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PeakTrader said...

Health care in the United States

"Health care is the most heavily regulated industry in the United States."

Rather choosing a Rolls Royce or nothing (the overregulated system), or a Ford Pinto (universal health care), allow them to choose something much better than a Pinto at a much lower price than a Rolls.

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PeakTrader said...

U.S. health care with over 130,000 pages of government regulations helps explain the following:

"More money per person is spent on health care in the USA than in any other nation in the world."

Brain drain to brain waste:

'Brain Waste' Thwarts Immigrants' Career Dreams
03/26/11

After finishing medical school in Bogota, Colombia, Maria Anjelica Montenegro did it all – obstetrics, pediatrics, emergency medicine, even surgery. By her estimate, she worked with thousands of patients.

None of that prepared her for the jobs she's had since she moved to the United States: Sales clerk. Babysitter. Medical assistant.

That last one definitely rubbed raw at times.

"I know I was working in my field," the 34-year-old New York resident said. "But that is medical assistant. I'm a doctor."

There's a series of exams, the first of which cost $1,000 alone, Montenegro said. She also has to complete a residency, a requirement for all graduates of American medical schools. There are a limited number of residency slots overall which makes it a very competitive process for everyone, but even more so for foreign medical school graduates.

Montenegro has one more exam to pass before she can apply for a residency, a process that will take at least a year or two. There's no guarantee that she'll be accepted for a residency; At times, she fears she may never work as a doctor here.

"So many times I want to get my things and my passport and go back to my country," Montenegro said. Over the years, she heard stories about the lifestyles her doctor friends in Colombia were able to afford as she worked at various low-wage jobs.

While Montenegro agrees that her credentials and her ability to provide good health care should be vetted before she's allowed to work in this country, she thinks having to train as a general practitioner all over again when she already has experience is a waste – especially for the U.S., she said, because she speaks fluent Spanish and could be an asset in any Spanish-speaking community in need of a doctor.

"I'm ready to do that and help people," she said.