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The Amish health care system

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111–120 of 327 posts

Re: The Amish health care system

#111

Why does nobody look at the medical profession as the racket it is? You don't need to be an MD to handle %80 of hospital visits, and you can train trades people to handle most emergencies. Insurance companies are awful, but seriously, we can train field medics to do stitches and set bones, why should it cost $3000 to have an MD do it? Listening the hand wringing about it is infuriating when you realize that the reaso…

Everyone with absolutely no knowledge of our healthcare system "look(s) at the medical profession as the racket it is." They then proceed to point at things as the root cause that every health policy expert in the country can tell you is not the root cause, and that doesn't hold up to even slight scrutiny by comparison with other, similar, countries.

Re: The Amish health care system

#112

Why does nobody look at the medical profession as the racket it is? You don't need to be an MD to handle %80 of hospital visits, and you can train trades people to handle most emergencies. Insurance companies are awful, but seriously, we can train field medics to do stitches and set bones, why should it cost $3000 to have an MD do it? Listening the hand wringing about it is infuriating when you realize that the reaso…

My sister is a veterinarian. Honestly, I think I’d rather have her give me stitches than most doctors. She’s had to give so many more than most doctors.

Re: The Amish health care system

#113
post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The 250k+/year US salary of the fully trained doctor setting bones could be a problem. Many doctors are paid significantly less in many of those other countries.

It's not, though. It takes under an hour to set a bone, so that doctor's time is not driving the expense.

Why do I need to see a doctor to get a mole or skin lesion checked? Why is it necessary for someone to go through 4 years of undergrad, med school, etc etc just to examine a mole and remove it with a scalpel?

Re: The Amish health care system

#114

Why does nobody look at the medical profession as the racket it is? You don't need to be an MD to handle %80 of hospital visits, and you can train trades people to handle most emergencies. Insurance companies are awful, but seriously, we can train field medics to do stitches and set bones, why should it cost $3000 to have an MD do it? Listening the hand wringing about it is infuriating when you realize that the reaso…

LOL. I agree with you- healthcare should be way more accessible and affordable. But I suspect that if you looked at what it costs to train and deploy a field medic in today's military, you would find that it is a lot. And the many reasons for that very high expense probably echo some of the issues that also exist in healthcare. Hint: the MD isn't getting anywhere near $3000 to do your stitches.

Re: The Amish health care system

#115

Why does nobody look at the medical profession as the racket it is? You don't need to be an MD to handle %80 of hospital visits, and you can train trades people to handle most emergencies. Insurance companies are awful, but seriously, we can train field medics to do stitches and set bones, why should it cost $3000 to have an MD do it? Listening the hand wringing about it is infuriating when you realize that the reaso…

My sister is a veterinarian. Honestly, I think I’d rather have her give me stitches than most doctors. She’s had to give so many more than most doctors.

After seeing a vet work on a horse that had its leg stripped of all of its skin, I would agree.

Re: The Amish health care system

#116
post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think there is any system like that in first world countries. The US isn't like that if that's what you're insinuating

Please look around you a little more. My buddy separated his shoulder snowboarding in Tahoe. He had a full time (40 hours a week) job at the time, but it didn't provide healthcare. He couldn't afford to go to hospital, so never did. I was visiting from Australia at the time and was utterly horrified, having no idea the US worked like that. Now years later his shoulder is still screwed. Of course people in the US avoi…

Person doesn't have insurance and injured themselves doing a risky activity, and can't afford treatment. If it's really bad, why not use bankruptcy, I can't imagine this person has anything valuable given the history you described.

Or use physical therapy, it's cheap.

Re: The Amish health care system

#117
post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is how health insurance works in New Zealand. If you want private health insurance for say $50 a month[1], then insurance gives access to procedures more quickly and the rooms are much nicer than the public health care system. It may give access to rare but expensive procedures. If you don’t want insurance, then the default is the public healthcare system, which is paid for by taxes. You will usually be in a war…

That system looks terrible for handling cancer and pre-existing conditions.

All NZers get treated for cancer or pre-existing conditions, within the funding limits of the health system.

Severe health problems don’t bankrupt NZers, and you are not locked into a job just to (a) keep your insurance, or (b) keep your insurance benefits.

How many recently unemployed in the US have lost cover for their pre-existing conditions?

I expect you can find the benefits list document for Southern Cross, if you wished to check out the details of cover for cancer or pre-existing conditions.

Re: The Amish health care system

#118

Why does nobody look at the medical profession as the racket it is? You don't need to be an MD to handle %80 of hospital visits, and you can train trades people to handle most emergencies. Insurance companies are awful, but seriously, we can train field medics to do stitches and set bones, why should it cost $3000 to have an MD do it? Listening the hand wringing about it is infuriating when you realize that the reaso…

Yeah, it's definitely not the insurance companies that extort everyone for outrageous fees under threat of death thus creating most profitable industry in the world, yet producing nothing of value whatsoever who are the problem, it's all the doctors fault.

Re: The Amish health care system

#119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As opposed to one where everyone avoids medical care at all costs to avoid extortionate bills?

I don't think there is any system like that in first world countries. The US isn't like that if that's what you're insinuating

So you think it's fair for someone to spend 2.5% of their income on a flu test when they have good reason to believe they may have COVID-19?

Re: The Amish health care system

#120
post #54

“ The Amish have had a life expectancy in the low 70s since colonial times, when the rest of us were dying at 40 or 50. Since then, Amish life expectancy has stayed the same, and English life expectancy has improved to the high 70s.”

I found that curious. Why were the Amish living so much longer than others in colonial times?

Temperance.
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