The Real Death Panels

[BillStein]

A couple weeks ago I spent three days in the hospital. It could have been serious, but I dodged a bullet.

Yesterday I got a letter from Blue Cross/ Blue Shield telling me that I had been approved for one night in the hospital.

Now I know that the hospital will have to eat the costs here, or negotiate with the insurer. But how can they say I only needed one night? I was NPO and being fed through IV's. I couldn't have checked myself out, even if I felt it was unnecessary.

Can anyone really believe that single payer, government funded healthcare could be worse than our corporate based system?

[Scuba]

4. Adam, your cynical view of healthcare (and private prisons, etc) is sadly accurate.

Welcome to DU.

[woo me with science]

8. You are a wise young person.

Welcome to DU.

[Catherina]

9. I hope you post a lot more

Young people like you, Snowden, Manning, Aaron Shwartz etc give this old gal hope.

[leftstreet]

2. A true patriot would have IV equipment at home

DURec and Glad you're better

[BillStein]

6. a true patriot

would accept that a beureaucrat in Harrisburg knows more about my needs than my doctor...

Thanks for the good wishes! (sarcasm disactivated)

[Bunnahabhain]

3. As a Canuck

I will tell you not to assume it will be better at all times. No one wants to hear this but single payer is not an automatic panacea. As someone that moved to the US many years ago, and someone that has made his career in healthcare, I do think the US needs universal healthcare but I also think a great many people believe it's going to be all unicorns when it's not.

[BillStein]

5. I'm not naive

I know that any system has its flaws... but our system makes no sense at all

[Bunnahabhain]

7. Agreed about the US system

But I still think way too many people think it's all unicorns in Canada. I base this off over 20 years of interaction with Americans on this topic. I mainly get two reactions about the Canadian system:

Right of center: OMG! SOCIALIZM!!!!

Left of center: it's so wonderful...all the healthcare you want and it's FREE!

I just dismiss the people right of center as hopeless and try to instill some realism in other folks.