Anyone who wants universal health care

[Cleita]

please read this and respond.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x535694

It looks like the health care industry is getting worried again and the first thing they do is attack the Canadian system.

[Mythsaje]

1. The OP raises some good points

and we should definitely use the comparison model to determine exactly what we want and what we don't want if we do have the ability to actually get universal healthcare.

[Cleita]

2. We don't have the ability to get universal health care

until we stop letting the the for-profits commercialize it. That OP was nothing but BS and some really old and petrified BS. I have been at this a long time and I know.

[Mythsaje]

4. So it's NOT true that people have to wait for treatment

in Canada?

That some of the European systems are better?

I'm curious here. I support universal healthcare in the U.S., but I want us to find the system that works best, not simply adopt something because it's better than what we have now.

[f-bush]

3. Our medical system is bullshit:

we are one of the only modernized nations in the world without universal health care. Two stories 1) when I was an infant I contracted enchepalitis and was in an intensive care for six weeks and the hospital for five months. This was in Germany..the bill? 24.67

Fast forward for 2) in 1987 I came down with cancer and while insured wound up paying 12000.00 I got it a second, but because I ran for office (as a far left liberal against a democrat in name only incumbant) didn't have insurance (quit job to run) two years later, got cancer again. This time no insurance. The bills kept on coming and coming and we lost everytghing we had., To stave off garnishments and siezures and also to keep getting treatment, I abused the US Bankruptcy process. My bills were 193000 and rolling. I wound up doing 13 months in a Federal prison as a result.

I am a firm believer in universal health care. If this country wanted to do it, it could. Stop the greed and start caring for people!!! Get rid of the insurance companies and the for profit medical entities.

[Cleita]

5. I would even settle for a mediocre system that

at least delivered minimal care when needed to what we have now for a start. At least it would be a foot in the door.

[MockSwede]

7. Universal Insurance

Costs to run (administration) of state Medicaid plans is about 1% - costs 1 cent overhead to deliver 1 dollar in care.

'Not-for-profit' and 'non-profit' and for-profit insurance companies charge other groups anywhere from 25 to 35 cents to administer plans delivering that same 1 dollar of care.

So you can save 25% off the top or have 25% better covereage or have 25% more people covered by switching to universal insurance mimicking Medicaid or VA type programs.

And they would be accountable to the citizenry since they would receive their funding out of taxes and we'd vote in or vote out the folks that would select the directors and administrators, etc, that run these programs now.

Who wudda thunk?!

[area51]

6. cancer

I'm so sorry this happened to you, f-bush.

People don't deserve to die or to lose everything they own due to getting ill. This country is barbaric not to have universal healthcare.

[Odin2005]

8. The Anti-Socialized medicine people moan about "rationing" but then...

...they forget that our system rations as well, except we ration based on abillity to pay, if you can't afford insurance you're shit out of luck. The Almighty, Sacred, and Holy Market the conservatives and libertarians worship is just a form of rationing based on supply and demand. They won't tell you that though because they need the "rationing" meme to scare people away from nationalization and central planning for things like healthcare, oil, and energy.

[sofedup]

9. I want universal health care

My husband, as a disabled veteran, gets 100% medical coverage through the VA system. As we all know that system is far from ideal. But I would prefer an imperfect system such as that one (I usually accompany my husband so I know it pretty well) to no system at all. I heard Andrew Weill being interviewed on the radio a while back and he believes our for-profit system can't last- I hope he's right. I am tired of our country being so bass-ackwards and greed-motivated on this critical issue!

[Thirtieschild]

10. The U.K. system works greeat

Our daughter married a Brit and lives in Yorkshire. She's found the system there fantastic, no wait, even a home visit when she was in too much pain to see the doc.

Our system, which will let you die if you don't have the money to pay for insurance or get the best care, is disgusting.

[Sgent]

11. The canadian system sucks

Although I would support it if the choice was the US system vs. the CN system.

The fact is, that that's not the case. France probably has one of the best all round systems, and is one that I would like to see us emmulate. Germany, Australia, and even the UK have arguably much better systems than Canada. Heck, with all its faults the VA system nationalized would be better than our current system.

The question to focus on is whether we should adopt universal care, not whether or not the CN system is a good example of universal care in action (it mostly isn't).