Health Reform

Hey guys, just my two cents:

As someone who has lived under nationalized health care my whole life (Canada born and raised), I am pretty happy with my health care, I have lived in many cities and received care in many cities, and it has been pretty consistent for me. I have never had outrageous wait times. For example, when I have to go to a walk in clinic, the most I have ever waited 2hrs….and this is after 100’s of visits. I can get requisitions for blood work at the drop of a pin from a family physician, and get the blood drawn that day, and if my results are bad they call you to inform you to make an appointment usually within 2 days.

About the “free-clinics” in the states, which I went to a few times only really to pick my relatives after their shifts (who are physicians)… It seemed to me, that the free clinics are really only cater to: Druggies, pimps, prostitutes etc. And my own relatives have told me while working in those clinics (they do it 1-2 days a week) that almost 90% of their patients all need: Condoms, HIV tests, morning after pills, or some other STD test, and that’s pretty much it. What about the people who need to go with their families because: their children have coughs, or fever, or whatever? It is not an ideal place, so you probably won’t go.

Back to the billing: It gives me great pleasure knowing that I will never have to worry about paying. Many of my family members have needed serious operations and if we had been billed, we would probably still be paying them off. I’ll give you one example that always gets me. Years ago my uncle who is an ER doc in philly tried to save a gunshot victim who was in his early 20’s but could not. I am not sure of the specifics, but he ended up spending like 4 days in the ICU or something, and still died. Anyway, his wife was billed some $100,000 dollars. There was no way she could pay it, and she had 2 young children…. as if loosing her husband was not bad enough, now she had this HUGE financial burden on top of that.

In terms of MRI scans, and CT’s etc etc. there is one thing to remember. If your condition is really emergent, there is NO waiting, your getting help right there and then when you get to the ER (it has happened to us before). If your condition is elective, yes I will agree the wait time is much longer then in countries like the U.S . But I do have to say, that if it means that I have to walk around in pain that I can handle so that someone else who reallllly needs it can get help first, I will do it, and I have done it.

Finally, perhaps slightly off topic:

I have a lot family members who practice medicine in the U.S. From ER medicine, to cardiology to surgery. And they always tell me, that if you are wealthy or very very well insured, America is the BEST place where you can get treatment. They have also told me that for a Doc, there is nothing more depressing that having to refuse a patient because of HMO problems or insurance issues.

Anyway just my thoughts. Oh, and for the record, I hope I didn’t make it sound as if Canada is amazing in terms of health care….because there are a lot of things to work on no doubt.

Take care, Malcom.

Originally Posted by NateR

I don't believe that any world organization has the best interests of the United States in mind. These big worldwide government agencies only want control over every aspect of our lives. I'm more concerned that the freedoms and rights guaranteed to us under our Constitution are preserved.

Again, we became the most powerful nation in the world without nationalized health care, I see no reason whatsoever to believe that we suddenly need it now. It's all just paranoia and fear-mongering.

So.. you're literally saying they are lying about cancer rates and mortality rates to gain control over us?

i can see points on both sides on this one ... as a canadian, i have never had a problem with the hc system, but i have never really been sick .. i have had family members and friends that have been sick and have never heard the horror stories that you sometimes hear about national healthcare ... if you are sick, you are gonna get what you need fast, if you go into the emergency room with a cut hand or something you are gonna have to wait ... i cut my hand two weeks ago and was in the hospital at 11am and out with stitches in the hand by 2pm .. i didn't think it was that bad and there were people that came in after me that were treated before me, but they were more serious (kid got bit in the face by a dog and old dude was having chest pains) ... i don't know how that would have been handled in the US, but me being dealt with in three hours didn't seem too bad ...

[NateR]

Originally Posted by atomdanger

So.. you're literally saying they are lying about cancer rates and mortality rates to gain control over us?

No, I'm saying that they are "massaging" the numbers and manipulating the statistics to say exactly what they want them to say. I don't distrust all statistics, however I would never make a decision based solely on statistics. Simply because I know how easily they can be manipulated. It was a topic that I learned a lot about in both Sociology and Psychology while I was in college.

And, yes, I don't trust any International or World organization. Any government body that big and that powerful can't be anything but corrupt.

I also don't understand this notion that the US must be popular in the world, or the fantasy that we were ever well respected by the entire world at any point in the past. I've found anti-America posters from France dating as far back as 1950. Only five years after we saved their butts from the Nazis and they're back to hating us again. Trying to turn foreign policy into a popularity contest is just a losing battle. And trying to conform to other nations for the sole purpose of being popular is nonsense.

So, how we're perceived by the world because of our healthcare system is irrelevant. If these nations don't hate us for that, then they'll just find another reason to hate us.

[J.B.]

Originally Posted by NateR

So, how we're perceived by the world because of our healthcare system is irrelevant. If these nations don't hate us for that, then they'll just find another reason to hate us.

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

The truth goes back to what Ronald Reagan said about nationalized health care 50-plus years ago. It's one of the first ways a government tries to initiate socialism.

[Neezar]

Anyone who has ever dealt with Medicare or in most cases, military health care can tell you that government ran insurance isn't the best choice in most cases.

[Neezar]

Originally Posted by Tyburn

The Bad thing about the United States is that the Americans basically SELF-PERSCRIBE...and that is nigh on sinful. I've seen that you let your drugs company ADVERTIZE on TV. that is SO wrong.

NO, you can't self prescribe anything. You can certainly go to your doctor and request a certain medication if you think it may help you. However, your doctor must show just cause for writing that prescription. He could lose his license if he doesn't have good reason. And I doubt a doctor would wager those odds just because you want to try something for shytes and giggles.

Not to mention, look at how many patients a doctor sees in one day. How much time to you think he spends on your particular case? No one knows more about your affliction than yourself. What is wrong with educating people personally and allowing them to have a hand in the decisions about their own healthcare?

[TexasRN]

I tell my doc what I want and at what dose. He tells me if he agrees. The last time I saw him, he wanted to put me on a different dose and he went to the webpage telling me why right there in the exam room. I agreed with him after that and he wrote me for what we talked about. It's all good. We have a great doc/pt relationship. It saves him time for me to come prepared with my list. He doesn't have to try to figure it all out himself. Plus, he only sees me once a year anyway.


~Amy

My friend's dad is Greece and was in favor of Nationalized Health Care....until his father got cancer and they refused treatment for him. My grandfather, born and raised in the US, who was diagnosed at the same age, was given full treatment and is living a full healthy life now.

I think Health Care needs to be reformed, but that doesn't mean I support the Socialization of it. I'd prefer a completely Private system, where you have your own Private account, and you own it. Not your job or the government. You put into it, and can choose the healthcare you want.

Free Market seems to do everything better (see Education. Public Schools, though nothing wrong with them, don't come close to competing with Private Schools).

Originally Posted by atomdanger

Every county has a free clinic? You're wrong.

Not only that, but most free clinics only see a certain amount of people a day,
AND they do not do any emergency treatment, they will send you to the ER.

and no, WE will be paying it. Also, other countries spend LESS on healthcare than we do already.
So the myth than universal healthcare is more expensive is a complete joke.

oh, and why do you keep missing the part that LESS people are dying from things in other countries than they are here.
So the wait for the MRI isn't going to kill you, its ok. They have better mortality rates, look at the NUMBERS.

Do you see the hypocrisy in this statement? I thought your argument was that Nationalized Healthcare would not lead to less treatment of individuals, yet your saying these free clinics, run by the government, only see a certain amount of patients a day. Care to clarify?