The cost of health care is at an all time high and with the economy, many Americans are not only un-employed, but uninsured. I myself have experienced being un-insured and admitted to the hospital for a life threatening condition. Preceding my admission to the hospital I had to rely on the Emergency Department for care, because a Physician will not see you in his office unless you pay up-front. What makes health care so expensive in the Unites States compared to other countries? There are many reasons for the excessive costs such as unnecessary surgeries, another possible reason is Physicians use too many expensive and unnecessary tests to help diagnose and lastly, some Physicians focus more on making money than their patient’s health.
During my hospital visit my kidneys were failing and a Kidney Specialists was assigned to see me. He came in my room three consecutive days and spent less than five minutes in my room. He did two things in those five minutes: first he told me he didn’t know what was wrong with me, that my case was very complex, secondly he listened to my lungs. He didn’t write any orders. Luckily at the time, I worked for a company and reviewed charts for Medicare clients to ensure Physicians were not committing fraud. I received my bill in the mail for over $5000 as the Physician billed for three high level visits. Being a self pay patient and having the knowledge I did, thankfully I knew he did not perform three high level visits. Once I called the office, it took several weeks for them to get back to me and they apologized over and over and my bill came to less than $500. Fraud is another reason healthcare costs are so high. The United States Government should implement something to reduce the cost of health care and improve the quality of the care we receive. Doctors could help reduce the cost of health care by eliminating unnecessary surgeries, by using logic to do a diagnosis, and by putting their patient’s health above money making....