[Info-vax] Down Again

[Neil Rieck]

On Aug 10, 10:36 pm, "Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilber... at comcast.net>
wrote:
> JF Mezei wrote:
> > On the subject of medical reform in the USA.
>
> > I am in Canada.
>
> > My now deceased aunt had lived in California most fo her life, and
> > looked down on our medical system calling it "socialized medecine" etc
> > etc. But when some of her friends saw their cancer treatments refused by
> > insurance companies, she mellowed her stance a little bit...
>
> > Is there widespread feeling that there needs to be radical changes in
> > how the USA medical system works, or is the majority happy with how it
> > works and don't want it tampered with ?
>
> > From a financial point of view, the USA is the country with the highest
> > (or one of the highest) per capita spending on health care, and this
> > affect the competitivity of USA products and services against countries
> > whose health care costs are lower.
>
> Our health care system is largely "for profit".  I understand that in
> countries such as the U.K. and Canada, people sometimes have to wait
> years for elective procedures.  Your gall bladder won't kill you so you
> may have to wait two or three years to have it removed.  I understand
> that Canadians who can afford it come to the U.S. for elective procedures.
>
> In the U.S. you pay for service and you get it!  There is generally some
> sort of charity care available for those who can't pay.  I have paid my
> own bills and/or insurance since attaining adulthood.
>
> I prefer our system!

In Canada you are only required to wait for certain preventative
diagnostics tests like an MRI for colon cancer etc. (which are usually
scheduled 5-10 years before the disease is expected to hit you).
Whenever any disease is diagnosed, you go to hospital immediately.

The US system is "for profit" which means that HMOs will do better by
denying payments. They do this by requiring much more documentation
from patients as well as doctors (some people have estimated that that
these admin costs are as high as 28% where most social systems hold it
below 4%). When doctors need to provide more documentation OR do their
own billing, they incur more cost which are then passed on to the
patient.

I like to compare health insurance to car insurance. With car
insurance, cars that are more costly to repair (or drivers that are
involved in more accidents) incur higher premiums. Companies do this
to convince people to drive responsibly while repairing AND replacing
older hardware.

But health insurance is different because old age and disease are
inevitable (you can't trade in you body on a younger one). In this
example you, or your employer, might pay into the system for 40 years
with no payouts then, just as you need help OR have incurred on claim,
you are bounced from the system or you loose your job.

~~~

Many people in the world have watched Micheal Moore's "Sicko" and
would agree that it is 99% factual. Like "big tobacco" and "big oil",
the "medical industrial complex" does not want socialized medicine in
the US (even though that is exactly what medicare, medicade, and
congressional employees already enjoy) so have discovered creative
ways of discrediting Moore's message. But don't take my word for it,
watch the following interview then make up your own mind.
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07312009/profile.html

"I think it was Churchill that once said "You can count on the
Americans to do the right thing, after they have tried everything
else"

NSR