the total number of travelers at 60,000 to 85,000 per year.

In Depth: U.S. Hospitals Worth The Trip

Most of those patients in search of the best care, including 38% from Latin America, 35% from the Middle East, 16% from Europe and 7% from Canada, are heading to the United States. Additionally, it’s estimated that 32% of all medical travelers simply want better care than is available in their home countries, mostly those in the developing world, and 15% want quicker access to medically necessary procedures. That’s compared to only 9% of medical travelers seeking medically necessary procedures at lower prices and 4% seeking low-cost discretionary procedures.




Why America?

Commonly seeking cutting-edge cardiovascular, neurological or oncology treatments, the bulk of medical travelers head to U.S. medical facilities because physicians from their native countries have trained or currently work there or they follow the lead of friends or family. And then, of course, there’s the United States’ reputation when it comes to health care.


“Whether or not it’s empirically true, the U.S. brand of medicine is still perceived as being the most advanced health system for treating very complicated diseases and when life is at stake,” says Paul Mango, co-author of the McKinsey report.

In turn, more and more U.S. hospitals are also marketing their services toward these lucrative patients, whose high-tech care tends to be pricey and is commonly fully paid by patients’ governments, covered by their insurance or paid for out-of-pocket.

Bouncing Back And Then Some

Of course, the flow of foreigners heading to America’s most prestigious academic medical centers, such as Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic or Johns Hopkins is nothing new, says Rick Wade, senior vice president for communication for the American Hospital Association.

But, while difficult to track, the numbers appear to have bounced back and are now hitting new highs after taking a dip following 9/11. (The influx of medical travelers from one Middle Eastern country to the United States, for instance, fell from 44% of those seeking care in 2001 to 8% in 2003 because many had trouble obtaining U.S. visas, according to the McKinsey report.)

Partners International, an organization founded in 1997 in part to attract international patients to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, reported that the two hospitals treated more than 4,200 international patients in fiscal year 2007, compared to 3,600 in fiscal year 2001.

Leonard Karp, president and CEO of Philadelphia International Medicine, an organization that markets and coordinates care for international patients at nine facilities in the Philadelphia area, says 9/11 forced many hospitals actively participating in international health care to diversify and look beyond the Middle East for other markets. For Philadelphia International Medicine, which saw about 3,800 international patients in 2007, that’s specifically meant tapping into Asia.

Experts say there could be more growth in the number of foreigners seeking care in the U.S. this summer, due to the weak dollar.

Bottom Line

While the trend might not be of much interest to the estimated 45 million Americans lacking health insurance, medical travelers to the United States do tend to positively affect hospitals’ bottom lines. Though the difference may be slight, it may help support some institutions’ abilities to, among other things, deliver care to the poor, Wade says.

“What we’re trying to do is generate new revenue for the health-care system,” Karp adds. “If we can ease the pressure on [hospitals'] bottom lines, they can then reinvest in their communities in a variety of ways.”

http://www.forbes.com/2008/05/25/health ... rcing.html