Comments (15) Jump to Comments Form

1. 

   motivemagus said, 4 months ago

   Most expensive model in the world, more like. And #27 in quality.

2. 

   itisme said, 4 months ago

   Finest model in the World?

   Our health care system?

   Wonder when Locher drank the right wing kool-aid?

3. 

   Graham Freeman said, 4 months ago

   Finest model in the world?

   In what universe?

4. 

   texarc said, 4 months ago

   what an idiot….no wit there…moving on…

5. 

   GNWachs said, 4 months ago

   We are indeed the finest health care model in the world. People from all over fly here to get their care.

   The ranking system has obviously fooled so many of you that I suggest you read the criteria. The quality of health care itself only counts 25% _here we are #1 of the overall rank. 75% of the ranking comes from breadth of coverage and equal spending per person.

   Bottom line for over 250 million Americans we are far and away the best-#1.

6. 

   Anthony 2816 said, 4 months ago

   Millions uninsured, with no way to get to that #1 care.

   Unrestricted prices skyrocketing, guaranteed to make our #1 system unsustainable.

   But hey, we’re #1!

7. 

   ezdeb said, 4 months ago

   I wonder if Mr. Locher even thought about the irony, considering the GM management debacle.

   Yeah, we’re the best in the world except in areas where we aren’t!

8. 

   RussellNash said, 4 months ago

   GNWachs, Millions of Americans can’t afford any Healthcare. Over a hundred million more would be bankrupted by a serious illness, because of the coverage limits on their insurance that they don’t even know about.

   I dare you to have a lawyer read your healthcare contract and tell you what your limits are. I think you’ll see you’re one case of cancer away from losing everything.

   The funniest look you will ever see is the one you get when you ask a European if he knows anyone who has lost their house because of medical bills. It is just a concept they don’t understand.

9. 

   Joy Lederman said, 4 months ago

   “We are indeed the finest health care model in the world. People from all over fly here to get their care.”

   Then why is “medical tourism” to foreign countries a booming business?

10. 

    GNWachs said, 4 months ago

    I will make you an offer Joy. Pick a disease- cancer, MS, acute myocardial infarction, malignant melanoma etc. I will hand you $1,000,000 and you get to choose where you want to be treated. My guess is you would stay right here in the US because it is the best.

    Without revealing sources I can relate a true story that occurred in 2009. A very very high ranking royal family member from Saudi Arabia developed a malignancy. Obviously money was not the question, quality of care was the only thing that mattered. He flew here to NYC rented 300+ hotel rooms and got his 2-3 month treatment here in NYC.

    The very very best health care in the world is here in the US.

11. 

    Anthony 2816 said, 4 months ago

    Wachs, the fact that for your argument you had to toss in a million dollars, or use a rich Saudi, suggests you’re missing the point.

    What good does it do us to have the best medical care and technology if the patient can’t access it?

12. 

    GNWachs said, 4 months ago

    The opponents of the current system are making two arguments. One legitimate and one bogus. The best health care in the entire world is available here in the US. When statements are made like “Most expensive model in the world, more like. And #27 in quality” (see above) are just plain wrong we offer the best.

    Now comes the second question- affordability. I can absolutely guarantee if you gave Obama everything he wanted the 305 million Americans would not get the Saudi Prince level of treatment. We will end up with several different tiers. If you don’t realize that than you are going to be very very disappointed.
    There will a basic level available similar to UK, Canada, France paid for by XYZ. Then there will be Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, NYU, Cedars, Columbia etc where the well to do and well connected will end up.

13. 

    RussellNash said, 4 months ago

    GNWachs, our argument is that most of the country can’t afford the American system. Either they have no insurance or they are under-insured. Yes, if you have $1,000,000 you can get the best healthcare in the world in the US, but who’s going to give the average American $1,000,000 when he gets sick?

    I flew back from the states in April, since then the only people I have seen, who wouldn’t be covered 100% for any illness they got, are the American tourists I see here.

    You’re screaming that we might end up with a tiered system, where some people end up with better care than others. Right now we have a system where some people only get care once they drag themselves half-dead into an emergency room. Then they have bills they can never pay off. The next level can get basic care, but anything more will bankrupt them. Then we have the people who can pay for that incredible care you talk about.

    That sounds so very fair.

14. 

    GNWachs said, 4 months ago

    russellnash: I think one of our differences is that the proponents of one-payer or ObamaCare make the same error you just did. “You said most of the country can’t afford …”

    Using the worst possible most pessimistic overblown numbers is that 47 million “people” don’t have health insurance. That includes 10 million non-American non-documented aliens (illegal aliens) and 9 million Americans who earn over $75,000/year and being young have chosen not to purchase health insurance.

    Doing the math that means the vast vast majority of Americans have health insurance. Does it have a limit? Yes, of course. Do you realize that 70-80% of US citizens spend less than $3000/year on their health care? For all these people their insurance is more than adequate.

    We have a problem but your exacerbation does not help your cause.

15. 

    RussellNash said, 4 months ago

    GNWachs, You didn’t read or ignored what I wrote. The “most” comes from the under-insured part. I have now mentioned this in three posts on this page. Health insurance coverage has limits. Many plans won’t pay more than $50,000 in a calendar year. Even more plans have massive co-pays and deductibles or will only pay 70% of costs.

    Also none of the proposals in Congress are One-payer.

    My father paid far less than $3000/year for his healthcare. All the way until his first heart attack. That year his expenses went over $200,000. Fortunately that was before HMOs and he was covered, but that’s how the numbers work.

    Most people have next to no expenses year after year. Then one year something big happens. That’s when they find out where the limits are.

    Averages are great when you look at numbers, but they’re not the whole picture.