Why America’s Healthcare Sucks [infographic]

May 17, 2011 |  by  |  Politics

You know it is true. According to the CDC, over 40 million Americans did not have health insurance during 2009. Obviously something has to change, but socialized medicine is not the answer. It is just one possible solution. Now that I have put myself in a political grey area, I will continue on with this topic.

Although smoking, drinking and the elderly are lower per capita in America than most European countries, it doesn’t mean we don’t have problems. With massive outpatient costs and over-paid doctors, things can really add up over here.

I’m lucky to have some very affordable healthcare offered by my university. It is hard to get a timely appointment and the doctors are only given 15 minutes with each patient, but at least the appointment is free and the medicine is discounted. Also, being able to talk to a doctor for free can help prevent much more dangerous health issues in the future.

Prevention and price transparency could both be improved in the US. Stopping a health problem early can save thousands down the road. Also, according to this infographic, “knowing where our money is going would make everything cheaper.” Opening people’s eyes to bogus processing fees and excess spending. [Via]

Medical-Costs-America

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  • Kurofune

     (I am a third year medical student) There is so much wrong with this infographic it’s hard to know where to start. Looking at the sources you see plenty of “theincidentaleconomist” and more of Ezra Klein. These are very left-leaning sources and are not known for impartiality of facts.

    The 2% estimation for malpractice is the biggest falsehood because it only considers one effect of malpractice. Malpractice also causes doctors to do unneeded procedures which causes a large amount of the “Truth #3: too many procedures”. The effect of obesity is also underestimated.

    A direct comparison of elderly rates isn’t sufficient because our present Medicaid system is very inefficient in handling medical care for seniors. It needs to be reformed to contain costs and the PPACA doesn’t do this. Finally, while this get’s the administrative costs and transparency correct, it doesn’t mention that higher paid doctors result from a higher standard of medicine in the US and that outpatient procedures are usually better for the patient’s health.

  • David

    Truth: Your infographic is a myth and completely absurd. Check your facts and try again.

    • Guest

      Truth: Your accusation is baseless as you’ve presented no evidence to counter what is being presented.

  • B139322

    At this point, anything that bears the “medicalbillingandcoding” watermark is immediately discounted.  He/she/they need to stop these ridiculous “infographics”.  Sites also need to stop propagating their horrible disinformation.

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  • http://www.fastforwardblog.com/?author_name=pthornton rotkapchen

    I appreciate the effort that went into this and the fact that it makes us think.

    I would suggest that while there are all sorts of related reasons that will factor in, there IS a primary economic cause for all of it. Remember, you have to evaluate the systemic features of the US Healthcare system that are decidedly ‘different’ than other countries.

    The first issue is insurance…period. It serves as a consumer buffer. When healthcare is effectively ‘free’ (after the cost of insurance), people pay no attention to the costs — both consumers and doctors.

    If consumers were directly paying for all of their healthcare, you can rest assured that they would be more active in insisting that they reviewed the procedures doctors were asking for and how much they were going to cost.

    I can guarantee you that my healthcare usage has changed CONSIDERABLY since we have had no insurance for over 2 years. We avoid going to seek medical help at all costs.

  • Anonymous

     I don’t get why moving inpatient procedures outpatient would increase costs. That one makes no sense.

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  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KEIJZCBUCEPGHZSPOPMKURCNPA Jim

    I feel like as though the creators went for more shock than substance, as anyone knows American healthcare, with all its flaws, cannot be reduced to an infographic.

  • Pjmuelle0611

    Sorry but I dug through a good chunk of these “sources” and anyone who has common sense and has dealt with the healthcare system can tell that what is stated here cannot be true. I’m not saying that there isn’t things wrong with healthcare but these are not it. I have blood work done monthly, at the hospital, it costs 500$ and at my local doctors office it costs 50$. The reason is because the hospitals time is worth more money, not that they do the blood work better, it is that they can be doing more vital care for someone esle other than me. One problem is that people, in general, very seldom deal with the healthcare system on a regular basis for serious problems, they don’t understand that you do have to literally shop around for what you need the prices change but America is too lazy to spend the time to learn this stuff, I know I would not have learned this except that I was forced to. I’ve paid out of pocket for my own healthcare and I have had jobs provide it for me as well. All I can say is I know I CANNOT AFFORD “Free” healthcare.

  • Nymets89

    I’d like to see you go through 8 years of post secondary school plus internships and residencies and say that doctors are overpaid.

    • Barbara Gwen

      I know I’m replying really late, but I just have to:

      Doctors in the U.S. ARE overpaid, and I say this with many friends who are doctors. They could get paid much less and still be wealthy. After all, doctors in the U.S. receive way more money than doctors in practically every other country (including developed, “first-world” countries), and most foreign doctors receive the same amount of education. When I was in college, I knew several students who were pre-med primarily because their goal was to be rich in the future. Call me a dreamer, but I think that the best doctors are those who actually want to help people. Unfortunately, our country’s system is set up in such a way that even middle class people cannot afford/can barely afford necessary procedures or preventative care. People have died because of this– a couple years ago, a young man in his early 20s died because he couldn’t even afford to get a couple cavities filled (he chose to pay his rent instead). And there have been countless cases of people being unable to afford their medication, resulting in more deaths. So yeah, I can’t help but thinking that maybe if doctors were paid just a little bit less, more people would be able to afford needed health care. I love this country, but our health care system sure does make me sick sometimes.

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  • Sean

    I take issue with your assertion that healthcare costs are driven by the fact that we don’t have government intervention to effect price controls. In a market-driven economy, competition for insurance contracts should keep hospital costs down. When the government gets involved, your point about fraud comes into play. I’d bet that 99% of health insurance fraud comes about on medicare claims, especially in Florida. So do you honestly think that the government as a payor is a more efficient system? What incentive does the government have to detect fraud, when they are playing with taxpayer money? Private insurance companies do a better job because they have skin in the game to protect. 
    Also, I disagree with your assertion that doctors are overpaid. Average medical school debt is $150,000 (plus average undergraduate debt of $20K). Those doctors who earn less in Europe have their entire medical school paid for and don’t have to shoulder this burden. On average, docs in America earn around 120K, with some primary care specialties (e.g. Pediatrics) earning much less. How would you like to go to school for 8 years, incur 170K in debt, then come out making less than 100K per year? Should doctors not expect to be able to own their own home, despite the sacrifices that they’ve made laboring in school for so long?
    Lastly, outpatient care is BY FAR cheaper than a hospital admission. That “Truth” is just completely wrong. I’m sure it’s far cheaper to treat a hernia in the U.S. than it is in the U.K. My guess is that the U.K. has to admit these people because their system simply can’t afford the large investments needed to implement the medical advances that we have made in the United States. This is the same reason that elderly ladies don’t receive new hip replacements in Great Britain- because their public payor, public deliverer system can’t afford it based on their tax basis. In another example, the U.K. has rejected new, efficacious chemotherapy regimens because they’re too expensive. So before you start decrying the healthcare system in the U.S., realize that taxpaying patients with complex diseases are far better off here than anywhere else in the world. That is why affluent patients from countries with socialized medicine often come to the US for treatment- because their countries simply can’t offer new medicine.
    Now, none of this is to say that the US system isn’t broken. I just believe that free market forces are the answer to our problems. Doctors should get paid what the market dictates for their services. See Paul Ryan’s plan for American Healthcare. I believe that it is the only sustainable option that preserves innovation while helping to bring down insurance premiums to a level that most Americans can afford through insurance company and deliverer competition.

  • Sean

    And, in case everyone on here isn’t sick of my voice already, one more note: your assertion that America’s obesity accounts for an additional $25B in healthcare costs can not be correct, unless you are looking at healthcare costs DIRECTLY related to obesity (and even then it seems dubious). Obesity is a risk factor for MANY chronic (read: expensive) conditions including heart disease, diabetes, vascular diseases, sleep apnea, cancer, chronic low back pain…etc (you name it, obesity probably caused it), which are some of the costliest afflictions. If you included the cost of lost productivity due to these conditions, then there is no way that statistic is correct. I believe that the true costs are more in line with this article: http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/health/medical/2011-01-12-obesity-costs-300-bilion_N.htm

  • Sahunkyhenk4sss

    well in norway for a doctors visit you pay 40 dollars. For life important medicine 0 dollars.Children get free medical care even dentists.Education is for free too and fathers get 3 months paternal leave .America is the last place I would want to live compared with benefits from eu countries.

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  • DavidW

    Whoever wrote this infographic is poorly informed and probably shouldn’t be writing for public view. On top of that, why in the world would a medical billing and coding company put this information out – do you want to lose all of your business?

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