Health Care Execs: US System Inefficient, Wasteful, Even Dangerous

Talk to the chief executives of America's preeminent health-care institutions, and you might be surprised by what you hear: When it comes to medical care, the United States isn't getting its money's worth. Not even close.

"We're not getting what we pay for," says Denis Cortese, president and chief executive of the Mayo Clinic. "It's just that simple."

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[bacaja]

The two most important words were left out of this header, usery, and extortion.
The current health care system could be compared to two men cleaning windows,
standing on a scaffold 20 stories up. One of the men slips and is hanging onto the
edge of the scaffold by his fingertips, the other man leans over and says "for $50,000
dollars I'll help you up." This is where our modern health care system is at. It is
truly a "Your money or your life" situation. What is rarely mentioned is how the health
care system has led to the destruction of the economy by stealing peoples life savings,
and ruining millions of peoples' credit. Crime is occuring here on an unimaginable
scale.

[netzwerg]

"Crime is occuring here on an unimaginable
scale."

But "Crime" wont come to gated communities.

[Agent420]

As long as our system is run by those whose goal is to make profit, we will never have an effective health system. I lived in Canada for 13 years and have nothing bad to say about the Canadian "Socialized medicine" health system.

[Agent420]

America's health "system" is the third leading cause of death in the US today.

[tiradintim]

And something like half of all bankruptcies.

[kinnycut]

They mentioned a lot of things in this article that may save a little health care money, but the one that will save a lot of money is research, research, and more research. Finding actual cures to illnesses, chronic or otherwise, instead of expensive continuous treatments should be the ultimate goal. Diabetes alone cost millions of health care dollars every year because even when people have it in check it will eventually cause other health care issues down the road as people age. Sometime in our history the medical community shifted focus to financial draining continuous treatments of illnesses instead of seeking cures for them. You can blame society for the growing number of ills due to bad habits, and other enviromental influences, but that still doesn't explain why children who have not lived long enough to be harmed by these things also contract by many, or similar illnesses. Finding real answers to these health issues, experimental or not, will dramatically reduce costs. Even if you try to remember it is hard to come up with any illness the medical community has aquired an actual cure for in thirty or more years that led to a vaccine, or a preventative treatment against some illness. Why must all answers come after the fact? There are answers to illnesses like cancer, diabeties, Parkinson's, and the others. We have to be willing to move forward without restraint, and put our resources in front of health care problems once again, not behind them.

[verhaftik1]

Brilliant, kinnycut.

Sadly, unless we demand it, no private research company will pay medical scientists to find cures, even if we want to. The medical community must be forced to do such research. Otherwise, they will not risk putting themselves out of business with pesky, PATIENT ORIENTED things like cures.

Hence the reason we need a massive overhaul in our government's approach to medical research (= it must not be privatized anymore).

[LHoney]

I am over 50 years old and have had type 1 diabetes since I was 8 years old. I am very lucky and still do not have any serious complications. I have come to the conclusion that the drug industry has made sure that cures will not be found. I believe that even if they are found, they somehow get the rights to the patents and they never see the light of day. How can it be that NOTHING has been cured in 50 years?? Highly unlikely that we can't figure any of this out. If they treat us, they have a cash cow for many, many years. If they cure us, then they can only charge once. I think it's odd that I need to use a "test strip" every time I need to test my blood sugar (5-6 times a day and strips cost about 80 cents a piece!). However, when in the hospital setting, your blood oxygen can be tested by a "clothespin like device" on your finger! They aren't fooling me. When people think they are "running for the cure" I always have to smile. No one is running to cure ANYTHING! I also worked in the Chemistry Dept of a state university when I was young and I remember the grad students complaining about Reagan getting in, that there would be no more research money...

[verhaftik1]

See, Europe realized long ago how the greed of a few equated to the normal person getting screwed. So they took the power away from the capitalist oligarchs. They realized no matter what the government calls itself ("democracy," dictatorship), the power (= taxpayer money) is still in the hands of a few, unless The People change that. Socialism is a dirty word in the US only b/c The Few here tell us it is. Truth is, it"s only a dirty word to them. Europe has ironed out the kinks of socialized medicine, and we are now in the fortunate position to copy it. This move will rid us of the parasites to privatized health care: insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, food manufacture "research groups," et al.

The irony is: this is the American Medical Association's doing. Doctors long sought to protect their financial interests, and soon realized a sick population guarantees their income. Therefore (compared to abroad) doctors here do nothing to promote prevention.

Overseas, because health care is nationalized, people have a collective conscience to stay healthy, so they aren't singled out as the burdensome ones. It would be the same here. Currently, privatization gives people the illusion they can be as sick as they want, since they alone (supposedly) are paying. But we know now, that is just an illusion. One promoted by the AMA. "No problem. Get fat and sick. We have a pill, a pusher, and a payer, just for You. Cost: $xxx."

[Rog49Thomas]

Well, you may be right on the facts, but what about the ideology

A rationally designed health care system could very well be socialism

Better dead than red (and in some cases "read")

[RnR]

One huge waste of money in the healthcare industry is the push by chain pharmacies to implement scanning software systems of filling prescriptions. There is absolutely NO reason to work from a scan of a hardcopy of a prescription as opposed to the actual hard copy. It leads to errors (the scanners are terrible), increases the manpower required to process a prescription and your presciptions are then stored in a system with an "always on" internet connection.

[OkieMon]

again the answer is simple...let those who can afford it go on medicare and those who can't go on medicaid and let the insurance companies go back to insuring cars and houses....

[Invox]

I support Obama to the hilt but this is one area where I disagree with him. I believe we are entitled to freedom, protection of that freedom, health care and a good public education as the basics for our democracy. I don't believe health care functions well in the private sector. In the 80's, the doctors and hospitals robbed us blind with exhorbitant costs. Then the insurance companies cracked down on them, only to corrupt themselves and the politicians. If I ruled the world, I would phase out Social Security. It's no longer enough to live on for most people and people need to learn to save and prepare for their futures at an early age. I would take that Social Security income and pump it into a single payer health care system with emphasis on preventive care. Insurance companies would phase out of business and pharmaceutical research and distribution would be regulated by the government. The Canadian and European systems have been demonized by Republicans for decades. However, do you hear them weeping and wailing to change? From where I sit, they seem fairly content with what they have. So what about us? Are we happy with our system? How healthy are we compared to the rest of the world?

I pay $10,000 a year for catastrophic coverage only. I'd gladly turn my $10K over to the government if I could get health care without having to pay for it on top of my useless insurance premiums.

[verhaftik1]

Nice post, Invox. Note, however, it was the doctors in the 80s who invited in and made deals with insurance co's, to relieve MDs of pesky paperwork and with the goal of increasing their (MDs) per-patient ROR. It is amusing to see how little foresight MDs had, and how they have become slaves to insurance co's (as have us all). But, I wholeheartedly agree with you.

[JimGroom]

My mom worked at the Redwood Medical Clinic and remembers well when the doctors allowed the insurance companies into their business. The docs made deals with health maintenance groups and everything looked great for a couple of years. It was a faustian agreement that soon brought about major changes in the way the clinic handled its business affairs. I say business affairs because the health care business changed its model and the care of the patient took second or third place. It took over a decade, but the medical clinic after losing most of the founding doctors and suffering the revoling door of management decided to close up shop. The original doctors went back into private practice and the smarter ones survived by taking only those who could pay. Meanwhile the thousand of patients they handled were left on their own in finding another source of treatment. What a wonderful system.

[cabgx2]

Can you say, "We want a bailout also?"

[LorettaSingbiel]

"Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) has already warned that improving and expanding health care will cost money in the short run -- money that his Republican counterpart, Sen. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), argues the government does not have."

Michael Moore's documentary "Sicko" focused on the WASTE created by the "Health" INSURANCE companies playing "God" with people's lives, as they strive to place PROFITS over PEOPLE!

The French (along with ALL civilized countries) have FREEDOM from all the OUT-OF-POCKET costs of LIVING, and all the STRESSES & STRUGGLES that "married with children" in AMERICA must endure...

child care
health care
college

The French don't complain about the "taxes" they pay ... because they actually get something for it. (We can't get a pothole fixed ... but our "Christians" in charge can certainly find the funds to fight ENDLESS WARS!?)

[Rog49Thomas]

And that's why the good old USA is a unique nation in the world.

Sadly.

[SilviaMaria]

Even if you do not like Michael Moore, his documentary "Sicko" is an eye-opener to see how the health care system in this country affects people. When people are denied care because they have no money to pay for the surgery that will save their lives, or when people are kicked out of the hospital because they have no income to foot the bill ... there is something very wrong with the system.

[netzwerg]

I am an expatriate living in Germany now for 5 years. I had an apendicitis here and went to the doctor. He sent me over to the hospital.
For a nine-day stay in the hospital they charged me exactly 2405$, INCLUDING surgery. Their medical technology here in hospitals is beyond anything i have seen in the US.
In the US my PPO insurrance only had covered me for 3 days, guess i would have paid 100000$ or so for the same or worse treatment i received here in germany.

WAKE UP US!

[TruthaboutIraq]

I have lived in Germany, Luxembourg and now Holland...............if you get sick here you get full salary no matter how long you are in the hospital.

[netzwerg]

I know, same here in germany. You dont even need to be in the hospital, you can cure at home and get your full salary.

[Xihuitl]

I have to agree with those who read this article as nothing but deliberate and dishonest propaganda. No mention at all of the single biggest reason U.S. healthcare costs so much for so little: private insurance companies -- and the grossly inflated prices charged by pharmaceutical companies. Support single payer health care. HR 676! It is the most cost efficient, the greatest stimulus to our sick economy, and desperately needed as more and more people lose their jobs, their insurance, and are unable to pay the exorbitant sums demanded by health insurance companies and the criminally high cost of health care itself, including medicines. Here is where you can find out more: http://www.pnhp.org/facts/single_payer_resources.php

[Vladdycat]

I am suspicious of any group Newt is involved with.

[TruthaboutIraq]

First off, govt could make it a felony to deny coverage to anyone with a pre existing condition.

They would pay a HUGE fine here in Holland if they tried that.

Its criminal and if any of you Americans think its okay , then we know for sure you have no humanity left whatsoever.

[LorettaSingbiel]

"Denying coverage is criminal and if any of you Americans think its okay , then we know for sure you have no humanity left whatsoever."

It's NOT okay with ME!!!

I'm fortunate to have healthcare through my spouse's employer-paid coverage. I am an ADVOCATE for UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE, but my employer-paid healthcare-entitled "pro-life" friend is ADAMENTLY AGAINST it ... because she insists that she "will have to wait MONTHS for treatment" IF our MILLIONS of un- or under-insured Americans were ALSO entitled to what she and I can CURRENTLY take for granted.

As always, her "ME, MYSELF, & I" REPUBLICAN attitude ENRAGES me. How DARE she call herself "PRO LIFE" with such low regard for the LIVES of those Americans DENIED medical help!!!

WHY would HER ability to seek PROMPT medical help be compromised IF healthcare coverage WERE made AFFORDABLE or UNIVERSAL in this country, thus entitling MILLIONS more Americans to THEIR "RIGHT-to-LIFE"?

Could my "pro-life" girlfriend be INSISTING it would create a shortage of doctors? If so, then COLLEGE needs to be made AFFORDABLE or UNIVERSAL in this country ALSO, so that AMERICANS may choose an education in the medical profession.

PHONY "pro-lifers" need to join the human (HUMANE) race in a WILLINGNESS to CARE for their fellow man!!! THEY need to worship their "God(s)" MORE than their money!!! (What would their "Jesus" do?)

[gorideabike]

Do not let her upset you. It is something Republicans feed on. The inner game is to maintain a clear and focused mind in the face of talking point chaos. This can be done by first recognizing the personal responsibility for being in a conversation with a disagreeable person. Analogy: Staying calm and focused while driving in awful traffic so as to get where you choose to go and not bend any sheet metal and not let it raise your blood pressure, no matter how stupid other drivers are.
She knows O'Really?'s rant. We know Obama's health care will be the end of the Republican Party for a generation. That's all there is to it.

[FightingTheRight]

I work in the healthcare administration field.

It is a privately held company with 2 owners.

Employees are VERY STRONGLY encouraged to work as close to 40 hours a week as possible, without the expectation of being classified as full time employees.

There are no health insurance options offered, but the outspoken Republican owner insist on standing before the 15 employees, some of whom qualify for Medicaid, and tell us that universal health insurance would be bad for us.

Of course he and his family have BCBS.

They have also gotten 2 MRIs for a sick horse, that had to be put down.

I don't even have the insurance coverage to be put down (I known, I'm ugly and my feet smell, theres the put down).

Never mind being able to afford MRIs.