If Western Europeans and Canandians spend ’soo much time’ in line, wouldn’t their numbers for health care quality and life expectancy drop dramatically?

Also, you are ignoring the fact that we have to wait a long time in the US too; even on my health care plan, it took me a month to see the cardiologist.

Quite often Canadians are delayed or denied expensive treatments due to age or other reasons, or, treatments are denied because it is not cost effective. Quite often, patients turned away from the Canadian system, or believe that the usual delays could be fatal, are forced to head south to the superior healthcare facilities in the US.

So, no, Canadians may not go bankrupt from medical bills, they die before accumulating those bills.

Canada spends 3,400/per capita and U.S. spends $6,990.00/per capita on healthcare!
Canada spends only 8% of its GDP on healthcare and the U.S. spends 17.5% of its GPD on Healthcare.

Canada’s infant mortality statistics are way better than the U.S. and the average age for women is 82.5 vs. 77.5 in the U.S.

No one in Canada’s National Healtch System is DENIED COVERAGE! Every child and woman and man are entitled to healthcare and this is not a Privilege–but a RIGHT TO EXPECT HEALTHCARE! Sure, for elective surgeries you may be referred sometimes to an out of town (out of country even) hospital. But who pays the bill ultimately? THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA–through the taxes of ordinary citizens who TREASURE THEIR RIGHT TO HUMANE HEALTHCARE AND DON’T ALLOW INSURANCE PROFITS TO GET IN THE WAY!

Since l965, Canada has had a wonderful HealthCare Act and this legislation is gold in the pockets of its politicians. They know that the moment they want to hint at “Privatization”, they get voted and kicked out of Parliament!

And a healthy workforce in Canada has enabled the country to attract Japanase, Chinese and European investment in terms of factories and companies operating with a no-cost healthy workforce! That’s a bonus, isn’t it to capitalism? No Wall Street boneheaded moves can ever interfere with the rights of Canadians to demand the best in healthcare.

And Canadian women’s Preventive Medicine is tops, too!

Why insist on enriching those vampire Insurance Commpanies who are profiting while millions go bankrupt!

And, guess what, Doctor, in Canada NO ONE’S BANKRUPTCY IS CAUSED BY…..MEDICAL BILLS!!!!

If Obummer wasn’t a Spineless piece of Misogynist fluff he’d do what’s best for Americans. But he hasn’t got the guts nor intelligence!!!

In l993 HILLARY, THE PIONEER IN HEALTHCARE, had sent a team of researchers to study the Healthcare system in……you guessed it!….Canada. It’s time Obummer sent a team up there, NOW!

Or he can steal her ideas (ssee WASHINGTON TIMES Nicholas Kralev’s Clinton Urged Obama to Talk Tough on Iran before he did it)….
Hell, he’s used to stealing anyway…

And if the profit motive is gone, where will the incentive be for the development of new technologies and medical advancements?

It used to be academia. At a fraction of the cost.

I have had the same health insurance for 28 years. I’ve had back surgery, a major car accident, nearly died when I had a ruptured tubal pregnancy–I have never paid premiums for that entire 28 years that would have covered the expenses. I’ve gotten great care and all at the direction of my physicians, not my congressman. I personally do not want the government to say when I should just die already because I drained their system. Aren’t you all listening to BO?

Some people need health insurance–I agree. Revamp Medicare/Medicaid and don’t try to screw up the system that is working for so many.

By the way, I had to sue because to sue because of a plate I wear in my leg. For about 4 hours work, my attorney got 1/3 of the settlement. That was much more than the surgeon was paid and the attorney never had to wear the plate or break a sweat doing surgery. Fair?

If you have a crappy insurance company–switch! They don’t all stink.

I just wonder why the trial attorneys aren’t being affected? No Tort reform? Maybe that’s because they supported this empty suit for president knowing that he would keep their bread buttered. Personally, I would rather pay more for a well-trained doctor who is not bound by red tape and cutbacks than give 1/3 to an attorney to sue the doctor for screwing up.

Have you never contacted an attorney for breach of contract or to review a contract you are about to sign?

I am largely happy with my healthcare and haven’t taken this step, but I am glad it exists.

In Govcare you are going to get what they give you, when they feel like giving it to you. And you wont be able to appeal or negotiate about it at all. Try writing a letter to congress to complain. See how far ya get. Because that will be your court of appeal.

Go live in France if you like their healthcare so much. Its where my life intersected a national health and I was less than impressed. Wealthy French fly to private London hospitals full of US trained doctors when they need to see a specialist. Thats how great it is.

I am very happy with my current healthcare plan. In fact I buy coverage for all of my employees and its just a nonissue - it works for everyone here and its one of the most painless business transactions I make. Especially as compared to state payroll filings, which are a nightmare. Folks occasionally complain about their $25 copays. Boo hoo. People drop $25 at the movies.

This grass is greener view of government run healthcare is something Americans will have until they get to live with it. When they get to not have that MRI or wait 6-9 months to deal with a gall bladder issue. I am just sorry that I will have to live with it as well, because I have done and I dont like it.

Government run single payer systems are not more efficient, they dont provide a better quality of care and they dont decrease wait times. People who like them are younger, healthy folks, and guess what, our system works fine for them too. They dont use any healthcare so they like everything.

Speaking of, did you hear that private clinics are the new rage in Canada? Apparently Canadians are now willing to pay to see a doctor in a timely fashion. Go figure. At least I will have somewhere to go when we finally remove all competitive plans and adopt our verison of The National Health.

The one government system for health delivery which actually is working is the TriCare system. This system is available only to those who actually retired from a career of military service. This system gives them choices like most of the rest of us have, with little interference regarding pre-approval.

True; Active duty military go to military hospitals, not the VA, for the most part, for their care. People who serve one-two-three tours of duty in any military service, but don’t serve long enough to retire, still are able to seek care from the gov’t, under the VA system. And, unfortunately, it is very true that the VA system is not reliable, nor is it even available in many rural areas, so people often must travel hundreds of miles to a VA facility. But, at least they have the OPTION, which many Americans don’t even have, so there is that!

People often don’t realize that the VA Veteran’s Administration is not the same as the military health care system. The VA is a separate entity entirely from military health care. Military health care is provided to active duty at military hospitals, not the VA; retirees get their health care from military hospitals, or private providers under Tricare,not the VA.

Thanks for your observations on Tricare and the VA system. I have Tricare as a secondary right now, and it works great.

That is a good example of what an Obama government controlled health care plan will provide for America.

A friend was offered a catastrophic health plan through work with a medical savings plan associated (several thousand $$ placed in the account by the employer). It sounded wonderful to me, but as you mentioned she had a heck of a time finding health care providers who would quote her prices - or they would charge twice as much for cash as they do for the insurance companies.

I firmly believe that if we all knew the actual cost of health care and were able to shop around, prices would fall. Just look at examples where insurance doesn’t typically pay - Lasik eye surgery, cosmetic surgeries, tooth whitening, etc. Prices have dropped dramatically (you can now order home tooth whitening kits online) and at least in the case of Lasik surgery, the technology advancements have been considerable.

I’ve heard so many horror stories lately about wait times in Canada and the UK, and of care denied. And yes, I do know that there are plenty of horror stories in the US as well. I think we should work to fix the actual problems, rather than exchange one set of horror stories for another.

I read an article not too long ago (sorry, can’t find the link) that fairly convincingly made the case that government programs such as Medicare actually *increased* costs for non-Medicare patients and patients with other insurances because costs were shifted from one group to another. If the government takes over all care, that won’t be possible any more - savings will have to come from somewhere. I strongly suspect that rationing of some kind (be it long waits or denied service) will be one way.

And if the profit motive is gone, where will the incentive be for the development of new technologies and medical advancements? Who will pay? And if new treatments are considered experimental and thereby not covered by a single payer system, how will potentially life-saving advancements even become ’standard’?