Health Care..what do you think?

[Tsunami]

Originally Posted by Fleck750

Professionals, i.e. doctors, nurses and all those in the health field like to get paid. Gov't is notorious for not doing that. Plus, they spent many years to get a degree and feel it's their right to make as much money as possible. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I doubt that most doctors want to help people, most are in it for the money.

I've seen both sides, doctors that are in it for the money and some that are in it to really help people. My dad had a doctor that was going to treat him for free because his health insurance capped how much money they would spend at the time. While doctors make good money, there are other professions out there that make just as much, for less schooling, no malpractice threats, and probably less headache.

[Smittie61984]

Originally Posted by Tmall

Wouldn't you think somebody who has first hand experience and lived under both systems would have a more indepth view of it? Kind of like how a mother of teenagers would know more about teenagers than somebody who didn't have teen aged children?

You could also send Beavis and Butthead into outerspace but do you think they'll understand more about gravity and space vs a MIT grad who majored in astrophysics?

I'm also not taking the word of someone who "thinks" she isn't paying for her healthcare other than a little more in taxes without even considering that someone else out there who she has never met and has nothing to do with, paid the other $30,000 of her surgery. And that person only gave that money up becuase the government used it's policing power which is backed up by men/women with guns to take that money.

Wether government run healthcare would increase our lifespan by 30 years or not is irrelevant. It is a product/service that a citizen is forced to purchase by the government and it also involves taking someone else's money away too which is stealing. It's a moral issue more than anything.

[Smittie61984]

Originally Posted by cbrchick

I'd gladly pay higher taxes so that any of you could receive health care. But that's just the way we think in a social place

Sweet. Next time I'm at the doctors office I'll let them know where to send the bill.

Now here is a question. Why can't the people who want to pay higher taxes so we can get healthcare just set up a seperate box on their tax forms that says "I want more money taken out for the healthcare of others". That way it's strictly voluntary and we can all get healthcare!

[sherri_chickie]

I am thoroughly enjoying this thread.. thanks to everyone for their responses!

My number of $4000 for a child was from my best friend who is 21 weeks pregnant in Texas, both her and her husband are teachers for the same school district in Houston. That is the number that they were quoted from their doc/hospital.

It is not just the private person who pays taxes, corporations etc pay tax too some of that gets pooled into healthcare. I have experienced both systems, and although I don't think the U.S. system is terrible, I like the idea of a state taking care of its citizens a bit better, after all they are the ones who make the country great are they not? Is it not in their best interest to keep their people healthy? You are already paying for the healthcare of those on welfare.

As far as dental/orthodontic, my provincial healthcare doesn't cover it, but the additional insurance we get through work does, as well as vision, chiropractic, massage, orthopedics, and a who crap of other stuff, all paid for 100% by my school board. Our prescription coverage is also not covered by provincial healthcare, but if you don't have prescription coverage you can still afford medication.

The biggest problem I have seen with out healthcare up here is that if you are waiting for elective tests such as an mri on your knee from a sports injury, you are on the bottom of the list and it can take a while to get in for it. They are thinking of creating a two tier system where you can either wait and the province will cover it, or get in right away to a private clinic and pay for it out of your own pocket. There is a lot of resistance to a two tier system though, we see it as a slippery slope.

Each provinces health care is run by that province although healthcare is guaranteed by the country, so it does vary province to province. Until this January we actually paid for health care premiums, mind you they were only about $44 a person a month ( or something like that)

[Apoc]

Originally Posted by azoomm

Let's see, I have recently had a few procedures that weren't emergent - and were completely covered by insurance. Ooops, $25 co-pay. My husband even hurt himself trying to fly a motorcycle sideways - dislocated heel, copays for the doc and urgent care.

Congrats. You still pay monthly insurance fees for medical though, we dont.

The most expensive thing I've paid for recently is $3,000 for my daughter's braces. Canada cover that one?

My Sun Life insurance (my company pays for, not me) would have paid 85% of it. As well well as full cost for glasses(1x/18months), orthotic insoles(1x/year), massages (1x/month), and ALL prescribed medication costs me 1$.

If I get married and/or have kids, they are also covered under this policy, at, again, no charge to me.

Got anymore?

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by sherri_chickie

I would really love to hear the Canadian and American opinions on universal health care. Americans maybe you can enlighten me as to why the country seems so opposed and Canadians maybe you can shed some light on how it works here.

I personally love our system, I've lived in both and a good portion of why I came back to Canada was because of our health care system. I had gall bladder surgery, and then went back in a few days later with a raging infection. How much did the operation cost me? $0. How much did a week in the hospital on morphine, percoset and antibiotics cost $0. I just got to focus on getting better and not " how the hell am I going to pay for this ( even just a co-pay can be insane) I do pay more in taxes up here, but seriously the additional taxes is less than what I paid monthly for shitty insurance in the states. Plus prescriptions here are MUCH cheaper than in the U. S.

And in the states the people are already paying for the healthcare of people on welfare, gives no incentive to get off and get a job if you are going to lose your healthcare, dental and vision benefits. I saw it a million times where I worked.

I'm not going to bother to read the rest of the responses but I believe that a lot of the reason for resistance here is this question. If you had your surgery here, would you have gotten the infection? In other words, is Canadian health care inferior because all of the practitioners get paid less and the best/brightest choose other fields where the salary potential is better?

My GF is in school to be a physical therapist. It is an 8 year course but she will make six figures right out of school. In fact, she already has a position lined up. Would she still go to college for 8 years if the gov't decides that PTs are only allowed to make $50,000 per year?

I understand that we pay for medical for welfare recipients, do the rest of us want to also have that level of medical care?

[Apoc]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

I'm not going to bother to read the rest of the responses but I believe that a lot of the reason for resistance here is this question. If you had your surgery here, would you have gotten the infection? In other words, is Canadian health care inferior because all of the practitioners get paid less and the best/brightest choose other fields where the salary potential is better?

My GF is in school to be a physical therapist. It is an 8 year course but she will make six figures right out of school. In fact, she already has a position lined up. Would she still go to college for 8 years if the gov't decides that PTs are only allowed to make $50,000 per year?

I understand that we pay for medical for welfare recipients, do the rest of us want to also have that level of medical care?

Doctors here do damn well. So do nurses, and other areas of the medical field.

Unless you condsider 2-300k not that well for a doctor.

You guys can pretend our HC system is horrible if you want. The rest of us who live with it, know better.

And i've never been turned away or made wait any ridiculous time for any procedure. Its pretty much a myth that you people use to villify and validate your silly opinions with.

[nhgunnut]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

I'm not going to bother to read the rest of the responses but I believe that a lot of the reason for resistance here is this question. If you had your surgery here, would you have gotten the infection? In other words, is Canadian health care inferior because all of the practitioners get paid less and the best/brightest choose other fields where the salary potential is better?

My GF is in school to be a physical therapist. It is an 8 year course but she will make six figures right out of school. In fact, she already has a position lined up. Would she still go to college for 8 years if the gov't decides that PTs are only allowed to make $50,000 per year?

I understand that we pay for medical for welfare recipients, do the rest of us want to also have that level of medical care?

I don't think it is fair to say it is inferior, it is different in that it prioritizes access at the expense of choice and innovation. In perhaps an overly simplistic analogy the system buys everyone a Hyundai (a good car reliable with a good service culture but usually using 3 to 5 year old technology) and you have to pay for you neighbor's car no matter how bad he drives or how poorly he maintains it. The US system pushes choice and innovation at the expense of well, expense. Having experiences both I believe I get better care in the US. Also as I noted before since Canadians remain the number one consumer of Medical Tourism I am guessing that some Canadian have issues with their system as well.

I also think it a bit overly simplistic to imply that Canadian Health Care Professinal are less motivated because of income. I have worked with at least a hundred through the years, and thousands here in the states Damm few are are doing it for the money.
I will say that in some cases the choices of Canadian Health Care Professional are limited by the single payer system they are working in. Which is not to say your insurer doesn't limit some Choices as well. The difference here in the states is that I can simply change primary insurer. I couldn't do that in Canada I still had to pay for my neighbors care.

[CrazyKell]

Originally Posted by Apoc

Its pretty much a myth that you people use to villify and validate your silly opinions with.

Ding ding ding! We have a winner.

[cbrchick]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

I'm not going to bother to read the rest of the responses but I believe that a lot of the reason for resistance here is this question. If you had your surgery here, would you have gotten the infection? In other words, is Canadian health care inferior because all of the practitioners get paid less and the best/brightest choose other fields where the salary potential is better?

Are you kidding me? Infection is a common risk factor post surgery. Doesn't matter who or where you get surgery, people get infection. By that logic you could say my father had inferior treatment for his Cancer at one of the most well known cancer hospitals in the world located in Houston, TX. He had infection post surgery and his Cancer came back.

He had zero complications following his stint with CA for the 3rd time here in my little Canadian hospital.

I'd say 99.9% of people don't go into the medical field for the money. There are far better ways to make more money and actually have a life. And the best and the brightest go into fields that suit them - from palliative care to cardiac surgery - not into which that pay more...

It's amazing what little first hand knowledge people have of our system and think it's inferior. Any American I've ever taken care of has been nothing but impressed with the care they received.