This article failed to even mention the real reason for the over prescribing of so many tests. This is done to protect the physicians from lawsuits. Until meaningful tort reform is passed there will be no reductions in the number of tests ordered.

Posted by: Kajon

February 22, 2013 at 12:08 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

This article includes episiotomies and heart-burn surgery:
http://articles.cnn.com/2007-07-27/he...

Posted by: Coralie

February 22, 2013 at 1:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Insurers demand several tests, including Medicare. With out a sufficient number of tests they can't determine what is payable and what isn't. Also, insurers and Medicare will pay for additional tests whether truly needed or not.
Private insurers use tests to deny coverage, a favorable practice.

Posted by: cdawg

February 22, 2013 at 4:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

As this new article in TIME points out, Americans are being shagged, and shagged hard in the category of healthcare.

"Bitter Pill: Why Medical Bills Are Killing Us"

http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/20...

Excerpt:

"Taken as a whole, these powerful institutions and the bills they churn out dominate the nation’s economy and put demands on taxpayers to a degree unequaled anywhere else on earth. In the U.S., people spend almost 20% of the gross domestic product on health care, compared with about half that in most developed countries. Yet in every measurable way, the results our health care system produces are no better and often worse than the outcomes in those countries.

According to one of a series of exhaustive studies done by the McKinsey & Co. consulting firm, we spend more on health care than the next 10 biggest spenders combined: Japan, Germany, France, China, the U.K., Italy, Canada, Brazil, Spain and Australia. We may be shocked at the $60 billion price tag for cleaning up after Hurricane Sandy. We spent almost that much last week on health care. We spend more every year on artificial knees and hips than what Hollywood collects at the box office. We spend two or three times that much on durable medical devices like canes and wheelchairs, in part because a heavily lobbied Congress forces Medicare to pay 25% to 75% more for this equipment than it would cost at Walmart."

And what does this wasting a couple trillion a year get us?

"New Health Rankings: Of 17 Nations, U.S. Is Dead Last"

"Among the most striking of the report's findings... the U.S. has:

The highest rate of death by violence, by a stunning margin
The highest rate of death by car accident, also dramatically so
The highest chance that a child will die before age 5
The second-highest rate of death by coronary heart disease
The second-highest rate of death by lung disease
The highest teen pregnancy rate
The highest rate of women dying due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth

"of... a host of factors: More than other countries, our health care system is fragmented, unaffordable for many people, and short on primary care. Of the countries studied, we have the highest rate of children living in poverty."
--The Atlantic, http://tinyurl.com/a3brvgp

And while the know nothings go around blathering the FOX box talking points about "socialism" and "Free markets!" (exactly what gave us this bloated mess), we find the far right Heritage Foundation:

"Ranks Countries With Government-Run Health Care As The Freest In World" http://tinyurl.com/bfpz2jp

No peer countries indeed.

Posted by: fayfreethinker

February 22, 2013 at 7:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )