I'm wondering what all this has to do with the topic, which is about a joke about shrillary....are you just trying to run up your post count?
I wouldn't say Canada has the ideal medical care system in the world, either. America definitely has it's big problems, but one of them isn't physician to patient ratios. Canada's physician to patient comparison looks almost like the population growth of Japan...it's going downward. Median waiting time to receive a critical procedure is 124 days in Canada. That's why your supreme court relaxed it's rules on private insurance oriented markets. My views of American market is an expanding view, and I have many comments on that here.... http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=233237 I think a significant difference in our country is demographics, diet, BMI, and lifestyle. Canada's visible minority is 13.4% (according to wiki). Your coutries BMI (body mass indicator) is half of ours. That maybe because of policy, cirumstance of even racial background. I don't know if you've ever been to the south. Jambalaya or any soul food...while tasty, is death served out. About every latin immigrant (I've know) still eats their custom food, and that shit horrendous to ones body. Our public schools don't have strict standards on what could sold. So there's a handful of reasons that the comparison isn't viable. Look at my post (^^^) and compare Japan to Canada. On the surface, it has a much better BMI, age expectancy is higher, and costs are lower. Is it have to do with the monolithic race of Japan, lifestyle and diet....? I believe some of that to be very plausible. Personally I'm not a fan of Universal Health Care...for many reasons. But I do think our system has to be revamped in ways.
Perhaps I'm nutty, but I tend to think if we mandate healthy food only in our public schools, and immigrated more doctors and capital for new hospitals...then the problems wouldn't be as high. Drop the PC and be straight with the people... That and base the insurance values on more appropriate scales e.g lifestyle and diet. You think so.... My fear is that they'll completely eliminate military funding, like they do in most other UHC countries. And while I don't like a 'HUGE' military, I do find comfort that most people would find it hard to content with us. Universal health care is just a matter of budgetting health care via government. But America's demographics, and structure are alien to the rest of the world. And given the economic shortage of educated labor throughout the industrial powers of the world and the growth of the elderly population...UHC, and or medicare...is setting-up for a disaster. I sure there's some truth to what you are saying, but I would have to see the details of this.... Not quite sure this plays a significant role. 44.4% of our healthcare is funded by the government vs 70.8% in Canada. We're not that far off. I'm not a fan of SS, medicare, or welfare. I think at the time it probably made sense to many people, but medicare in particular is a huge issue...which I hope is addressed quickly. I really hope we don't continue down this leftist path. The economics just don't work-out.
Wrong about what? I never said there were not uninsured in America. What I said was, no one is denied care here as a result. I went without health insurance for 7 years. I was never refused care as a result. I just paid more for it. I even had an emergency appendectemy with NO insurance. To be honest, not having insurance at that time was the more pleasant experience of my life. About 2 weeks after my recovery period, the hospital billiing dept called me, set up a payment plan and away I went. With insurance, my life has been hell. I've been sued 3 times because the hospital is too retarded to figure out how to properly bill, and or send bills to the insurance provider. At least when you pay for things yourself, you see a bill directly. With insurance, it goes to the insurance company, assuming it makes it there. Then the insurance provider and hospital figure out what they are really going to charge each other and who will pay for what. Then months and months later you get a bill from the hospital, which usually contains the amount that was covered as well. By this point you have no idea who owes what and or who has or has not paid for what. So you guess... You pay, then years later you end up in court because someone screwed up. What health care providers really need to learn is that people do not pay bills without an invoice or a PO. At least I don't. I really wish these places could get their shit together. My ultimate problem with health care and insurance companies has to do with what they charge and how they charge it. Fix that, and you have pretty much solved the problem. The two most expensive entities in any major surgery are the anesthesiologist and the hosiptial. The surgeon is usually the cheapest part of the picture. If you do not have insurance and have a surgery that requires an anesthesiologist, make sure and look over your bill. Be prepared to tell them what you want to pay for them, not what they want, or you will get screwed. When I did not have insurance, I did the same thing the insurance companies do. I went over the bill with a fine tooth comb and listed what I thought things should be charged out at. In some cases, the hospital accepted my changes. Try it, it works. They are a business, like I said before. Treat them as such.