Huge expenditures on American health care - some lies according to Dr. Mercola

Live healthy and long

From Dr. Mercola Archives | March 2013 

Staggering amounts are being spent for US health care;  and the posts says that the US is actually a profit machine rather than a health care system. Some facts:

l.  If the US health care system were a country it would be the 6th country in the world;

2.  What was spent in Sandy clean up, $60 billion would be just the amount spent for US health care in one week;

3.  What was spent on knee and hip joint surgery would be just the total amount earned by Hollywood in one year.

4.  There are facts about hospital manager and administrators earning as much as $500,000 to l,000,000 a yearl.

5.  The Americans spend roughly 20% of the GDP on health care almost 2x of what other countries spend for health care.

6.  What is spent in US health care is the total amount spent by 10 countries:  Japan, UK, Germany, Spain, Australia, China, Italy, Canada and Brazil

7.  US spent $2.8 trillion on health care this year, it will spend $4.5 trillion in 2019

8.  The US ambulance industry earns as much as the Hollywood movie industry

9.  60% of bankruptcies in USA are due to medical bills.

 Despite these huge expenditures, did US make the cut for top 19 countries with high longevity?

Has this huge expenditures also decreased death rate in USA? 


Some procedures medications are unnecessary and risky:

A number of practices are deemed risky and unneccessary by other doctors and scientists:

1.  Hydroexyethyl (type of starch infusion) used in ICU may lead to kidney and heart failure;

2   EEG on patiensts with recurring head aches - simply increases costs.

3.  Once a year PAP smear (once @3 years is OK)

4.  Use of benzodiazipines as sleep aids increases risks of accidents:  auto, falls etc.

5.  Use of cough and cold medications for children under 4

Read more on unnecessary procedures from Dr. Mercola article

Can something be done for US health care?

This seems to be the trend also in PHL! It is so expensive to get sick in PHL.  A two days stay in a leading hospital can set you back by PHP 100,000.   A month in ICU would be millions.  So some would prefer just to die uncared for.

Can anything be done?

One is by wellness;   preventive medicine.