24 September 2007

U.S. Health Care

"An MRI in May 2005 revealed a tumour in her brain. Her family doctor couldn't expedite appointments booked with specialists for July 19 and Sept. 19, 2005. As the tumour pressed on her optic nerves, her vision deteriorated."

Talk about terrible health care!
This system MUST be changed!
It's expensive, inefficient, and it's certainly not meeting the needs of the people.


And worst of all,
some folks want to model the U.S. Health Care system after it!

A malignant tum(our), removed in time to save the patient's life, in the U.S.!
C'mon, think about it... Do we truly want Socialized Medicine here folks?
Our Health Care system isn't perfect... not even close.
But it's a lot more responsive and a helluva lot better than anything else I'm seein' out there.

5 comments:

Ian said...

I will warn you that the Toronto Star is very left-leaning.

Despite that, wait times are a significant problem in this province. For some reason the public at large, doesn't have the need for an MRI or any other procedure with a significant wait time, so they continue to pooh pooh a public-private partnership that could potentially reduce wait times!

Never mind the savings to be had if privatization were allowed... Competition is good for consumers, and if done right, healthcare is no exception!

-An Ontario Flight Paramedic

Greybeard said...

Thanks Ian for the warning about the Star...
But actually the question is, did this incident unfold as reported? Even the New York Times gets facts right once in a while!
You seem to be suggesting what they have reported is true. If so, it's one more indication I don't want to emulate the Canadian system. I don't want my family subjected to that maltreatment.

Ian said...

I have no doubt the incidents reported are true. My warning is just a heads up about any more of their material you may come across.

I couldn't agree more that the US shouldn't emulate the Canadian system. In my eyes, the ideal situation would be some sort of hybrid public/private co-operation. Public healthcare serves an important purpose, but to deny us access to private care is simply unjust!

"You'll take what we'll give you when we give it to you, and you're not allowed to try to find a better solution!"

I just don't understand why "privatization" is such a scary word in Canada.

Phibius said...

The US does have some of the very best doctors and hospitals in the world, and people come to you from all over the world for treatment they just could not get anywhere else. However, you definitely don't have the best health system overall... or even close.

- Overall health outcomes are beaten by several other countries.

- Nobody else spends more than half what you do. The paper-pushing part of your system burns cash like you wouldn't believe.

- Even with all your spending, huge numbers of Americans simply cannot afford medical insurance. Medical bills are your leading cause of personal bankruptcies - unheard of in other wealthy countries.

So... the bad news is, your system is not so good and costs too much. The good news is that if you adopt a clever hybrid system like Singapore has, you can have universal coverage, a level of personal choice your insurance companies presently cannot allow... and spend half as much. Win-win... left-leaning types get to see universal coverage, right-wing types get to see an efficient market in action, and everybody saves a fortune.

Phibius said...

See here for more details on that magical all-inclusive great outcomes / low cost Singaporean system.