Canadian Health Care

Okay, I'm sure it's safe to ask this:  I know what LMAO stands for, but I still haven't figured out ROF --- Layne, fill in the blanks please!  (Studded with a few asterisks if necessary....)

layne157, welcome to the "socialist" thread....I appreciate reading your sane, articulate, common sense perspective. I feel so badly that the extremists seem to be the face of America these days. You have a wonderful president who is going to great lengths to bring consenus to such a challenging situation. I do hope he is successful. I really don't understand the "me, me, me" mentality. If the US turns into a have/have not country, everyone will suffer in the long term. It also bothers me that the news programs are not so much about news but about getting opinions on the news and then people watching think that those opinions are fact. The media seems to be creating some of the problems IMHO.

I agree with you, Linda. The danger is in the extemes without a middle class. That's what topples governments. Canada has many similar issues with poverty as the US and in a free enterprise system, there will always be some who thrive and some who don't. But people have to believe that, if they try, they can also improve their standard of living. In Ontario we have a very strong public education system - one that delivers a quality education and we do our best to give every young person the opportunity to learn and to be successful...i.e. we offer hope. And similarly we offer universal health care so every one can get treatment....again, that is something that gives people hope. These two things also indicate that as a society we do care about everyone. Those things make a big difference.

Hey, what can I say -- your dh has great taste!!!

I heard today that more "boys" are now carrying their licensed weapons to town halls.  Must be giving the secret service absolute conniptions.  And I swear they're doing it as an intimidation technique.  Well, maybe it will wake up some saner people to the utter stupidity of allowing unconcealed weapons in public venues.

layne and bar, welcome to our discussion.  You have given me new hope that America will find its way through this.  I think that the rest of the world has been hearing those yelling their absurd beliefs so much that we also wonder what is going on.  And I echo lindasa in saying that one person's right will always infringe on another's.  Smokers want the freedom to smoke anywhere.  Non smokers want the right not to have to deal with smoke in public.  The problems seem to start when one side  won't even acknowledge this fact.  Compromise is essential. 

To most of the international world, Obama is like a breath of fresh air.  I used to think that his youthful thinking and energy was one of the things that drew people to him.  But every time Palin opens her mouth, it becomes apparent that youth is not enough!  

I so hope that some type of universal  health care can be a attained for you.  It breaks my heart to hear the stories of so many woman on this site.  I also hope there will never be a day when Canadians do not appreciate the freedom that our health care system gives us.

gracie1

hello I am also from Saskatchewan (regina) and am so very grateful for our health care.  Where in Sask are you gracie?

Hey Revkat -- glad you want to join us!!  We think along the same lines but it's good to get the American perspective here.

Helen, I note that Harper and the Conservatives have been pretty silent about healthcare changes -- afraid to bring it up because of the wrath it might incur!  Ignatieff and the Liberals will never be against the single-payer system.  Liberals are, above all, pragmatists (IMO) and if the public wants to keep the system as is, the Liberals will make sure of it, with as few changes as politically necessary!  Besides, if an election is held within the next few months, the Libs will need the New Democrats to support them if they gain a minority.

Okay, that's just my take on it.....love to hear what the rest of you think.

Gracie, I know it's a real problem, but I keep wondering why those people don't just go to a walk-in clinic?  Their wait probably wouldn't be as long.  And, if they come to emergency, what about triage just sending them to the nearest walk-in clinic if it isn't an emergency?  That's what triage is for -- to determine the urgency, for goodness' sake!  Or do we have a law that says anyone presenting in emerg must be taken care of, as they do in the U.S.?

Following is an article from today's newspaper - written by Bob Hepburn of the Toronto Star

Why I'd rather be sick here than in U.S. Email story Print Choose text size Report error or complaint Email the author License this article
Aug 20, 2009 04:30 AM Comments on this story (43) Bob Hepburn

It is hard, these days, to turn on an American TV channel without seeing politicians or right-wing pundits ranting about how bad Canada's beloved medicare system supposedly is.

Their fear-mongering is aimed at frightening Americans and ultimately derailing President Barack Obama's proposals, timid as they are, to reform U.S. health care.

For weeks, Americans have been told that Canada pushes its sickest and weakest to the bottom of wait lists, that our health care is inferior, that it's the government that decides who lives and who dies.

Despite these attacks, the reality is that the overall quality of health care experienced in Canada is far better than in the United States.

If you have any doubt, just ask yourself this simple question:

Would you rather be sick here or in the U. S.?

For me, the answer is obvious.

I have worked and studied in the U.S. for a total of 10 years and, although I have received good care from American doctors and clinics, I'd much rather be sick here.

I'm not alone in feeling this way.

While some of us gripe about wait times and the shortage of doctors and nurses, a recent EKOS poll indicated 87 per cent of Canadians believe our health-care system is better than the U.S. model.

Why is our system superior?

First, it's universal. Everyone is entitled to treatment and they get the same level of care as a multi-millionaire. By contrast, in the U.S. the rich can buy top care and jump to the head of the waiting line.

But treatment for all other Americans depends on how much private insurance they have, or if they have any insurance at all, which 50 million don't.

Second, I visited doctors twice in the last week and never had to haul out my credit card or chequebook before I could see them.

Sure, I pay through my taxes, but that's far better than paying directly for every step of my care.

No Canadian winds up bankrupt because he or she had to pay for health care, which happens in the U.S., where private insurers often reject people with serious illnesses seeking coverage. Such incidents are so common that filmmaker Michael Moore easily made a documentary, Sicko, that focused on problems with the U.S. health insurance industry.

Third, the quality of care I got in the last week was unparalleled. Indeed, polls have consistently shown that more than 90 per cent of us are pleased with the level of care we have received.

Top surgeons at Toronto-area hospitals, for example, are as good as any in the U.S., and they treat patients based on need, not the size of their bank accounts. Nurses and other health professionals are well-trained, too, with standards often exceeding those in the U.S.

Fourth, many of our medical outcomes top those in the U.S. We live longer, our infant mortality rates are lower, our cancer and heart disease levels and the rate of low-birth weight babies, are better.

Fifth, I only had to wait several weeks to see a specialist. Overall, wait times for many procedures, such as hip replacements, are dropping dramatically now that more money and attention have been focused on the problem.

Sixth, I feel better knowing that part of my health dollars aren't going to line the pockets of fat-cat private health insurers, whose profits in the U.S. have equalled the total amount of money that Canada spends annually on health care for all its citizens.

Admittedly, our system is not perfect. There is a shortage of doctors and nurses, limited access to some diagnostic services, different levels of care in different parts of the country and rapidly rising costs.

But similar problems exist in every country in the world.

To address these issues, doctors at the Canadian Medical Association's annual meeting this week urged Ottawa and the provinces to look at increasing the use of private-sector operators in delivering publicly funded health care.

But allowing more private health care in Canada isn't the answer to our medicare shortcomings.

The way to resolve most of our problems is to spend more money. If anything, we don't spend enough. Canada spends just 10 per cent of its gross national product on health care while the U.S. spends a whopping 16 per cent.

If we spent as much as the Americans did, there would be no doubt at all about where you'd rather be if you became sick.