Some may recall the NewsLanc commentary “Local examples of why American health care is broken” in which a Otolaryngologist (hearing doctor) invoiced the insurance company $145 for a routine examination and then added a charge of $250 for removing a “Foreign body removal external ear canal”, a hair resulting from the patient just coming from a barber appointment.
The good news is that the insurance company rejected the charge for removing the hair and did not pay a cent towards it.
The bad news was the patient was billed in its place.
So what is the patient supposed to do? Complain and risk severing a relationship with the specialist? Refuse to pay and risk jeopardizing a credit rating?
In other economically advanced nations, this situation would not occur because of the structure of their universal health plans. Because of the power of hospitals and physicians to charge at will, there is little wonder that American health care is rated both the most expensive and the worst quality of any advanced nation.
The latter does not reflect on the quality of service of this specialist or other doctors. Rather it is because so many people cannot afford to consult with a doctor or, even if insured, run the risk of charges such as this. (Most people live from pay check to pay check.)
Unlike other advanced nations with universal health care, American health care is short on preventive medicine and, due to numerous but largely unnecessary cost factors, provides treatment only after conditions turn acute. This in itself adds greatly to the nations astronomical expenditures of over 17% of its Gross National Product for health care, compared to far better quality national programs elsewhere which do not exceed 12% and in most cases are even less.
Just imagine what could be accomplish in the way of innovation, capital investment and education were 5% of the excessive health care costs used for other purposes. Furthermore, in large part due to the broken health care system, the vast majority of American workers real earnings (adjusted for inflation) are no better than than workers were 30 years ago. Excessive health cost is perhaps the largest reason why the USA economy is slipping into second class status.
