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There were legions of people in the ward we were in and at any one time it looked like most of them were out in the halls talking. That does not mention the other legions of people in mandated medical records that seem to become property with ring fences around them, they sure are not shared.

I don’t think it would take long to identify redundancy but that is not the subject. The subject is excessive charges when the opportunity arises evidenced by huge apparent differences from one area to another.

Our medical system just costs too much on a global comparative scale.

I remember the days of wards and double rooms. They weren’t that bad when some good sense was made of parings. In unusual or very bad conditions single rooms were indicated and used. They were not standard though.

How many of these nations have health care that is much worse or less capable than ours? We don’t just spend more, we spend a LOT more.

In terms of life expectancy which seems to be a good measure of bang for the buck we don’t rank in the top 46 by life expectancy which does not vary by a whole lot but suggest some other measure if you do not like that one. Still, the point remains that the US spends a LOT more than other countries but does not appear to get a lot in return others don’t have for a lot less money.

https://www.worldometers.info/demographics/life-expectancy/

We also spend more per student on education than all but three OECD nations. Just a quick review shows we don’t get much bang for the buck there either.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/238733/expenditure-on-education-by-country/

There are also 20 countries that outscore US in overall PISA scores.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/pisa-scores-by-country

There is certainly a problem with the “list prices” vs what insurance companies pay. Someone without insurance should not be charged $10,000 for something an insurance company has negotiated down to $100. In Trump’s first term, they tried to get hospitals to disclose their prices, which I believe the hospitals are simply ignoring.

There is also an issue with legal expenses. What is the malpractice situation in these other countries? And the issue of who pays for deadbeats. People get treated at some level even if they do not pay. And they usually use the emergency room as their PCP, which is the most costly way to go. Also, we have to consider the quality of the data we are working from. A lot of this comes from organizations whose goal is to have the gummit running the entire system top to bottom from Washington. I have trouble trusting what they have to say.

I just wish we could get reliable data that does not come with an agenda and just compares apples to apples.

As far as life expectancy is concerned, that will not get better until individual Americans learn to eat right, exercise a little, and generally stop abusing their bodies with drugs and alcohol and promiscuity and probably a dozen other things. You can bet a lot of that extra money is keeping us alive in spite of our bad habits.

I think the president could do a lot with hard nosed negotiating on drug prices. They should also do what they can to promote competition from the compounding pharmacies. I use compounded semaglutide for weight loss. It sets me back $30/week, which is well within my budget. But, as almost of us here know, President Trump has a lot of irons in the fire and I don’t think he needs more right at this moment.

Reforming education is a whole other ball of wax. For the time being, I am hoping that the rush away from expensive, burdensome and useless university degrees and toward skilled trades starts putting the pressure on that issue. And under no circumstances should student loans be forgiven. I graduated in 1979 with $9000 in student loans. That was 50% of my starting salary. I had to drive a Chevette for a few years, but I got those loans paid off. On time. Paying bills on time is one aspect of what they call these days “adulting”, and I think kids need a lot of practice. They can start by diligently paying their debts.

Well,that is about all I have to bloviate about tonight. Good night, everyone.

#48 In Britain and Canada they will kill you to save money.

Google: liverpool care pathway scandal, dailymail

Many articles. The NHS changed the name but the killing still goes on.
The hospitals here in the USA were paid to deny care for people who had the covid flu.
Money talks with some!

Hospitals bribed to put patients on pathway to death
Daily Mail
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2223286/Hospitals-bribed-patients-pathway-death-Cash-incentive-NHS-trusts-meet-targets-Liverpool-Care-Pathway.html
Oct 25, 2012 — Hospitals are paid millions to hit targets for the number of patients who die on the Liverpool Care Pathway, the Mail can reveal.

They have been murdering 120,000 people a year. You are put on a death list unknown to you. This due to your age and medical history.

If you call for help they will not show up, if someone else calls and you are picked up then you could wait in the ambulance at the hospital or on a gurney in the hall. If you have relatives come with you and are put in a room, what the staff will not tell them is the patient will not get any medical care or water.
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How long does it take to die once you are in the liverpool care pathway
It usually involves the withdrawal of nutrition and fluids and increases the amount of sedative and pain relief administered to the patient. If the Care Pathway is initiated and progressed appropriately death usually occurs within 29 hours