Kraeftluder t1_iths0rj wrote on October 23, 2022 at 7:14 PM

Reply to comment by Iorith in The cutting-edge cellular therapies aiming to ease America's organ shortage. Major transplantation surgeries could one day become outpatient procedures. by Sariel007

In most western countries treatments expensive as that are not uncommon, and equally free to their inhabitants. At least in the UK, The Netherlands, Belgium. In The Netherlands one of the most expensive treatments is one which costs 2.4 million, but it completely cures a formerly 100% deadly degenerative nerve or muscular disease.

Besides, I've got a feeling that that 500k for one pill would still be cheaper for society as a whole than someone who regularly fall ill because of symptoms that accompany organ failure, desperately waiting for a transplant, and then of course hoping for it not to be rejected, which is still a sizeable risk these days for a 'resource' this scarce.

That woman was feeling like a teenager in that clip, no other recovery necessary. Straight back to being a member of society. Yes, more of this black magic technology please.

towngrizzlytown t1_ithzzus wrote on October 23, 2022 at 8:04 PM

It's also interesting to me how diverse universal healthcare systems can be. For example, the UK approach has government-operated healthcare providers, while the Netherlands has universal coverage through private health insurance.

Anyone interested in reading about different country profiles can do so here: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries

YaAbsolyutnoNikto t1_itk1h4m wrote on October 24, 2022 at 5:34 AM

Yes, every country does it a slightly different way. Which is great because, winning systems (be them political systems, economic systems, etc.) tend to converge over time to the most successful one.

So, in a few decades, we might know if the German system (health insurance) is superior to the French one (government services), or vice versa.

Kraeftluder t1_itkdlwt wrote on October 24, 2022 at 8:22 AM

I'm going to say something which is very much not controversial in the UK but relatively controversial in NL and the US: Systems that are closer to the NHS work better than systems like the Dutch one which is closer to the US system. So the French system is better by design than the German one. The German one resembles the former Dutch system if I'm not mistaken.

There is absolutely no need pumping around billions of public money in private companies' administrative systems and compete over a few tens of thousands of clients they can't refuse to insure anyway.

YaAbsolyutnoNikto t1_itke5va wrote on October 24, 2022 at 8:30 AM

I agree. My country (Portugal) also uses a system like the one on the UK or France.