2002-2003 preventable death rates

[mimartin]

I believe that medical treatment should be decided by the patient and his/her doctor.

LOL. Sure if someone is extremely rich medical treatment is between the patient and the Doctor, otherwise it is between them and the insurance company. No different that it would be with universal health care. Would you care to explain the health care data base going on NOW, where private insurance companies can view your private health care information? Or is that alright since these for profit, private companies are not the government?

 

How many are due to living in a rural area where ambulance response times are high?

I can’t see where rural area could play that big a role, when you consider #3 Australia and #4 Canada have extremely large rural areas too when compared to the other countries on the list.

 

If I were going to look at something outside of insurance coverage, I would look at obesity rates. That could also have something to do with people not being able to get insurance or being able to afford health insurance.

[Tommycat]

@mimartin: Well we have a lot of people that live in highly inaccessible areas. We have lots of people living in mountainous areas that may not necessarily be considered rural by population density, but still require OHV access, or hellicopter to get to. Not to mention lots of people who haul water to their homes. Sure the rural areas are vast in other countries, but population in those vast areas is relatively sparse.

 

I think you may actually be on to something with obesity too. We are a rather obese country according to another study which put us pretty far down the list as well. Combining that data with this data, and perhaps we notice the pattern of obesity leading to more deaths that could have been prevented...

 

I would really like to know where they get that data for "preventable deaths" as I think it is important for perspective. Is it because the health care was not available to them, or because of other factors which prevented them from getting health care in a timely manner. Keep in mind that American Males tend to be rather stubborn when it comes to getting checked. It took 2 major strokes to finally convince my dad to get to the hospital(very scary as he was riding his motorcycle the second time). And my mother is a nurse(aka it wasn't from a lack of being told to go to the hospital). Most people don't survive the first stroke(at least that's what the doctor told my dad), and it took the second to convince him. I'm certain there are more out there that just simply refuse to listen to the warnings. Perhaps the cultural differences is what pushes us farther down that ladder.

 

Just saying that Universal health care would answer it isn't correct. We have to change the mentality of the average American. Look how many men die of prostate cancer. That is an entirely preventable death if caught early enough. Men just don't get checked. They refuse to see the signs of a heart attack. They refuse to believe that it's not just another flare up of heartburn. Its just another headache. My arm fell asleep again. This dang cough is bad today. Man I'm winded. They don't pay attention to this pain, or that, as we have been told to "walk it off" for so long.

 

Some say living longer is best, but not me. I think the real question isn't how long you lived, but HOW you lived. I don't necessarily want to live a long time, and maybe that's part of the mentality that drives some of these preventable deaths as well. I think it is better to have a short full life than a long empty life(though admittedly they are not mutually exclusive). If a book was written about your life, would you read it?

[Point Man]

I think the FDA should be abolished...

One word: Thalidomide.

Besides, people scrutinize their medications, regardless of whether they're FDA approved or not

What country are you from? I know the patients my wife and I treat don't know what medications they are taking. * "I take a little white pill for my blood pressure." *

 

The courts also need to be streamlined in such a way that frivolous malpractice lawsuits don't end up before a jury of sheep...Therefore, I present a very simple twofold solution. First, the losing party should be forced to pay for ALL court costs, including the other attorney's fees.

So Joe Shmoe, a gas station attendant from Podunk and his second-rate attorney end up losing to Glaxow-Smith-Kline, and he has to pay for the hundred defense attorneys on GSK's team. That would prevent even valid suits from being filed.

Second, I think a malpractice court should be established to determine whether a case is worthy of proceding to a full-blown court battle. The jury in this preliminary court should be composed entirely of doctors, to avoid the pathos-driven arguments that tend to sway American juries.

That would really streamline the court system. Also, having a jury of only doctors would not only be impractical, but incredibly biased.

[Rev7]

Eh, I think the main reasons are the lifestyles of the people who die, due to what they eat, how much they eat, how lazy they are, and how much exercise they get. The second reason would probably be medical care, for the numerous reasons already listed.

 

-Rev

[Prime]

Go Canada!

 

I always find it fascinating reading American comments on health care...

[mimartin]

Go Canada!

 

I always find it fascinating reading American comments on health care...

Well my fellow Americans and I are glad to entertain our neighbors to the north. We know Canadians have so much time on their hands while they wait the 6 to 12 months to see their health care provider.

[Prime]

We know Canadians have so much time on their hands while they wait the 6 to 12 months to see their health care provider.

Hehe.

 

Actually, for most things the service is satisfactory to excellent. We have a family doctor, who we can schedule an appointment with at any time with no delay. One the main issues here is that there are not enough family doctors for everyone. The system is by no means perfect and it has problems, but it is nice not having to pay for hospitals and treatment, and for the majority of things the delays are not too bad.

 

My son was sick with the flu the other night and we ended up taking him to the children's hospital because he was throwing up for more than an 8 hour period. He got checked fairly quickly (~1/2 hour) and they kept him overnight for observation. There is no charge (apart from taxes) for that visit. Also, we have a provincial telephone number called telehealth where you can call and talk to a nurse any time of day. That is also free of charge. In addition, a nurse will come and visit your home about a week after you bring a newborn home from the hospital.

 

I'm not sure how all that compares to your system and what parts you would be on the hook for. All things being equal, I'd much prefer our system to yours, based on my current understanding.

[Achilles]

My son came down with pneumonia on New Year's Eve Day. We spent 8 hours in the ER (3 1/2 hours before we were brought back to see a doctor, approximately 20 minutes before the doctor actually saw us, and the rest of the time for diagnosis, x-rays, treatment, release, etc). The visit cost me $50 plus $20 at the pharmacy for his medication.

 

My medical insurance also offers a free telephone access to a nurse. To the best of my knowledge, no one gets home visits (if they do it doesn't happen where I live).

 

PS: don't forget that I also pay a little over $200 per month for my medical benefits (a very generous percentage of the actual cost is covered by my employer; this is just my out-of-pocket costs). This is the cost for the median health benefit package offered where I work. There are better packages which of course cost more money.

[Web Rider]

Also, having a jury of only doctors would not only be impractical, but incredibly biased.

 

And, insanely expensive. The 125 a week and room and board and meals or whatever it is court pays would just encourage doctors to sign up more patients for those jury times.

 

Unless it was forced, of course it'd still be expensive.

[El Sitherino]

He got checked fairly quickly (~1/2 hour)

... That's creepy good. I've gone into an ER banged up with a bones broken, cuts and blood, all that fun stuff. It took hours, almost 30 minutes before I even got forms one time, that I had to sign with my broken hand.

 

I dunno, you guys seem to have it pretty nice up there the more I hear about it. And it just makes me wonder even more why we don't at least have better times in hospitals for help.

[Point Man]

... That's creepy good. I've gone into an ER banged up with a bones broken, cuts and blood, all that fun stuff. It took hours, almost 30 minutes before I even got forms one time, that I had to sign with my broken hand.

 

I dunno, you guys seem to have it pretty nice up there the more I hear about it. And it just makes me wonder even more why we don't at least have better times in hospitals for help.

ER wait times are so high because it is insanely expensive to operate one. When a good portion of the patients coming through the ER are Medicaid patients, for which the hospital I work at gets a straight $152 per visit, a hospital just does not have the resources to staff and equip them adequately.

 

@Prime and Achilles: I hope your sons are doing better. I hope it won't offend you, Achilles, if I say I will be praying for him. Our son had pneumonia at a young age, and it was scary.

[Achilles]

@Prime and Achilles: I hope your sons are doing better. I hope it won't offend you, Achilles, if I say I will be praying for him. Our son had pneumonia at a young age, and it was scary.

Thank you for the well-wishes. Luckily, he was feeling better the next day (I guess a booster shot in each butt cheek and the lion's share of a z-pack will do that ).

[mimartin]

He got checked fairly quickly (~1/2 hour) and they kept him overnight for observation.

Oh Dear…I had no idea that Canadian health care was so barbaric. How will Canadian children ever build up their immunity to infectious diseases without being exposed to them in a 3 to 8 hour wait in an Emergency Room?

 

My stepfather had to go to the Emergency Room Thursday night. We contacted his Doctor first and the Doctor contacted the attending Physician before we arrived to inform her of my father’s condition (kidney cancer and was bleeding). My parents contacted me at 9:30 pm, I picked them up, and we arrived at the Emergency Room at 10:00 pm at 4:00 am they finally saw the Doctor (only after calling me back to go up there and offer some strong words to staff in order for them to fully understand the seriousness of the situation).

 

After claiming down and them getting him stable I was told the reason the Emergency Room was so busy because people come there for medical treatment for colds and the flu instead of a regular Doctors visit because of their lack of medical insurance. I was also told that to assure faster treatment call an ambulance next time. That advice sounds stupid because what happens if we call the ambulance and there is a real life or death situation.