Healthcare o.o

do I dare post? well just food for thought...



discuss

Socialist medicine is probably relatable to socialism in terms of quality. Not going to be any better for the poor people that already have health care, but at least the ones that don't have a chance.

Well, first of all, you bring up a good topic. Second of all, that person shouldn't take a random person on Maple's advise to heart. He should actually read on it on a good website or perhaps a Canadian newspaper or something.

I live in Canada, and I got to say, it's not the end all life scenario some Americans/American media would make you believe it is. It's not hard to understand, if I have to go to a doctor up here, waiting time is dependent on A)what kind of doctor I have to see, B)how large of center I'm in, and C)How many doctors are available. I can normally get into my family doctor here within a week's time, but others have trouble even doing that, but that's for a later point. If I had to go see a specialist, normally there's a small waiting list depending on what specialist I must see AKA:

1)If I have to see a brain neurologist, normally there's a fairly long wait.
2)If I have to see a dermatologist, there's about 2 weeks wait.

The main problem they'd like to make you believe is that our waiting lists are uberly long and we don't supply for everyone/get them treatment in time. Sometimes that is the case. Our main symptom here lies in the lack of physicians and nurses we have, their stupid scheduling, and their unions which have a strike about every 6 months to a year. Not only that, we have an aging population, and of the doctors we do have, they're far older than should be allowed and our only fast solution is immigration. So it's complex.

Our government should do more about it. Hire more doctors. Give medical students scholarships. Train more nurses any way they can. From all the cuts healthcare has taken here over the years, yes, I'm surprised it even works anymore. But yet our government here has no problem giving immigrants 50 grand to come here to train/school. If I had 50 grand to go to medical school, which would only last about a year and a half of the cost of the full 6 years, then -maybe- I would think about it.

So to most it works, to some it doesn't, and to a few, they don't care because they're going to die anyways. If I have 70 grand in my pocket to get a tumor out of me, well, I'll grab me a ticket to the US and get it out of me. But still, it's $70,000 dollars. I could just give that to my kids to go to college and the list goes on and on. America's system is dependent on people's own greed and fear of death and it doesn't go far enough to supply to those who actually need the healthcare. That's why I'd rather have my system any day, no matter how broken it gets.

I have always found the American system really puzzling. For one, it is the only first world country that does not have a health care system. For another, it spends easily the most amount of money on health care than any other country, and is probably one of the least efficient. Considering how much money is being pumped into health care in the states, you would think that you'd be able to provide all of your citizens with adequate health care.

If you can afford it, it provides fantastic service, and probably overdoes it too. Really, you don't need to have every test available done on you. That kind of practice is inefficient and unnecessary, generally leading to stress over small differences in lab numbers that don't really translate into a real manifestation of disease. I can't say that I've read too deeply into how the health care system functions, but based on what practicing doctors have said, I'm pretty sure I am much happier here in Canada. (besides less fear of lawsuits is much better to allow doctors to practice medicine well )

Waitlists are long here, yes. And there is also a doctor shortage (thank you Canadian government for cuts to medical school enrollment back in the 1990s), but I think in recent years class sizes have been expanding every year (if only a little). Zalfor, you mention that tuition might be a deterrent, but I really doubt it based on what I've seen in numbers of applicants every year. Besides, once you get in, banks will be tripping over each other to loan you money. And tuition on average here is far cheaper than American schools =D

Here in Brazil we do have a public healthcare system and the possibility for looking for private treatment. The public health is very good, the ammount of time you have to wait is dependant on how serious is your case. You won't get a time to see a doctor about a normal winter flu, but if you need medicine for AIDS or traumatology treatment (broken bones, etc), for example, you would recieve the treatment immediately.

So yeah, a public healthcare system works if well handled. I also think that you should be able to search for private treatment within your country as well (solution of compromise).

The problem with health care (or so Obama says) is not that people don't want it, it is just that its too expensive. Why not just subsidize health insurance? We subsidize gas, we subsidize some foods, why not healthcare? You'll still get the same quality insurance you've been getting but at a cheaper price, kind of. The money for the subsidization has to come somewhere, but that'll be mostly from the top 5%'s tax increase. I mean, thats where they're going to get the money for the "public health care", so whats the difference?

The problem with health care (or so Obama says) is not that people don't want it, it is just that its too expensive. Why not just subsidize health insurance? We subsidize gas, we subsidize some foods, why not healthcare? You'll still get the same quality insurance you've been getting but at a cheaper price, kind of. The money for the subsidization has to come somewhere, but that'll be mostly from the top 5%'s tax increase. I mean, thats where they're going to get the money for the "public health care", so whats the difference?

We subsidize far more than those commodities you pointed out, and we spend billions upon billions subsidizing for major corporations to stay competitive.

Public health care will destroy the profit-mongering going on in the US, and will severely weaken the AMA's grip over America's throat. Companies will no longer be able to keep hiring doctors who find loop holes to avoid helping out truly sick patients in need (see: Sicko). The rich have the most to lose because their investments in the medical complex are going to go kaput. So these guys and the Republican party are going all out to see this gets destroyed (just like they put a stop to Clinton's efforts).

And to show how warped the American sheep mentality is, idiots at townhall meetings cry out "socialism" without even understanding what the word truly means.

Obama has lifted the hideous veil on one of America's ugliest sides. Just watch the news and you can truly see how ignorant, moronic, and uneducated this country has been for too many years.

Read the legislation and come to your own conclusion. I have. I support this mostly. It is at the very least a leap ahead of the crap we have to deal with now. How high is our GDP compared to Cuba's? And yet they have the best medical system and the most talented medical workforce in the world. Puts us to DAMN shame.