Image Source
After watching "The Cure that Works -- How to have the World's Best Healthcare -- as a Quarter of the Price" I have gained a new appreciation for Singapore by far. The fact that they have an annual GDP that is 13% lower than the United State however are more effective at providing affordable health services that are also high in success. The fact that they are sometimes viewed as a lower-class country however have higher life expectancies and lower infant mortality rates than their surrounding countries but also better than the United States. This shows that while we as Americans love to view our systems as successful and more prosperous than other areas, we are actually below average in comparison to countries we look down upon. It was also interesting to see that our healthcare system not only harms those in need of these services but also harms practitioners because of the rigid rules and requirements that limit their time with each patient but increase the number of patients they are required to see. This leads to a backward unsympathetic and even heartless system that does to humanely look at each individual patient as a separate case considering their financial situation but instead lumps all people into one case and bills a flat rate. This leads to doctors charging higher prices to the insurance companies in order to make their own living since they are also being charged exuberant amounts also. Meaning that those that are already dealing with physical, emotional, and mental damage now have additional stress because of their financial situation. I never realized that we are the only country in the world that uses a 3rd party system to pay between practitioner and patient. Why is a country as advanced as are do we feel that a system that removes a deep connection between a provider and the injured would even be successful is beyond me. This leads to the idea that insurance is no longer beneficial for the sake of protecting the people but instead focuses solely on ensuring that they are financially benefiting at every instance they can. I was also to hear that veterans are not supported and taken care of well at the Veteran Affairs hospital. We are a country that has been supported and built on the backs of people dying to protect our freedom. We as a country should focus heavily on ensuring veterans are taken care of as they take care of the United States. This talk has really enlightened me on the fact that while we are a successful country in the way of researching medical topics, we in no way are a country to look at when it comes to caring for our people's health in anyway because we are clearly not successful in that way at all.
