I'd Say that the Canadian Approach to Healthcare isn't all Bad

[noonereal]

Originally Posted by Bigerik

But thats like saying just because I don't know any millionaires doesn't mean that there aren't any.
Doctors in the US don't HAVE to take anyone who can't pay. Emergency rooms have to, but then those people who can't afford to pay for health care anyway will end up with a many thousand dollar emergency room tab, that they also can't afford to pay.

Not only that they will only treat the emergency and do nothing to address the underling condition. You can literally wind up back in the ER over and over again because of this until there is so much damage that you die.

I also have seen people turned away because of repetitive substance abuse issues. It becomes a catch 22.

[Bigerik]

Originally Posted by noonereal

Not only that they will only treat the emergency and do nothing to address the underling condition. You can literally wind up back in the ER over and over again because of this until there is so much damage that you die.

I also have seen people turned away because of repetitive substance abuse issues. It becomes a catch 22.

So true!
The funny part about this whole thing is that, as the rest of the world has proven, "socialized" health care is MORE EFFICIENT than the for profit system in the US. Every other industrialized nation pays dramatically less and has ALL of it's citizens covered. And those people never have to worry about losing their life savings or their homes if due to hospital bills.

[Sandy G]

AMEN ! The biggest fault I find w/our healthcare is that virtually EVERYTHING is in the "Putting Out A Fire" mode...You get to spend 10-15 minutes w/yr doc, a perfunctory examination, & then you're out the door, so's they can run the next poor sap thru...When I had my stroke, they said, "You've had a stroke, go home & we'll call you." That was it. Well, what do I need to do ? "You've had a Stroke." Okey dokey, I've had a Stroke. I unnerstand. What do I need to do, call the undertaker & tell him to get his tulip ready ? Dance a jig ? Set on a flat rock & jack off ? "You've had a Stroke." Ok, OK, we've established that. I grok it. WHAT THE F*CK DO I DO, to maybe keep from havin' ANOTHER one, or makin' THIS one worser ? "You've had a Stroke." ARRRRRGH ! What can I expect are the repercussions from this ? Will I see Boogers in the middle of the night ? Will my hand & lip quit trembling/Tingling ? (They did) Will I get visits from Recently Deceased Relatives? "You've Had A Str..." Oh, the hell with it. I'll figger it out on my own...I learned MORE from a boy who'd had a REAL stroke-Paralysed on one side, REALLY saw Boogers..than I did from all my hi-falutin', rootin-tootin' "Health-Care Professionals"...They didn't really help me a damn bit. The lame-ass excuse was "Everybody's different. Your symptoms may or may not be atypical...blah, blah, blah..."...OK, but SURELY there are some things that almost everybody who has a mild stroke goes thru-Can you give me a heads-up ? No. You've had a Stroke...1st rate health care, my ass !

[merrylander]

Erik, give it up, you will never sell single payer in this land of unfettered free enterprise (also known as the free greed system). Despite the fact that it has put us into the worst recession since 1929, the hoi poloi will still blindly worship it because the Wall Street Urinal says so.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Sandy G

AMEN ! The biggest fault I find w/our healthcare is that virtually EVERYTHING is in the "Putting Out A Fire" mode...You get to spend 10-15 minutes w/yr doc, a perfunctory examination, & then you're out the door, so's they can run the next poor sap thru...When I had my stroke, they said, "You've had a stroke, go home & we'll call you." That was it. Well, what do I need to do ? "You've had a Stroke." Okey dokey, I've had a Stroke. I unnerstand. What do I need to do, call the undertaker & tell him to get his tulip ready ? Dance a jig ? Set on a flat rock & jack off ? "You've had a Stroke." Ok, OK, we've established that. I grok it. WHAT THE F*CK DO I DO, to maybe keep from havin' ANOTHER one, or makin' THIS one worser ? "You've had a Stroke." ARRRRRGH ! What can I expect are the repercussions from this ? Will I see Boogers in the middle of the night ? Will my hand & lip quit trembling/Tingling ? (They did) Will I get visits from Recently Deceased Relatives? "You've Had A Str..." Oh, the hell with it. I'll figger it out on my own...I learned MORE from a boy who'd had a REAL stroke-Paralysed on one side, REALLY saw Boogers..than I did from all my hi-falutin', rootin-tootin' "Health-Care Professionals"...They didn't really help me a damn bit. The lame-ass excuse was "Everybody's different. Your symptoms may or may not be atypical...blah, blah, blah..."...OK, but SURELY there are some things that almost everybody who has a mild stroke goes thru-Can you give me a heads-up ? No. You've had a Stroke...1st rate health care, my ass !

Know how you feel. last two or three times I went to the Doc, I may as well have stayed home. I get sinus infections from time to time, bad. They won't give you an antibody anymore, or anything for pain, even when my back goes out. What's the point?

I'd be better off to go to the Farm & Home, buy some meds like you would give to a pig, then go home and take them myself.

And stop by the likker store on the way home.

Chas

[merrylander]

Guess we got lucky with our family doc, he did not send me out for a whole bunch of tests because he knows what the results would be. He did ask if I wanted to go for a PSA test if it would make me feel better, but hey, he is the doctor I take his word that I don't have any problems. I did get a laugh out of him when I mentioned the Avodart commercial that says women should not take it. I asked when was the last time he saw a woman with a prostate.

[OvenMaster]

Originally Posted by Charles

Far be it form me to know the answers. But I can think on no one in the US who has ever been turned away from medical care.

And, IMHO, the best thing you can do when you go to the doctor is to tell them that you have no insurance. They'll fix your ass and get you out the door.

Unfortunately, I do. The ER is one thing; they gotta take you there. But for regular admissions? Tests? Non-emergency care? The very first thing my local hospital says to anyone who shows up at the Admissions desk, is "Your insurance card, please". If you don't have one, they'll ask for your pre-approved Free Care letter. No letter? You'll be told that they take Visa, MasterCard, or cash. "May I see your card, please?"

Same with the doctor. Very first question: "Which insurance do you have?" It'd better be one that they accept. Tell them you have no insurance, or a plan they do not accept (Mom got caught in this trap one year), and it's "Sorry. We take Visa, MasterCard, or cash". And you'd better be a "regular patient". If you haven't seen him within the past year, you are considered a "new" patient... with appointments made no sooner than six months away (my Dad got caught this time). And that's IF he'll deign to re-accept you as a patient.