How bad does health care suck in Canada? - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

CardiacCoug · 07-10-2008, 03:34 AM

Pretty bad. Sounds like this lady had a pituitary tumor compressing her optic nerve and was told to "get in line" for her surgery in Canada. Good thing our health care system in this country still functions to some degree -- Canadians and Europeans appreciate it even if most Americans complain like crazy.

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArti...00495064758477

SoCalCoug · 07-10-2008, 03:47 AM

Yeah, I'm sure this woman would agree with you.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25588407/

CardiacCoug · 07-10-2008, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SoCalCoug

Yeah, I'm sure this woman would agree with you.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25588407/

That was a government-run, county psychiatric hospital. Great example of why government-sponsored health care sucks and why private health care is superior.

MikeWaters · 07-10-2008, 04:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CardiacCoug

That was a government-run, county psychiatric hospital. Great example of why government-sponsored health care sucks and why private health care is superior.

Yeah, get rid of care for the poor. Just serve the insured and cash-payers.

YOhio · 07-10-2008, 04:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CardiacCoug

That was a government-run, county psychiatric hospital. Great example of why government-sponsored health care sucks and why private health care is superior.

Mike Leavitt had a good op-ed in todays WSJ that identified one of the problems with Medicare, mainly that the GSA schedule for medical equipment doesn't reflect market value.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1215...n_commentaries

CardiacCoug · 07-10-2008, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Yeah, get rid of care for the poor. Just serve the insured and cash-payers.

I'm not saying we get rid of charity hospitals and government funding for the poor, just that a private system serves the majority of people much better.

SoCal's response is to link a negative example from a government-owned and operated hospital in the U.S. I find that ironic.

CardiacCoug · 07-10-2008, 04:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YOhio

Mike Leavitt had a good op-ed in todays WSJ that identified one of the problems with Medicare, mainly that the GSA schedule for medical equipment doesn't reflect market value.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1215...n_commentaries

Interesting. Fixing that loophole makes too much sense. It probably won't happen -- instead they will just continue to cut payments to doctors.

MikeWaters · 07-10-2008, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CardiacCoug

I'm not saying we get rid of charity hospitals and government funding for the poor, just that a private system serves the majority of people much better.

SoCal's response is to link a negative example from a government-owned and operated hospital in the U.S. I find that ironic.

a private system where a 3rd party rakes in 20%?

Hell I can give you a dozen negative experiences I have had with insurance/private hospitals. You might be familiar with Methodist Hospital in Houston. There billing was so terrible and dishonest that Farrah and I prayed we would not have to use the insurance.

Why aren't the veterans clamoring for private insurance instead of VA hospitals? (they aren't, it is true)

Some things to think about.

MikeWaters · 07-10-2008, 04:47 AM

Cardiac will always take medicare. He has to. He has no choice.

I have a choice. And I won't.

Why? Well the medical system values action, and not thinking. If I spent 10 minutes stitching a cut, I would get paid more for that than 1 hour of wading through the worst, most terrifying, sickening psychological shiz you can imagine, in someone with 15 medications.

CardiacCoug · 07-10-2008, 05:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

a private system where a 3rd party rakes in 20%?

Hell I can give you a dozen negative experiences I have had with insurance/private hospitals. You might be familiar with Methodist Hospital in Houston. There billing was so terrible and dishonest that Farrah and I prayed we would not have to use the insurance.

Why aren't the veterans clamoring for private insurance instead of VA hospitals? (they aren't, it is true)

Some things to think about.

I have had plenty of negative experiences with private billing/insurance also. But when my 3-year old son had MRSA osteomyelitis and a 103 degree fever last year I was glad he could get an immediate MRI and immediate surgery that saved his life. Houston has more MRI machines than all of Canada and an excess of operating rooms and orthopedic surgeons because medicine is profitable. When you really need it, it's good to have our system, even with all its flaws.

I'm all in favor of squeezing the insurance companies out of the picture. They are leeches on patients and doctors. Methodist Hospital is our enemy (I'm at St. Luke's) so yeah, I agree that they suck. I'm in favor of prosecuting insurance fraud and for heavy penalties on doctors and hospitals for this behavior.

As far as the VA, I think it works well for those who don't want to pay anything extra for their health care and have limited expectations. I would be OK with a two-tiered system in the U.S. -- VA-style health care for those who want to rely on the government and private health care for the rest of us. The VA is fine for some, but not good enough for me and my family. I expect a better level of care and am willing to pay for it.

07-10-2008, 03:34 AM	#1
CardiacCoug Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 471	How bad does health care suck in Canada? Pretty bad. Sounds like this lady had a pituitary tumor compressing her optic nerve and was told to "get in line" for her surgery in Canada. Good thing our health care system in this country still functions to some degree -- Canadians and Europeans appreciate it even if most Americans complain like crazy. http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArti...00495064758477

07-10-2008, 03:47 AM	#2
SoCalCoug Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Orange County, California Posts: 3,059	Yeah, I'm sure this woman would agree with you. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25588407/ __________________ Get your stinking paws off me, you damned, dirty Yewt! "Now perhaps as I spanked myself screaming out "Kozlowski, say it like you mean it bitch!" might have been out of line, but such was the mood." - Goatnapper "If you want to fatten a pig up to make the pig MORE delicious, you can feed it almost anything. Seriously. The pig is like the car on Back to the Future. You put in garbage, and out comes something magical!" - Cali Coug

07-10-2008, 04:47 AM	#9
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,367	Cardiac will always take medicare. He has to. He has no choice. I have a choice. And I won't. Why? Well the medical system values action, and not thinking. If I spent 10 minutes stitching a cut, I would get paid more for that than 1 hour of wading through the worst, most terrifying, sickening psychological shiz you can imagine, in someone with 15 medications.