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Brits Try To Guess How Much US Healthcare Costs, React With Great Surprise When They Hear The Real Prices
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Brits Try To Guess How Much US Healthcare Costs, React With Great Surprise When They Hear The Real Prices

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On average, other wealthy countries spend about half as much per person on healthcare when compared to the U.S.. And when their residents hear about this, they can’t believe it. Just like the Britons in this video.

Yesterday, JOE, a publisher from the UK, released a video where they ask members of the British public to guess how much they’d have to pay for simple medical services in America. The naive answers and the horror in their eyes after hearing the actual numbers really make the clip worthwhile.

More info: YouTube

Image credits: PoliticsJOE

Image credits: PoliticsJOE

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Image credits: PoliticsJOE

Image credits: PoliticsJOE

Image credits: PoliticsJOE

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Experts have previously thought that high utilization rates could explain high spending in the U.S, however, CNBC pointed out that hospital discharge rates for various procedures, such as knee and hip replacements and different types of heart surgeries, indicate that the use of care services in the U.S. is not so different compared to other countries.

The Brookings Institute, for example, has suggested that low social spending might also partly be to blame, since funding programs to assist low-income families, the elderly and the disabled would mitigate the demand for medical care, however, researchers can’t find a substantial difference in U.S. spending on social programs.

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A very apparent difference between the American health care system and systems abroad is pricing. Nurses, primary care doctors and other professionals earn significantly more in the U.S. compared to other countries (Canada, Germany, Australia, the U.K,. Japan, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Denmark). On average, general physicians in America made $218,173 in 2016, which was double the average of generalists in the other countries (pay ranged from $86,607 in Sweden to $154,126 in Germany).

Next, administrative costs. They accounted for 8 percent of total national health expenditures in the U.S. For other countries, they ranged from 1 to 3 percent. Additionally, health care professionals in America reported a higher level of “administrative burden” as well. A survey showed that doctors spend a significant amount of time dealing with insurance claims and reporting clinical data.

The U.S. also spent $1,443 per capita on pharmaceuticals. The average pharmaceutical spending of all 11 countries came to $749 per capita. Switzerland was closest to the U.S. with $939.

Watch the full video below

Image credits: PoliticsJOE

People had a lot to say about the subject

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wehf100 avatar
Wilf
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I earn about $60,000 a year- a fairly decent middle-class salary for the UK. My monthly take home pay after tax is about $3800. Part of those taxes is about $500 a month in "national insurance" tax which gives me access to a free-at-point-of-use NHS. No questions asked. No exemptions. co "co-pays". In the last twelve months the only thing I have ever had to pay for is a couple of flat-rate prescription charges of $10 each when I needed some medicines (and children, elderly, unemployed and students don't even have to pay that). The NHS is an AMAZING achievement.

monicamichelle avatar
Monica Michelle
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fight hard for it. DOn't let your government gut it. Here in the US we are not kidding when we say we go bankrupt from a heart attack and diabetics are dying because they cant afford insulin

Load More Replies...
kjorn avatar
Kjorn
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

maybe if the military budget wasn't that monstruous they could put a part of it in medical service.

snorincats avatar
Kathy Baylis
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That, the incredible amount of waste, the ridiculously faulty budgeting process, and sweetheart contract deals made by the corrupt. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If my household budget was run like the government’s, I’d be either bankrupt, in jail, or both.

Load More Replies...
filipevieira avatar
Filipe Vieira
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unfortunately I bet that some people avoid ambulances and take an Uber to a Hospital

christmas avatar
Chris Jones
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If an ambulance is called for people injured in a car accident, or rather collision, in the UK you will get a bill for it. It's usually paid for by car insurance.

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
wehf100 avatar
Wilf
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I earn about $60,000 a year- a fairly decent middle-class salary for the UK. My monthly take home pay after tax is about $3800. Part of those taxes is about $500 a month in "national insurance" tax which gives me access to a free-at-point-of-use NHS. No questions asked. No exemptions. co "co-pays". In the last twelve months the only thing I have ever had to pay for is a couple of flat-rate prescription charges of $10 each when I needed some medicines (and children, elderly, unemployed and students don't even have to pay that). The NHS is an AMAZING achievement.

monicamichelle avatar
Monica Michelle
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fight hard for it. DOn't let your government gut it. Here in the US we are not kidding when we say we go bankrupt from a heart attack and diabetics are dying because they cant afford insulin

Load More Replies...
kjorn avatar
Kjorn
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

maybe if the military budget wasn't that monstruous they could put a part of it in medical service.

snorincats avatar
Kathy Baylis
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That, the incredible amount of waste, the ridiculously faulty budgeting process, and sweetheart contract deals made by the corrupt. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If my household budget was run like the government’s, I’d be either bankrupt, in jail, or both.

Load More Replies...
filipevieira avatar
Filipe Vieira
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Unfortunately I bet that some people avoid ambulances and take an Uber to a Hospital

christmas avatar
Chris Jones
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If an ambulance is called for people injured in a car accident, or rather collision, in the UK you will get a bill for it. It's usually paid for by car insurance.

Load More Replies...
Load More Comments
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