If Medicare for Everyone is So Bad, Why Does Every Nation Who Has It Keep It?

[RCprince]

If Medicare for Everyone is So Bad, Why Does Every Nation Who Has It Keep It? 10 Questions.

http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/9181

[domwilson]

Because Canada could tease us on how we messed it up...

[Flying Scotsman]

Actually, the Canadian system has it's faults as do many govenrment run systems The point I believe is health care for all and yes the private system will be more expedient as long as your insurer says yes. The French system is the best.

Douggie

[Bill-SOCAL]

Good point about your insurance company saying yes. Here;s an interesting article from the generally right leaning Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/11/AR2009081100048.html

[domwilson]

Good article...

[domwilson]

But to be fair. It's not just the insurance companies that are the problem. For profit Hospitals, clinics, etc. do some fancy footwork of their own. They have preset charges for certain services that they bill the insurance companies. Depending on your insurer, they will come after you for the difference in the trumped up charges. Or in some cases I've seen, they will bill the insurance company and bill the patient. These hospitals are making hand over fist with their double billings and inflated charges.

[Bill-SOCAL]

Seems like the proft motive does not work in our favor in the health care environment.

[Fluid]

Yep, the greedy hospitals and doctors stealing from the poor tax-paying citizens! (Oops, only about half the wage earners actually pay taxes in the US.) Of course the thinking man knows that once single-payer health care is in place it is almost impossible not to "keep it". It would be political suicide to take health care away 'from the children' - that's why it is so important not to let it start.

Of course the level of public health care in countries with similar economic structure to the US sucks. Ask a Brit or a Cannuk what he/she does if they need critical surgery immediately. Too many just have to wait or go to the US for it - or so my many co-workers from those countries tell me. No incentive for doctors to endure the torture of becoming doctors if they are just paid wages. Hence the plethora of "foreign" third-world doctors in those countries. I just returned from 6 weeks in Australia, and one of the hot topics in the newspapers there was the generally poor care from third-world immigrant doctors serving Australian citizens. (Before you flame me, my cardiologist was born in India - there are some fine 3rd world doctors.)

Texas has some of the best health care in the US, in part because tort reform has made it more profitable for doctors to work here due to the much lower malpractice insurance premiums. People excell because they are rewarded for it. Take away the reward and you have the Soviet Union - where doctors made what bus drivers made. Lots of drunk doctors and one of the lowest life expectancies in a 'modern' country.

There is a reason that the best health care in the world is found in the USA, and it isn't because the government runs it. Just look at how well the Post Office works, and they've had 200 years to perfect that.

Margret Thatcher said it best - "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money. "





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[Rumdog]

Laugh out loud! Best health care in the world is in the U.S. huh?

[RCprince]

Margret Thatcher said it best - "The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money. "





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The problem with Socialism, Capitalism, Communism, Fascism, Totalitarianism and all the other economical systems; the people lose!

[domwilson]

Why focus on just two countries that have government run healthcare systems? I hear the french have a pretty good system.

[domwilson]

From the Wall Street Journal... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124580516633344953.html

[Rumdog]

The French have THE BEST system!

[sailr]

It may have its faults but it is designed FOR the people not like our screwed up system in this country which is FOR the greedy profit mongers. We're getting screwed by the Insurance companies in this country and yet people are fighting health care reform.

Actually, the Canadian system has it's faults as do many govenrment run systems The point I believe is health care for all and yes the private system will be more expedient as long as your insurer says yes. The French system is the best.

Douggie

[sailr]

Yeah? Go tell that to the people who have great health care. Those people aren't losing, WE are the ones that are losing due to the greed and corruption of the for profit system in this country.

And stop listening to the fear mongers with their scare tactics. Think for yourself.

The problem with Socialism, Capitalism, Communism, Fascism, Totalitarianism and all the other economical systems; the people lose!