Things It Does Well
- Make money for insurance companies and pharmaceuticals.
- Conduct cutting edge lab research – which also feeds capital investments in private companies.
- Perform cutting edge surgeries.
- Give patients who can afford it a freedom of choice between doctors and available treatments.
Things It Does Not Do Well
- Give optimal care for patients including reduced wait times for procedures and routine visits.
- Give doctors and patients more incentives for preventative care.
- Give equal access to care and treatment due to high costs of insurance, medical billing, drugs, labs, and doctor fees.
- Treat pre-existing conditions especially when one is forced to switch insurance providers.
- Force practitioners to wade through loads of paperwork and forms dealing with insurance companies resistant to certain treatments and tests.
There are obviously more items that one can list in both cases. But the evidence would seem to suggest that the current U.S. healthcare system largely initiated during the Nixon administration serves profit bearing corporations much better than the average patient who needs treatments and care. In other words, the more money you put in, the better care you get – sometimes. It's all about what you can afford here. The rich can stay healthy, the not so rich have to deal with cost cutting measures that are prohibitive to optimal care.
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