Just before I respond, I wanted to say the comment above is just a completely unnecessary and thoughtless generalization. For everyone else on the extreme right, please take note that this is what gives the left ammo for their (admittedly overused) charges that those on the extreme right are a few bricks short of a load. Black or white, indeed. A family member was recently in hospital a lot and the nurses and all the rest of the support staff were absolutely fantastic to us every step of the way. I'd like to see the member above do the job for a week. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ hap, since I know you live at least part of the year in Hawaii, is this text an article you found or did you compose this? ----------------------------------------------------------------------- dddooo's comments are a lot more detailed and very accurate. The system up here is like any other government system - fraught with problems. However, I don't hear the majority of people complaining about the basic level of health care (by this I mean routine needs like seeing a doctor about a cold or a broken bone for a kid or whatever). The problems come when you need more involved care. Yes, there are long waiting lists here. The system here is drifting towards a two-tier model. This will inevitably reduce the quality of care for poorer people. Also, it is to some extent about who you know. If you have the contacts you can get in faster. This is the same in every country on earth. Some provincial governments, recognizing that the wait times for crucial diagnostic imaging are unacceptable, have started to reimburse those who drive across the border to get it done. There have been legal challenges to this, but it's been happening. There is a shortage of doctors (and specialists in particular). It surprises me a little to hear that U.S. doctors are underpaid - I'd have to hear corroboration of that, considering the source. Because of the migration to urban centres, and the size of the country, there are a lot of smaller regional hospitals, serving widespread rural populations, that can't get specialists to stick around. They fly in for 1 day a week. I have heard that it's hard to get a family doctor here in Toronto. I have never heard of anyone being refused treatment because of the lifestyle choices they made in the past. Health care is like any other service industry - if the doctors and nurses get a good vibe off of you, they will try harder to help you. This is human nature. Bottom line, I have had a lot of people from the States tell me how much they admire the system up here. The cost and efficacy of health care in the States, taken as a whole, is testament to the problems involved in privatization.
Just one example of that would be when my brother broke his hip a few years ago. A nurse walked into my brother's room, handed him a felt marker and told him to draw a circle around the area where the surgeon was supposed to operate. My brother complied as he trusted his own surgical expertise more than the doctor or nurse. He was also in severe pain. Apparently the doctors and nurses were not intelligent enough to realize that anyone with a broken hip would be in pain. A patient sharing the room with my brother demanded that the doctor give my brother pain medication. Can't wait until all health care workers are government employees with the attitude of "you can't fire me, I work for the government."
Who ever suggested that? Hospitals, doctors, pharmaceutical companies, nurses, labs... will all remain private companies, only the distribution of health services will be managed by the government (aka single payer). Think Medicare - hospitals, doctors, nurses treating Medicare patients are not government employees, are they? Unfortunately I have to agree with the rest of your and AAA sentiment, the quality of care in this country is often sub-standard, the attitude of doctors and nurses is disgusting. The HMOs and Health insurance companies are parasites stealing 30-35% of health care dollars and trying hard to increase their share ripping off both doctors and patients in the process. But then we turn around and bash the Canadian Health Care system instead, don't we?
Why all this fuss about Canada's health care system? We are a TINY country with 32 million people or so. Why would you need our help or advice? Surely the USA being the 'greatest' country it the world has had enough time by now to develop the 'greatest' healthcare system in the world, no? Say it ain't so? If your country can consistently spend 1/2 of your tax dollars on weapons/wars and funding to Israel/Egypt/Saudi, SURELY they can take care of their citizens ?
My wife had to go to the Mayo Clinic several years ago. The waiting room was full of Canadians. That's all I need to know about the Canadian health care system.
You're such a tool. You cannot help but bring in Iraq to any conversation here. Try once in a while to rest your sphincter and discuss something else for a change without having to go apeshit about Iraq. You're the only one making a "fuss."
'welfare state' has an unpleasant ring to it, however, can the US said to be concerned healthcare wise about the welfare of its citizens ? run as an excessively expensive business, the US system has three major problems: 1: few can afford it 2: people are bankrupted by it 3: given 1 and 2, it thereby harms people Medical Services Plan fees in the Province of British Columbia, Canada " In B.C., premiums are payable for MSP coverage and are based on family size and income. The monthly rates are: $54 for one person $96 for a family of two $108 for a family of three or more " and see 'Premium Assistance' http://www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/msp/infoben/premium.html (http://www.bchealthconversation.ca/) US info: 'Health Insurance Cost': http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml 'Personal Bankruptcy': http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=1439 http://www.pnhp.org/news/2005/february/bankruptcy_study_hig.php
That clinic is a very very rich man clinic. you Are a very very rich man horseman. That clinic will offer the same exact treatment to people as any hospital or specialized clinic in Canada can. Rich people, what we call snow birds, can afford to jump the SHORT que in Canada. I am well off but I know for a fact that I will be screwed if anything serious happen to my family, god forbid, had I been living in the US. I rally do not know how you guys could live with such uncertainty n your lives. It is not about a welfare state. What you guys do not understand is that health care is a RIGHT! as much as education and other public services are. The problem with you is that throughout your history you were used and raised to only care about the three trinity..."Me, myself and I"
Yes, I was visiting a relative in a hospital, he was sent to another area for some tests, returned with a drip in one arm that was not noticed by the workers who hooked him up with another drip, then they moved him back into his room, put the oxygen thing on his face and never hooked up the other end of it. That was two medical mistakes in an hour of just casual observation..... I'm sort of becoming convinced that Health care should not be for-profit, whether it should be publically supported or not I think no.. we need not-for-profit health care and medical forced savings accounts that are invested, not passed through like Social Security...