Tim Worstall

Breast Cancer Waiting Times

Just a short note to those pondering changes in the US health care system.

Breast cancer support groups have repeatedly pointed out that the
emphasis on two-week waits for urgent cases has meant longer waiting
times for other women, and the small number of men who are also
diagnosed. Non-urgent patients in the Bristol study waited 30 days but
in other areas the wait is up to 17 weeks.

The NHSW is indeed cheaper financially than your current system: but I’m interested to find out. Would you regard a four month wait to check out a diagnosis of breast cancer as being an acceptable part of any proposed system in the US?

If not, you’ll find, I think, that whatever system you do end up with won’t actually be as cheap as the NHS.

In

2 responses

  1. dsquared Avatar
    dsquared

    I think nearly all proposals for reforming US healthcare assume an unchanged proportion of GDP (and of course US GDP per capita is much bigger than UK) but universal coverage. The idea that there is anyone in the US campaigning for a national health system on the assumption that it would allow them to halve spending looks like a bit of a strawman to me.
    Tim adds: You’ve not been reading them then.

    Reply
  2. Bob B Avatar
    Bob B

    Why the persistent comparisons between the NHS with healthcare in America?
    It’s not just the WHO study from a few years back which rated France as having the best healthcare system. Last December, a Swedish think-tank published its findings:
    “The Euro Health Consumer Index 2006 identifies the most consumer-friendly health care system in the European union, as rated by 27 Index indicators. The 2006 Index includes all the 25 EU public healthcare systems plus Switzerland for reference.
    “France emerges as the 2006 winner of the Euro Health Consumer Index, ‘with a technically efficient and generously providing healthcare system’. France scores 576 out of 750 maximum points. 2005 years winner, the Netherlands, now takes the silver position, followed by Germany. Estonia and Slovakia gets the highest ranking in the category ‘value for money’.”
    http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_10006355.shtml
    For details of country marking in the index:
    http://www.healthpowerhouse.com/media/EHCI2006.pdf
    “The NHS has some of the finest cancer specialists in the world, and new techniques and treatments mean that survival rates are steadily improving. And yet France does even better, with the best survival rates in Europe. So what are the differences between cancer care in the UK and France? In part its down to speed of treatment.”
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6660665.stm

    Reply

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