Why Is Mostly Everything Associated With Medicine in the US Expensive Relative to That of Other Nations?
Question by Mel M: Why is mostly everything associated with Medicine in the US expensive relative to that of other nations?
Even without putting insurance into consideration, why is it that perscribed medicine is more expensive here in the US than in Europe or in Canada or Japan. And I understand that treatment here is way better, there is no arguing that, but why is it that it has to be more expensive, when you could ask for equal treatment there but its stil costs less?
And if you say it is idealic but not practical which im sure is true, what reason aside from campaign funding by big Pharma is preventing law makers to saturate and foster the drug market?
Should the health care reform legislation have included means of saturating competition in the pharmaceutical sector , included greater medical research grants, and other such related things particularly cutting down costs of med school?
Best answer:
Answer by Monstrous
Because medicine is run as a business. For profit. Every publicly owned (i.e. stocks are purchasable) corporation is legally obligated to make every effort, ethical or otherwise, turn a profit for shareholders. Privately owned companies and individuals often run their practices as profitable businesses as well.
And there are a LOT of interested parties in commercial medicine. Pharmaceutical companies, companies that manufacture medical supplies, hospitals, private practices, health insurance companies, employers that pay for health insurance, individual doctors, advertisement firms working for pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, health practices that need or enjoy the bribes given to them by pharmaceutical companies (have you noticed how every pen and clipboard in a doctor’s office has a drug name on it?), the list goes on. And every one of them trying to turn a profit.
If you challenge this system, you challenge capitalism as we know it. Challenge capitalism, and you face the wrath of millions of angry traditionalists, self-interested rich people, and readers of Ayn Rand, calling you an evil devil socialist who wants to take their money away to use it for things like education and health care so that, depending on their economic status, (a) they can GET things like healthcare and education occasionally, (b) they don’t have to pay out of pocket for such things or (c) they have to pay for poorer people to use those services, which would be a grave injury to their swollen bank accounts let me tell you. You know what a philanthropist is? A rich person with a publicist. If philanthropists were really interested in helping the poor, they would support institutionalizing that help so it’s not ABSOLUTELY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET AT.
As in, how is it that I’m surrounded by three hospitals within a mile of me here in downtown Detroit, but almost all the urgent care centers are way out in the suburbs, with the exception of one on Jefferson that charges almost twice as much as the one further out? I’ll tell you why – emergency room care is more expensive than urgent care centers, and poor people are easier to take advantage of because they can’t afford lawyers.
Chiropractic Back Pain Treatment Detroit Michigan – http://metrodetroitchiropractors.com Back Pain Therapy Detroit Michigan Dr. Chris McNeil. Phone: (313) 884-5477 East Detroit Chiropractors 10575 Morang Drive…
More Drug Treatment Detroit Information…