Something Happened to U.S. Health Spending After 1980

[SummerMadness]

Something Happened to U.S. Health Spending After 1980

The United States devotes a lot more of its economic resources to health care than any other nation, and yet its health care outcomes aren't better for it.

That hasn't always been the case. America was in the realm of other countries in per-capita health spending through about 1980. Then it diverged.

It's the same story with health spending as a fraction of gross domestic product. Likewise, life expectancy. In 1980, the U.S. was right in the middle of the pack of peer nations in life expectancy at birth. But by the mid-2000s, we were at the bottom of the pack.

What happened?

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

" What happened?"
(1) greed
(2) deception
(3) as written "the wicked become more wicked"
(4) gullibility (of the american people)
(5) people trusted (and still trust and obey) who they never should have trusted
(6) All as Yahweh Said in His Word would happen.

 

[Humble me Lord]

Big Pharma

 

[4x4toy]

Medical care was basically non profit until the 70's, though the Dr's and personel were paid well , insurance was cheap too until the swamp creatures figured how to tap into it is my understanding ..

 

[Humble me Lord]

Big Pharma is now looking to patent natural substances.

Good read
This is just the latest of many efforts to patent nutrients and natural substances. We’ve seen numerous attempts by drug companies, for instance, to monopolize previously affordable substances (like bioidentical estriol and 17P) and then jack up the price. In the case of 17P, a substance that helps prevent premature births, the price skyrocketed from $10 a dose to $1,500 once KV Pharmaceutical was granted exclusive rights by the FDA through the Orphan Drug Act.

 

[Radagast]

Big Pharma

It's easy to say stuff like that. But the rest of the world has large pharmaceutical companies too, so that's not it.

Nobody really understands exactly what the problem with the US medical system is. All you can really do is point at other countries, like Australia and countries in Europe, and compare differences.

One of the differences, for example, is that Australia negotiates drug prices on a nation-to-drug-company basis. The US does not.

 

[bhsmte]

Big Pharma

Big pharma gouges the US, no question. But, so does big insurance and big medical device companies. The development of new drugs, medical devices and diagnostic tools, have sky rocketed since 1980 and the US pays a premium for the same, compared to other countries.

Why? Because politicians on both sides of the aisle, have cowered to the lobbying power of; pharma, medical device and insurance companies.

 

[4x4toy]

 

[Radagast]

Big pharma gouges the US, no question. But, so does big insurance and big medical device companies. The development of new drugs, medical devices and diagnostic tools, have sky rocketed since 1980 and the US pays a premium for the same, compared to other countries.

Why? Because politicians on both sides of the aisle, have cowered to the lobbying power of; pharma, medical device and insurance companies.

There's more to it that that. To put a new drug or device on the market, there's a hugely expensive process of trials and government paperwork. Necessary, perhaps, but very expensive.

For a typical medication, the very first tablet to roll of the assembly line usually costs a couple of billion dollars to make. All the subsequent tablets cost a few cents each. Given that, how do you price the tablets?

Here in Australia, medicines don't usually go on the government list unless they've been around a while. And the government generally won't approve expensive medicines unless there's no alternative. That keeps costs down, but there's an obvious downside.

 

[Hank77]

(6) All as Yahweh Said in His Word would happen.

Yes, to the whole world not just the US.

 

[FenderTL5]

I wonder what year it was that the tobacco companies relinquished their ownership of the legislative bodies to big pharma?

 

[bhsmte]

There's more to it that that. To put a new drug or device on the market, there's a hugely expensive process of trials and government paperwork. Necessary, perhaps, but very expensive.

For a typical medication, the very first tablet to roll of the assembly line usually costs a couple of billion dollars to make. All the subsequent tablets cost a few cents each. Given that, how do you price the tablets?

Here in Australia, medicines don't usually go on the government list unless they've been around a while. And the government generally won't approve expensive medicines unless there's no alternative. That keeps costs down, but there's an obvious downside.

I have been in healthcare executive management for 25 years in the US. Sure, it is costly to perform R&D on new drugs. The reality is though, the US pays for more for the same drugs compared to other advanced nations and it is because of how our system is set up, which is a pure capitalist system, which helps corporations (insurance, medical device and pharma) make huge profits.

I know someone who is setting up an ambulatory facility in the Caribbean and they will obtain the exact same medical device products and pharma, that they have in the US, for 60% less.

 

[Steve Petersen]

It's easy to say stuff like that. But the rest of the world has large pharmaceutical companies too, so that's not it.

Nobody really understands exactly what the problem with the US medical system is. All you can really do is point at other countries, like Australia and countries in Europe, and compare differences.

One of the differences, for example, is that Australia negotiates drug prices on a nation-to-drug-company basis. The US does not.

Ironically, the Veteran's Administration has been negotiating for a long time. Too bad the boneheads in Washington can figure it out.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

Nobody really understands exactly what the problem with the US medical system is.

Yahweh does.
He described it in the Apocalypse.

 

[ThatRobGuy]

There are a lot of factors...

Profit motives (aka Greed) certainly are a factor...

People started getting very lazy and very unhealthy around that time as well.

If you look at the number of meals eaten out vs. eaten at home in 1970 compared to 1990, you'll see a sharp upward trend.

 

[bhsmte]

There are a lot of factors...

Profit motives (aka Greed) certainly are a factor...

People started getting very lazy and very unhealthy around that time as well.

If you look at the number of meals eaten out vs. eaten at home in 1970 compared to 1990, you'll see a sharp upward trend.

The advent of home computers, video games and 800 channels on television, also had people sitting down way more.

 

[Trogdor the Burninator]

There are a lot of factors...

Profit motives (aka Greed) certainly are a factor...

People started getting very lazy and very unhealthy around that time as well.

If you look at the number of meals eaten out vs. eaten at home in 1970 compared to 1990, you'll see a sharp upward trend.

Which is why you don't hear the old "if people have to pay more for their healthcare, they'll take care of their health better" argument much any more.

 

[jayem]

The reason why we spend so much more on health care is not that inscrutable. To my knowledge, every other 1st world country has instituted some type of medical price controls. Either single payer insurance systems that negotiate prices, or direct government-set fee schedules for medical products and services. The American body politic seems as yet unable or unwilling to go there.

 

[Tanj]

Yahweh does.
He described it in the Apocalypse.

A couple of questions:

1) Does Yahweh explain the problems of any other country's medical system, or is it just the US?

It was my understanding that the consensus amongst Christian apocalypse believers was that, given the US is mentioned no where in scripture, that it no longer exists at the time of the apocalypse. so...

2) Why, in the Apocalypse, does Yahweh describe the problems of a country he got rid of before the apocalypse?

 

[Steve Petersen]

A couple of questions:

1) Does Yahweh explain the problems of any other country's medical system, or is it just the US?

It was my understanding that the consensus amongst Christian apocalypse believers was that, given the US is mentioned no where in scripture, that it no longer exists at the time of the apocalypse. so...

2) Why, in the Apocalypse, does Yahweh describe the problems of a country he got rid of before the apocalypse?