Prior to his election, President Barack Obama spoke about the money being spent on paperwork and other administrative costs attached to medical care, hundreds of billions of dollars which he said could be redirected to the care itself.
Those savings are already being realized in Canada, where basic health care is universal and, in most parts of that country, free — and where remarkably little paperwork is involved.
Each hospital in Canada gets a global budget, a set amount which is all they have to spend for the year. They don’t price things like bandages, drugs or even overnight stays individually. The cost for these things and for doctor service is negotiated in advance.
Worldfocus special correspondent Edie Magnus, producer Rebecca Haggerty and shooter Megan Thompson report from Montreal.
View an extended half-hour interview with economist Uwe Reinhardt: How the U.S. measures up to Canada’s health care system.
02/10/2010 :: 03:31:46 AM
On Health Care, Vegas-Style, Or, Figure It Out In The Ambulance, Chump « advice from a fake consultant Says:
[...] front door and through the billing process with far fewer administrators, far less hassle, and at far lower cost than the system we have here—and that was the big attraction of a “near single-payer” [...]