The Off Topic Topic

[Malthus]

I find it interesting that Russians spend so much on food. Makes Putin's recent food destruction campaign even more ridiculous.

Conversely in the USA, on the face of it in low spending on super cheap foods in part appears to lead to very high healthcare costs?

It's household costs - I don't think it tracks total actual healthcare costs. Other countries may spend as much, but paid for out of tax revenue via social insurance. You cannot tell from these charts.

[That being said, I do believe Americans *do* pay more for healthcare - but I think that may be a product of inefficiancies in the system).

[Valmy]

What did you get checked out for?

Annual checkup here is free.

I was under a ton of stress and was feeling weird feelings in my chest so I went to make sure I was not having heart problems. They did a few tests and then said 'everything looks cool' and I was like 'ok great thanks'. I generally think fucking around with chest pain is a bad idea.

It was done in less than an hour. Maybe 45 minutes.

Then I got a bill for one test, $1,500.00. My insurance covered $500.00 so yeah! Only needed to pay $1,000.00. Then I got the bill for the office visit as well

Holy shit I better not have any other weird feelings in my body again.

I need to do my annual checkup soon, it is actually past due. But those generally aren't too bad.

[Malthus]

What did you get checked out for?

Annual checkup here is free.

I was under a ton of stress and was feeling weird feelings in my chest so I went to make sure I was not having heart problems. They did a few tests and then said 'everything looks cool' and I was like 'ok great thanks'. I generally think fucking around with chest pain is a bad idea.

It was done in less than an hour. Maybe 45 minutes.

Then I got a bill for one test, $1,500.00. My insurance covered $500.00 so yeah! Only needed to pay $1,000.00. Then I got the bill for the office visit as well

Holy shit I better not have any other weird feelings in my body again.

This is a major problem with the system - those "useless" visits may prevent a much more serious condition developing. Because they are expensive, people are less likely to make them. But if they don't, they are more likely to end up in Emergency, which costs the system big bucks even if the individual doesn't pay for it.

[garbon]

What did you get checked out for?

Annual checkup here is free.

I was under a ton of stress and was feeling weird feelings in my chest so I went to make sure I was not having heart problems. They did a few tests and then said 'everything looks cool' and I was like 'ok great thanks'. I generally think fucking around with chest pain is a bad idea.

It was done in less than an hour. Maybe 45 minutes.

Then I got a bill for one test, $1,500.00. My insurance covered $500.00 so yeah! Only needed to pay $1,000.00. Then I got the bill for the office visit as well

Holy shit I better not have any other weird feelings in my body again.

This is a major problem with the system - those "useless" visits may prevent a much more serious condition developing. Because they are expensive, people are less likely to make them. But if they don't, they are more likely to end up in Emergency, which costs the system big bucks even if the individual doesn't pay for it.

On the flipside, my first experiences with socialized medicine don't have me buzzing. Oh you would like to see your GP, dear? Come back in 3 weeks.

[mongers]

You missed out this part of my question:

in part

I cannot answer the question then because I do not know what 'in part' means. How big of a part?

Bad day at the office?

[Malthus]

What did you get checked out for?

Annual checkup here is free.

I was under a ton of stress and was feeling weird feelings in my chest so I went to make sure I was not having heart problems. They did a few tests and then said 'everything looks cool' and I was like 'ok great thanks'. I generally think fucking around with chest pain is a bad idea.

It was done in less than an hour. Maybe 45 minutes.

Then I got a bill for one test, $1,500.00. My insurance covered $500.00 so yeah! Only needed to pay $1,000.00. Then I got the bill for the office visit as well

Holy shit I better not have any other weird feelings in my body again.

This is a major problem with the system - those "useless" visits may prevent a much more serious condition developing. Because they are expensive, people are less likely to make them. But if they don't, they are more likely to end up in Emergency, which costs the system big bucks even if the individual doesn't pay for it.

On the flipside, my first experiences with socialized medicine don't have me buzzing. Oh you would like to see your GP, dear? Come back in 3 weeks.

Depends on the system. Here, seeing your specific GP may take making an appointment in advance, and a specialist a lot longer, but there are lots of "walk-in" clinics - good for relatively minor or straightforward complaints. There is one in the basement of the building I work in, I tend to go there - wait time tends to be around an hour, in and out.

[Ideologue]

What did you get checked out for?

Annual checkup here is free.

I was under a ton of stress and was feeling weird feelings in my chest so I went to make sure I was not having heart problems. They did a few tests and then said 'everything looks cool' and I was like 'ok great thanks'. I generally think fucking around with chest pain is a bad idea.

It was done in less than an hour. Maybe 45 minutes.

Then I got a bill for one test, $1,500.00. My insurance covered $500.00 so yeah! Only needed to pay $1,000.00. Then I got the bill for the office visit as well

Holy shit I better not have any other weird feelings in my body again.

This is a major problem with the system - those "useless" visits may prevent a much more serious condition developing. Because they are expensive, people are less likely to make them. But if they don't, they are more likely to end up in Emergency, which costs the system big bucks even if the individual doesn't pay for it.

On the flipside, my first experiences with socialized medicine don't have me buzzing. Oh you would like to see your GP, dear? Come back in 3 weeks.

Boo hoo.

[mongers]

What did you get checked out for?

Annual checkup here is free.

I was under a ton of stress and was feeling weird feelings in my chest so I went to make sure I was not having heart problems. They did a few tests and then said 'everything looks cool' and I was like 'ok great thanks'. I generally think fucking around with chest pain is a bad idea.

It was done in less than an hour. Maybe 45 minutes.

Then I got a bill for one test, $1,500.00. My insurance covered $500.00 so yeah! Only needed to pay $1,000.00. Then I got the bill for the office visit as well

Holy shit I better not have any other weird feelings in my body again.

This is a major problem with the system - those "useless" visits may prevent a much more serious condition developing. Because they are expensive, people are less likely to make them. But if they don't, they are more likely to end up in Emergency, which costs the system big bucks even if the individual doesn't pay for it.

On the flipside, my first experiences with socialized medicine don't have me buzzing. Oh you would like to see your GP, dear? Come back in 3 weeks.

From my very limited experience of the system, but years of listening to and dealing with friends, family and others, I'd say in part (Valmy that expression again) the problem is because there's no system to stop people going to the GP for the most trivial of things or often nothing at all. 

There actually small numbers of people who take up a vastly disproportionate amount of GP time. And the situation is as bad with some A&E units where some people are seen multiple times a year, sometimes two or three times a week. These might be people with drink or drug issues, or people who're just lonely and get 'addicted' to the caring attention.

[garbon]

Depends on the system. Here, seeing your specific GP may take making an appointment in advance, and a specialist a lot longer, but there are lots of "walk-in" clinics - good for relatively minor or straightforward complaints. There is one in the basement of the building I work in, I tend to go there - wait time tends to be around an hour, in and out.

Well yes, I could take off work in the morning to go and try and get in on a first come, first serve basis.

[Malthus]

Depends on the system. Here, seeing your specific GP may take making an appointment in advance, and a specialist a lot longer, but there are lots of "walk-in" clinics - good for relatively minor or straightforward complaints. There is one in the basement of the building I work in, I tend to go there - wait time tends to be around an hour, in and out.

Well yes, I could take off work in the morning to go and try and get in on a first come, first serve basis.

"Walk-in" clinics aren't the same thing as attempting to see your GP on a first come first served basis - they are places that specialize in a "no appointments" model.

It's a specialized sort of service that has sprung up in Ontario (I assume it exists elsewhere too) because of complaints that trying to see one's own family GP is too time consuming or delayed for minor complaints that require rapid response (example - getting a bronchial infection). The idea is that this takes the load off family GPs, allowing them to take care of more significant, long-term care issues. 

It's pretty handy. 

[garbon]

Oh, those exist in the US too "urgent care"

[Malthus]

Oh, those exist in the US too "urgent care"

Yup, looks like the same thing. Though "urgent care" makes it sound like what you got is horribly serious. 

[Admiral Yi]

It's household costs - I don't think it tracks total actual healthcare costs. Other countries may spend as much, but paid for out of tax revenue via social insurance. You cannot tell from these charts.

[That being said, I do believe Americans *do* pay more for healthcare - but I think that may be a product of inefficiancies in the system).

Public spending could theoretically be included in household expenditure.  After all, the tax bill is part of expenditure and doesn't seem to be included separately in the chart.

I seriously doubt any country spends as much as the US, either in absolute terms or proportionally.

[The Brain]

What did you get checked out for?

Annual checkup here is free.

I was under a ton of stress and was feeling weird feelings in my chest so I went to make sure I was not having heart problems. They did a few tests and then said 'everything looks cool' and I was like 'ok great thanks'. I generally think fucking around with chest pain is a bad idea.

It was done in less than an hour. Maybe 45 minutes.

Then I got a bill for one test, $1,500.00. My insurance covered $500.00 so yeah! Only needed to pay $1,000.00. Then I got the bill for the office visit as well

Holy shit I better not have any other weird feelings in my body again.

This is a major problem with the system - those "useless" visits may prevent a much more serious condition developing. Because they are expensive, people are less likely to make them. But if they don't, they are more likely to end up in Emergency, which costs the system big bucks even if the individual doesn't pay for it.

On the flipside, my first experiences with socialized medicine don't have me buzzing. Oh you would like to see your GP, dear? Come back in 3 weeks.

Depends on the system. Here, seeing your specific GP may take making an appointment in advance, and a specialist a lot longer, but there are lots of "walk-in" clinics - good for relatively minor or straightforward complaints. There is one in the basement of the building I work in, I tend to go there - wait time tends to be around an hour, in and out.

Surely a person of your means don't have to go to some basement clinic? Some flunked out dentist with rusty implements disinfected in the drink in his other hand? No thanks!

[Valmy]

Bad day at the office?

No. I think the problems are structural. I did not like what you were implying at all. And I can not even disprove you because you made your claim so vague that a conversation could not even be had.