What is the point in private healthcare?

[MyOwnSockPuppet]

In Britain the public/private divide is a bit different. Severe trauma is handled by the public sector as far as I'm aware exclusively. The private sector handles a lot of the cosmetic work and electives.

Just to add to what Anthony2019 said above: You're right about emergency medicine (not just severe trauma), but it also covers the vast majority of elective surgeries too.
They only do "cosmetic" surgeries unless there is a significant health or psychological benefit to the patient - for example both times I had my nose restraightened on the NHS there was a health benefit (like not having my nose in my field of normal vision).

My wife had her cataracts done in an NHS hospital.

The important thing to remember is that the NHS deals with (or at least tries to) based on the urgency of their need, which does mean that for some things there will be more of a wait than you'd like.

The private sector deals mostly with people not wanting to wait, cosmetic procedures, most dentistry and things like glasses and contacts.

 

[MorkandMindy]

I avoided hospitals for over 40 years. I've not had private health cover. I was treated well and it cost me nothing. Except through my taxes. One trip in an ambulance, while I suffered atrial fibrillation, took 45 minutes. The local hospital, about 2 minutes away, was swamped. I was not seen by a doctor for several hours. Thank God for God. Some friends prayed for me and I was on my way home at midnight. By taxi. Also 45 minutes.

In England there was an automatic defibrillator a few hundred feet from where I lived. Everyone is in the same health service and therefore everyone is entitled to use it if needed.

I guess the equivalent in the US would be 5 defibrillators in locked boxes every few miles with different keys for people depending on which health insurance provider they had, and no access for anyone without a provider or for any reason 'out of network'.

Except why provide a defibrillator free when it could be a profit generator?

 

[MyOwnSockPuppet]

In England there was an automatic defibrillator a few hundred feet from where I lived. Everyone is in the same health service and therefore everyone is entitled to use it if needed.

I guess the equivalent in the US would be 5 defibrillators in locked boxes every few miles with different keys for people depending on which health insurance provider they had, and no access for anyone without a provider or for any reason 'out of network'.

Except why provide a defibrillator free when it could be a profit generator?

There's actually a trend in the UK to repurpose obsolete phone boxes as defibrillator stations.
Nowadays, with mobile phones, quite a few of them actually cost more to empty than they bring in in income. If they can disconnect it (i.e. if it's not in a mobile blackspot), there are several charities that buy old phone boxes in-situ for £1 and convert them.

This works out quite well for the phone company, who would otherwise have to pay a couple of hundred pounds per box to disconnect them from the electrical grid (aside from the phone K2 and K6 phone boxes (the traditional red phone boxes) both had lights in them), whereas the bill for running the small heater for a defibrillator (to keep it, it's batteries and the water-based gel pads, above freezing) works out as about £30/year, which they can count as a charitable donation.

Depending on where it is, the defibrillator is often in a combination-locked, moderately robust (i.e. vandal-proof, but could be broken into if someone is determined enough) box.

The emergency call handlers have all the locations and combinations on a convenient database ready to use.

 

[MorkandMindy]

Cooperation beats competition again!

 

[loveofourlord]

One thing that kills americans more often then not in the US is dying of a heart attack,l because someone didn't want to get a few thousand dollar bill to be told it was heart burn. Minor checkups that might be really bad actually are stuff people often avoid rather then pay for.

 

[MorkandMindy]

And Satan answered the LORD, and said, 'Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.'

Given the above biblical truth, a heart attack must be the best way to squeeze money out of the public.

 

[Albion]

1 It provides junk mail, lots of it.

2 It wastes 10% of the entire nation's GDP, on administration and huge profits for pointless billionaires.

Beyond that I'm not sure what it does for anyone.

Well, government health care definitely does not cut costs or save on mailings and the like. Does government ever cause anyone any difficulties with permits, taxes, or innumerable licenses that are needed for a person to operate a simple business venture? You bet.

But just wait until everyone in the country, those whose identities are known and those who are unknown as well, legal residents and those who are not, etc. etc. are covered by government health care, doctors are government employees, and private health care is outlawed.

In the short run, just take a look at the VA and you'll get a good view of what it will be.

 

[MyOwnSockPuppet]

Well, government health care definitely does not cut costs or save on mailings and the like.

Well, given that the NHS doesn't try and sell anything to anyone the only mailings I've seen from them are appointment confirmations, courtesy copies of notes of whatever resulted from the appointments and the one time we were randomly selected for the nationwide patient survey.

No sales literature, no long-winded legal agreements, no invoices, just things treatment related...

I'd imagine it's somewhat cheaper.

 

[Albion]

Well, given that the NHS doesn't try and sell anything to anyone the only mailings I've seen from them are appointment confirmations, courtesy copies of notes of whatever resulted from the appointments and the one time we were randomly selected for the nationwide patient survey.

I was speaking of the USA which, I thought, was the focus of the OP.

 

[grasping the after wind]

The private insurance money goes in and what does it do?

A substantial amount goes to the owners of the healthcare companies, the profits are huge.

Some goes on advertising and administrating the ever more complex portfolio of different policies company offers and changes, terminates, or introduces.

The amount that goes to whatever services they pay for evidently achieves nothing.

How can that be? Well the private insurance companies need for itemized billing and the cost of adding that to the entire system is about equal to the amount they end up actually contributing.

And you would prefer that a host of incompetent bureaucrats and corrupt politicians were further enriched by that money rather than a private company?

 

[loveofourlord]

And you would prefer that a host of incompetent bureaucrats and corrupt politicians were further enriched by that money rather than a private company?

Well definitely don't think people's lives and health should be for profit.

 

[RDKirk]

And you would prefer that a host of incompetent bureaucrats and corrupt politicians were further enriched by that money rather than a private company?

If you have ever worked in a private company, you proably realize that the government has no monopoly on incompetent bureaucrats and corrupt executives.

Given that, actually, if I had to make a choice between my money being wasted by the incompetent and the bumbling of government or into the pockets of the incompetent and corrupt of private industry, I'd rather it be wasted by the incompetent and corrupt of government.

 

[RDKirk]

In the short run, just take a look at the VA and you'll get a good view of what it will be.

Hysterical reports to the contrary, the VA is not bad and services 4.5 million veterans--more than any other healthcare provider in the US--with a great deal of success. In the veterans' groups and forums I participate in, nobody says, "Don't use the VA," they all give advice on how to use the VA more. The problems with the VA stem from how Congress funds it.

Moreover, your argument is a straw man. The VA represents an example of a fully socialized health care system (the government owns all the facilities and employs all the workers), which nobody is arguing that the overall American health care system should become.

 

[Albion]

Hysterical reports to the contrary, the VA is not bad and services 4.5 million veterans--more than any other healthcare provider in the US--with a great deal of success.

I disagree. If you choose to, you can put a smiley face on poor service, longer waits by far than anyone now using private health care experiences, second-rate personnel, etc. etc.; but when the VA (in effect) is expanded to include everyone residing in the USA, and the costs are prepaid with fat tax increases...the howling and complaining then will be something few people who think everything will be peaches and cream can imagine! Obamacare was nothing compared to the mess Federal Health Care will be, and the Obama bureaucrats couldn't even sign people up for the system without months and months of online chaos.

 

[RDKirk]

I disagree. If you choose to, you can put a smiley face on poor service, longer waits by far than anyone using private health services experiences, second-rate personnel, etc. etc. but when the VA (in effect) is expanded to include everyone residing in the USA, and the costs are prepaid with fat tax increases...the howling and complaining then will be something few people who think everything will be peaches and cream can imagine!

Nobody is proposing anything like that. Your "when" is a straw man argument.

 

[Albion]

Nobody is proposing anything like that. Your "when" is a straw man argument.

We need something new to replace "strawman" around here.

As the 'go-to' reply for every little disagreement, or something to say when there isn't a better response, strawman is worn out.

 

[RDKirk]

We need something new to replace "strawman" around here.

As the 'go-to' reply for every little disagreement, or something to say when there isn't a better response, strawman is worn out.

I can't help it if you constantly revert to strawman arguments when you don't have a good logical rebuttal.

 

[Albion]

I take it all back. After reading that retort, I think there may still be a need for "strawman!" after all.

 

[MorkandMindy]

...
I'd imagine it's somewhat cheaper.

It is a lot less expensive.

There could be another problem with the heterogeneous medical system. In my meeting with a specialist last week she was unable to access my scan because it was taken at a private facility that is not in the network she is in.

Now writing about this I've had an idea that because I paid for the scan therefore I can get a copy of it or access to it since it is my property.

 

[Albion]

It is a lot less expensive.

At the time of billing for services rendered, yes.

But not when you notice how your federal taxes have doubled in order to have the government run this system.