What's wrong with healthcare and medicine costs today?

System Broke(n): Let's see...We spend more than any other country in the world per capita on healthcare (18% of gdp, twice that of japan), 50% of which is spent on only 5% of the population, our life expectancy is ~30th in the world, 40% of our population is un(der)insured, and the who lists us as the 37th best country for care, just behind costa rica! why? Only 5% of our healthcare $$ are spent on prevention.

No incentive to save: Healthcare in the us is a system of complex relationships between government, providers, industry, & insurers that historically has not contained costs well. Economic, legal, demographic & cultural pressures have long incentivized higher priced care; encouraging more tests, procedures, specialists, costly drugs & less preventative care & generic drugs; in an aging, increasingly morbid population.

Lots!: Do you want this answer alphabetically, chronologically or just as it comes to mind? -too many expensive and unnecessary procedures -rvu system penalizes docs for spending time and rewards proceduralists -pharmaceutical companies push expensive drugs on naive patients through the media -large amounts of money spent on often useless and unwanted end-of-life procedures -for profit insurance company.

Too high: Premiums keep rising, co-payments are going up at an unbelievable pace. I do not feel it is sustainable for most. It is interesting that with all the hikes in cost of the care the doctors rarely see any of the money. We are all making money for the insurance companies.

Agree w/others: Need an emr that every doc can access to avoid repetitive testing & procedures. Medical liability reform to stop tests/ procedures only ordered for fear of frivolous lawsuit. Too many expensive tests & procedures done w/o clear benefit. Absolutely agree with using more compassion at end of life.