Monday, April 21, 2014
More Proof That American Health Care Prices Are Sky-High
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/17/health-care-costs_n_5160819.html. DUE 28 APRIL 2014. According to the article, which American sub-group has great health care? Analyze the graphs for the drug Nexium and Gleevec. What is happening with the cost compared to other countries? Why do you think this is happening?
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The American health care system is very off balance but will hopefully be set to peace by Obamacare. Maybe that will be one area of the country where there really is equality. The subgroup of American with the best health care is.... actually not named. Legit I could not find it! Politicians? I guess so. Senioritis kicking in. Oops. Anyway! The drugs Nexiun an Gleevec are significantly more expensive in the U.S. than any other country in the world. It's pretty plain and simple to see that the U.S. has the highest medical and prescription bills than most countries in so many categories. Just skimming the article (though I did actually read it I promise Meach) you can the U.S. in the most expensive and has the tallest bar on the graph for every subject. It's astounding. I think this happens because of lack of regulation and government interference to the health care system. It's dangerous to think that this would continue, So it would only give us hope for now knowing that millions of American have signed up for Obamacare to be able to afford medical care in cases of emergency. But again, one could only hope that this everlasting dip in U.S. conditions will return to normal.
ReplyDeleteI find it sadly hilarious how, even with such easy data to read and access, a large majority of Americans still believe politicians when they say that "America has the best health care system!" It is such utter BS I feel bad that so many people are dumb enough to fall for it. That being said, based on the graphs provided in this article, the American sub-group with seemingly the greatest health care (as compared to the other American sub-groups) is the USA 25th percentile. This is indicated by the green dot representing the 25th percentile that falls in the lowest position on the USA bars, more or less in the average price range. The USA 95th percentile (represented by the orange dot), on the other hand, lies above the green dot on every graph, much higher than the average price. It is clear that the cost of all drugs, hospital fees, surgery fees, and everything else medical-related is significantly higher in cost in the USA than in any other country. A prescription for Nexium in the USA costs approximately 3.5 times more than it does in Switzerland, which spends the second most in health care expenses. I could be wrong...but I believe that this is so because America's health care relies so heavily on the services of private health insurance companies rather than on government services. If the government would interfere more in the health care system like they do in France, then maybe more U.S. citizens would be able to get treated for fatal diseases without having to go bankrupt. Hopefully Obamacare will help to lead us down a path for more affordable heath insurance!
ReplyDeleteLooking at the graphs in the article I find these numbers surorising that are healthcre system is the most expensive in th world. We are paying out at leats 5 times more than the second more expensive health care system in the world for our prescriptions.According to the article the American sub group that has the best health care is not listed but in my perspective I believe that those with the best healthcare in america are the ones that can afford to pay for the hospital visists or those with great medical insurance. When analyzing the grapgh for nexzium I found that The united states is paying 4 times more for the drug compared to the next leading country. The same can aslo be said for the drug of Gleevec where again the united states is paying out 2 times more money for the drug compared to the next leading country.In all the graphs I notice the prescribtion drugs are much more expensive in the U.S. versuses otther countries becuse the unitd states does not have a universla health care system like majority of these countries.
ReplyDeleteThe 25 percentile receives the greatest health care amongst America. The drug Nexium sells for 215 dollars a month, but compared to the other countries it is way higher. A drug for a simple problem should not cost that much. Again, for the drug Gleevec we see that the United States has a much higher rate than any other country. The cost of the drug is way higher because the other countries set prices for their medicines through their universal health care programs, which the U.S doesn’t have. I think the U.S. has independent healthcare overall so it varies upon each person.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article, no one in the United States has great healthcare. Even though there are persistent claims by nearly anyone holding or seeking public office in the U.S. that America has the best health care system in the world, there's SCANT EVIDENCE that we're getting higher-quality medical treatment or enjoying healthier lives than our counterparts abroad. The fact that the United States do not have great healthcare is supported by the cost comparison graphs, in which US is #1 costly in all of them, between U.S. and other countries. A prescription for Nexium costs $215 on average in the U.S., which is more than 3.5 times the cost in the second-most-expensive nation for Nexium prescriptions. For Gleevec, the average cost in the United States is almost TWICE as expensive as the second-most-expensive country.This is happening because most other countries set prices for medicines through their universal health care programs, which the U.S. doesn't have.
ReplyDeleteThe graphs in this article is just stunning. In every single one of these graphs, the US is paying the most out of the other countries compared for the same drug! The American Sub-group that has "great" healthcare is the 25th percentile which is paying a little bit lower than the average price in the US. In the two graphs for Nexium and Gleevec, the US is paying an average of $215 and $6,124 respectively. These two drugs are very expensive in the US when compared to other countries such as Switzerland or Spain who is paying not even 1/2 the price for the same drug. I believe this is happening because the US has different healthcare systems instead of a universal one that other countries offer. If the government offered a good healthcare system, then I believe these prices would stabilize and become affordable for everyone in the United States.
ReplyDeleteThe graphs within this article seize to amaze me. Every graph is not only off balance but shows that the United States is paying the most amount of money in comparison to the other countries for the exact same drug. The American sub-group that has the best healthcare is the twenty fifth percentile. They are paying an average of just a little bit lower than the average price in the United States. When I analyzed the two graphs for Nexium and Gleevec, I noticed that the United states is paying around four times more that it does in Switzerland. They spend the second most in health care expenses. For me I don’t understand as to why these drugs are more expensive in the United States when compared to the other countries. The other countries are paying not even half of the price that we are for the same drug. I believe that America’s healthcare system relies mostly on the private health insurance companies more than anyone else. We all hope that Obamacare will at least help us into a more stable route for health insurance. The people are going bankrupt for healthcare that might not even cover as much as it should. With government interference maybe the prices will start to line up compared to t he other countries.
ReplyDeleteUnsurprisingly so, Americans pay one of the highest costs in the world for medical services and prescription drugs that haven’t really proven to be of any higher quality than that of other nations. People in America aren’t healthier than most others and we don’t live much longer. There’s also the fact that about millions of people in America aren’t even insured. And that fact won’t really change for the first decade of Obamacare at least no matter how many politicians lie about it. I mean, the evident trend is that all Americans pay more for medical treatments in comparison to other countries, especially the Europeans. America takes the number one spot for highest price for a whole lot of medications, childbirths, surgeries, and hospital stays. And it’s not just that we get put on the top of the list. The gap between us and the second most expensive nation never proves to be a small one. And maybe it’s just me but I actually can’t find any mention of any one American sub-group that has great health care in this article. The U.S. pays much for the drugs Gleevec and Nexium, a drug for acid reflux relief. Nexium costs 215 dollars in the United States. This is 3.5 times more than in Switzerland where it has the second highest price and 10 times more than in the Netherlands. Gleevec also seems to cost about a third more in the U.S. than in Switzerland and it’s less than one sixth of the cost in New Zealand. This is oversimplifying the situation but it’s not hard to agree that America seems to be a little incompetent in allocating resources to everyone efficiently and getting a healthcare system together that many other developed countries have succeeded in establishing. In the meantime, we seem to be blowing money just trying to pull our crap together. But then again, half the politicians in the country seem to be jumping at the option of throwing money in the air if the other one is spending for the good of the public. Forgetting whatever else we’re doing wrong, one reason for the price disparity is that the other countries have a universal health care system, that sets prices for medicines, which we lack. So, even the people do have insurance pay more after being more for health insurance in the first place. Yay.
ReplyDeleteOn EVERY SINGLE GRAPH, without a doubt you'll find the United States with the highest bar, charging the highest amount from drugs to hospital stays. Honestly, Its kind of scary to me the fact that health care is so expensive, one day I'll have a family of my own and my parents to take care and I need to be able to afford healthcare. For the sake of myself and my future family. Say for example, god forbid, I get some sort of illness that requires continuous treatment, I want to be able to still live comfortably while paying for treatment. I do not want to live in a cardboard box because all of my income is going towards paying the hospital and treatment bills. The group that has the best health care out of all would be the bottom 25th percentile. Their costs and bulls seem to be substantially lower in most cases. In the graph of Nexium, it is evident that the United States charges almost 3.5 times more than other countries for a common drug used for acid reflux. Acid reflux is a common problem but however if it is not treated can become very dangerous to one's health, but with the drug it something can be easily controlled. The US is causing people to reach deep into their pockets for a simple fix to a common problem. As for Gleevec,it is commonly prescribed for cancer. Now we ALL know, the severity and popularity of cancer, these people NEED these drugs and they need them over long periods of time. I believe that the US has higher prices than other countries, because we have not implemented a universal healthcare system. Hopefully, Obamacare can bring forth some change.
ReplyDeleteAmericans fear trips to hospitals not because of big men in white coats, but the outrageous costs they know they'll have to pay the moment they are tended to. Medical treatment and prescription prices in the United States are far more expensive then anywhere else in the world. A recent set of data published by the International Federation of Health Plans, has illustrated the astounding differences in price of health care. In every graph, America is leading in average price of an array of medical treatments. The American sub-group that actually has good health care is the top 25 percentile of the population in terms of wealth. This is expected. The people with money will receive the better health care while the poor who can't afford expensive treatments have no choice but to suffer. The costs graphs of Nexium and Gleevec are the perfect examples of Americas outrageous costs. Where other countries in different regions of the world pay reasonable costs, the U.S. pays far more. I believe these high prices are caused by the lack of a universal health care system. Pharmaceutical companies can mark up prescription costs to insane amounts and get away with it due to lack of regulation. A simple bandage at a hospital, which costs almost nothing to make and no skill to apply, can become a major cost to someone due to such marked up prices and fees. A universal healthcare system would set standardized prices that are far lower than the current prices and allow citizens of all incomes to receive affordable treatment.
ReplyDeleteIn America, we pay some of the highest amounts for healthcare in the world, which is ludicrous.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article, "Nearly anyone holding or seeking public office in the United States" is the American sub-group with great health care.
The drug Nexium sells for 215 dollars a month in the United States, but compared to the other countries, it is much more costly. This drug is used to cure a more miniscule health issue, and should in no way be priced so highly. As regards to Gleevec, the same thing occurs. The United States charges the highest price for the medicine. Other countries have universal health care programs. These programs assist people in paying for medicines and making the medicines affordable for many.
What the United States needs is to get a universal healthcare system. Many people in the United States simply cannot afford a the extremely high prices of medicines and hospitalization costs. A universal health care system would allow a lot of people to afford to get medical assistance.
Anita Pizzirani (Pizza)
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In terms of healthcare the U.S. is doing very poorly. The American sub-group with the best healthcare is no one, the 25 percentile is paying close to the national average and the 95th percentile is paying ridiculously high amounts for surgeries that are half the price or less in another country. If I needed immediate treatment, I would rather be shipped off to Europe than pay for American medicine. Nexium costs a hell of a lot here, and less than half anywhere else. It's 10% the cost in the Netherlands. I'm going to need to start importing my prescriptions. The fact that an acid reflux disease medication is so expensive is insane. People can't afford to get what they need to survive in this country. That only means that we will have a weaker workforce and a worse economy in the long run. Keynes said we're all dead in the long run, and now I'm starting to think he was just criticizing our healthcare. Gleevec is even more absurd. I guess it's expensive, but it's exponentially more expensive in the US than it is anywhere else. What makes it worth so much more when we buy it here!? How do we let pharmaceutical companies get away with this!? Our costs are so much higher for absolutely no reason except that companies here think that it's okay to rob citizens who depend on a drug to live. These companies are worse than meth dealers. At least meth dealers only rob people once they've made the decision to do meth. The people robbed by these drug companies were born with an illness that requires an overpriced treatment. This is either going to shrink our workforce or cause a huge decrease in demand for American medication. Either way the economy could crash because of the drug industry alone. The narrow-visioned greed that these companies have is insane. How can people say that socialized healthcare is bad when countries that have it have more affordable medication and better quality of life. Our system is broken, and the only people who refuse to admit it are the people who are making a profit off of it. The only problem is the people who make a profit are the ones who get a voice. This issue is caused entirely by a flawed system, and it doesn't just happen in healthcare. Every sector of the American economy has been rigged to favor big corporations and rob consumers. The laws have been set up to let these companies do whatever they want under the guise of regulation, when in reality all it's doing is facilitating the lies they tell. The American system is broken, and we need to start socializing healthcare to the degree that France or the Netherlads do soon before it's too late.
ReplyDeleteAs it doesn't seem to be listed, I'm going to go ahead and safely assume that (you guessed it) the wealthiest, say, 25th percentile, has the greatest health care. Makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, with all that money, you've got to spend enormous amounts on something, right? The drugs Nexium and Gleevec are sold for ridiculously high prices here in 'Murica, especially in comparison to other countries. And of course, any American citizen would ask, "Why us? How come it's more expensive for us?" And the answer is simple: the pharmaceutical companies don't just view us as patients, they view us as consumers, anxious, needy consumers, who will pay "anything" to get the drugs they need to survive. And if the demand is high, then why not increase the price to make a profit? Basically what I'm saying is American healthcare is just a ploy to make money of the infected. Just another reason why 'Murica is the "greatest country on Earth."
ReplyDeleteLooking through the article, I could not find an American subgroup that had great healthcare. But if I had to guess, I would say the wealthy would have it the best even though they would still over paying. As for the drugs Nexium and Gleevec, the graph shows that Americans pay way more than people in other countries. This is probably because these countries have universal healthcare programs. We instead have Obamacare which is what we are hoping will fix our problems, but we are probably better off having universal healthcare systems like the other countries on these graphs.
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article, the The American Sub-group that has the best healthcare is located within the 25th percentile, which is paying a little bit lower than the average price in the US. After analysis of the provided graphs, one can see that the drugs Nexiun, as well as Gleevec, are significantly more expensive in the U.S. than in any other country in the world. The top 25th percentile is paying a little bit lower than the average price in the United States. When compared to other countries, the United States is paying around four times more that it does in Switzerland. In addition, the US spends the second most in health care expenses. The reasoning behind exponentially high pharmaceutical prices are directly caused by our flawed system, in which privatization and large corporations drive the price up through the roof. The American system is crippled and not getting any better. Socialization of health care is the most viably efficient method.
ReplyDeleteThe American sub-group that has great healthcare would be in the 25th percentile, where they are shown paying lower than the average price in the United States. This isn’t really surprising to me because of how the wealthy have lots of money and they are able to spend vast amounts of it on healthcare. The healthcare in the United States is much more costly when you compare it to other countries, like the Netherlands. It would probably just be better to import your medicine because it would be much cheaper than if you bought the same medicine in the United States. Gleevec and Nexium are much more expensive when you purchase them in the United States than if you buy them from outside of the country. The thing is though, these major corporations that sell us the medicine have no reasoning for why they have such enormous prices. They are basically robbing us just because they can. We are living in a flawed system where which needs to be fixed or we all will suffer in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI really don't have any new perspective to add to this blog. I pretty much just agree with Darren and I don't want you to keep reading the same thing over and over again. I would go to Israel to have the baby though because they pay you money to raise your child after birth. That is all. K bye.
ReplyDeleteThe article doesn't mention which American subgroup has the best healthcare. The graphs of the prescription drugs Nexium and Gleevec show bloated prices for Americans. Drug costs in the US are significantly larger than those in other countries such as the Netherlands. This is probably due to a number of reasons which includes deals between insurance companies and hospitals, pricey drug testing, and some Illuminati shit for good measure. Though people might think because we live in a more modern and advanced society, things ought to be cheaper. The Jetsons lied to us.
ReplyDeleteAmerica claims to have the best health care system in the world, with “higher-quality medicine” that promotes “healthier lives”. However, with such higher costs than any other country in the world, it leaves millions of U.S. citizens without health care coverage. In an effort to fix this problem, Obamacare was signed into law in 2011 that attempted to lower the costs of health care; however many issues are still associated with the law. Even a drug as common as Nexium, a remedy for acid reflux, costs Americans an amount that surpasses any other nation. It costs on average $215 dollars in the United States, which is nearly four times more than what Spain pays and nine times more than the Netherlands. A prescription more costly for almost all nations is Gleevec, a drug to treat some cancers. But even with this costly drug, the price for the U.S. exceeds all other countries. It costs on average $6,214, a price six times the cost for New Zealand and twice as much as England. I think the reason for this widening gap between the costs of other countries and the United States is how heavily we rely on private insurance rather than a universal one. The U.S. is unable to set prices through a universal health care program, causing Americans to pay high costs for something as small as a hospital visit.
ReplyDeleteThe American sub-group that has the best healthcare is the twenty fifth percentile. They are paying an average of just a little bit lower than the average price in the United States.The drugs Nexiun an Gleevec are significantly more expensive in the U.S. than any other country in the world. It's pretty plain and simple to see that the U.S. has the highest medical and prescription bills than most countries in so many categories. A prescription for Nexium in the USA costs approximately 3.5 times more than it does in Switzerland, which spends the second most in health care expenses. I believe these high prices are caused by the lack of a universal health care system. Pharmaceutical companies can mark up prescription costs to insane amounts and get away with it due to lack of regulation.
ReplyDeleteI have to say it is quite disappointing that Americans allow themselves to be played as they pay one of the highest costs in the world for medical services and prescription drugs that haven’t really proven to be of any higher quality than that of other nations. I too am guilty of believing that people in America are healthier and live years longer than citizens of most other countries. Honestly though, I shouldn’t actually be all that surprised given the fact that so many of us are uninsured.
ReplyDeleteObamacare is working to change that, but it will take several years just to make a dent in society. I mean, look at where America stands in relation to the second most expensive nation. I find it quite funny that America finally take number one in something…and it’s for the highest price of medications, childbirths, surgeries, and hospital stays.
Although nowhere in the article does it exactly say which American sub-group has great health care, based on the graphs provided, the sub-group seems to be that of the 25th percentile.
Also based on the graphs found within the article, we find evidence that proves the article’s point. The graphs for the medications prescribed for acid reflux relief, Gleevec and Nexium, simplify the whole point of the article, the notion that Americans are being utterly duped. In the US, Nexium costs $215, a price which is 3.5 times more than in Switzerland (where it has the second highest price) and 10 times more than in the Netherlands. Going off of the same information provided, Gleevec cost about 1/3 more in the U.S. than in Switzerland and less than one sixth of the cost in New Zealand.
So the question begs, why is America lacking the efficiency to create a decent health care system and properly allocation its funds and resources, as so many other developed countries have established successfully?
It seems to me that our health care system currently relies too heavily on the services of private health insurance companies, when it should be relying more so on government services. Although I am not the number one supporter of government interference, it seems to me that this is the only way to do so. I just hope we don’t end up going bankrupt from the incompetence of our oh so wonderful government. But just incase, I will try my hardest not to get sick for a while….
The latest data from the International Federation of Health Plans, an industry group representing health insurers from 28 countries including the United States, once again illustrates that American patients pay the highest prices in the world for a variety of prescription drugs and common procedures like childbirth and hospital stays. Prescription drugs are particularly expensive in the U.S. relative to elsewhere in large part because most other countries set prices for medicines through their universal health care programs, which the U.S. doesn't have. The US is a strong nation, and with the money we spend on everything else we should really put it to better use
ReplyDeleteAccording to the article, the The American Sub-group that has the best healthcare is the 25th percentile, which is paying a little less than the average price in the U.S. Followinf analysis of the provided graphs, one can see that the drugs Nexiun, as well as Gleevec, are significantly more expensive in the U.S. than in any other country in the world. The top 25th percentile is paying a little bit lower than the average price in the United States. When compared to other countries, the United States is paying around four times more that it does in Switzerland. In addition, the US spends the second most in health care expenses. The reasoning behind exponentially high pharmaceutical prices are directly caused by our flawed system, in which privatization and large corporations drive the price up through the roof. The American system is crippled and not getting any better. Socialization of health care is the most viably efficient method.
ReplyDelete