It's true our healthcare is not priced correctly. That much we agree on.They're half price everywhere else.
Americans pay about double what anybody else pays. It's because they they set up a lot more market influence, for-profit insurance, etc, in inapplicable situations.
The reason is a hundred years + of regulatory capture and massive government interference.
For example, the government legally LIMITS the number of fMRI machines per city. This means less people have access and the price is high. The solution isn't to soak the tax payer, rewarding crony socialism, by subsidizing current market players. But to instead deregulate the market so that more fMRI machines are made available.
Surely its better someone have an fMRI scan by an unlicensed practitioner (training would be arranged through a company representative who'd be on call) than the current system which is wait 8 months and/or no scan at all?
Japanese love technology. While I wouldn't suggest they defer to it. Medicine is actually quite hands-on. They certainly option it when they deem it reasonable. Why? Because it's so much more available. A city in the USA may be legally limited to a single machine whereas in Japan a single hospital may have a few.
Also, Americans consume more healthcare. Double Japan. If all things were equal,
Americans would pay twice as much.
Furthermore, a minority of America's are super users. A small number consume massive amounts of healthcare. A single obese American (or Australian for that matter) can be saved multiple times from coronary infarction. At a cost of a million dollars +. Just where do you think that money comes from?
MAGIC?!
In Australia, because Australians overwhelmingly support universal healthcare, they simply have a lower standard of living. For example, Universities in AU only train for 3 years for a bachelor's degree as opposed to our 4. The quality and resources expended on these degrees is much much lower. Many medical schools in AU are 6 years as opposed to our (and Japan's) 8 years. Again, the resourcing is much much much lower. This isn't showing up on charts of living standards. But, if you value higher education, it certainly is a lower standard relative to our Universities.
So, again, what major areas of social services do you want cut? Would you like our Universities to cut a year off (some AU Universities are talking 2 year bachelor's). Sound good? Cut two years off medical school Training? Reduce the quality if the training in those two years. Where it gets too the point medical students are learning medicine from watching Youtube videos?
Does all this sounds good to you? Not to mention all the other ways services are cut and prices higher to pay for all the free medical care.
Screw over the next generation so you can have something subsidized?
As to Japan. Unlike AU they produce most, nearly all, of their own medicines and medical device technology. While not in the league of the USA, which is the world leader in health and biotechnology (for now), Japanese are able to economize by making their own medicines and machines. Which they sell.
The best way to deliver cheap affordable healthcare is a free-market. This means massive deregulation together with decades of development. Furthermore, people will need to be rewarded for a healthy lifestyle by lower insurance rates and punished for unhealthy lifestyles with increased insurance rates. Smoke, drink, do drugs and are obese, expect insurance premiums to reflect your personal life choices. Which is fair.
That's how to being down medical costs in the real world. Free markets, private regulations, and competition. Sound money would be a huge help too. In due time.
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