correct. you simply will not get triaged with anything less than an emergency.
To be fair... I can cite several cases of ERs sending people home only to have them die there in BC.
Our system needs a bit of help. It's good, but it's not great.
My daughter has had to undergo extensive help with a hip ailment. She's young and this is an athletic injury. The wait times for specialists, MRIs (2 of them) and follow ups have been painful.
really? never heard of that. there was one case in winnipeg that got global attention for the guy in the wheelchair with a bladder infection, sitting there for 2 days and then dying. why have i not heard of these several cases in bc?
specialists are a whole different ball of wax. one of the issues with socialized healthcare. people do abuse those (i know one person in particular who demands them because of some new sickness she doesn't have, only to cancel when she arrives-it's maddening and she should be billed for it).
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
correct. you simply will not get triaged with anything less than an emergency.
To be fair... I can cite several cases of ERs sending people home only to have them die there in BC.
Our system needs a bit of help. It's good, but it's not great.
My daughter has had to undergo extensive help with a hip ailment. She's young and this is an athletic injury. The wait times for specialists, MRIs (2 of them) and follow ups have been painful.
really? never heard of that. there was one case in winnipeg that got global attention for the guy in the wheelchair with a bladder infection, sitting there for 2 days and then dying. why have i not heard of these several cases in bc?
specialists are a whole different ball of wax. one of the issues with socialized healthcare. people do abuse those (i know one person in particular who demands them because of some new sickness she doesn't have, only to cancel when she arrives-it's maddening and she should be billed for it).
Hugh...
I did a quick 'British Columbia emergency room death' google search and... well... look for yourself.
Nobody is denying coverage. Nobody wants people to be denied coverage. How it is funded is the disagreement.
I don't care if a woman wants an abortion, her choice. I don't want to pay for it. That is not a war on women or denying them healthcare.
The GOP denies coverage by making premiums unreachable to those with pre-existing conditions. You are falling victim to the ignorance of assuming "coverage is available" is the same as "all will be covered."
Insuring pre existing conditions is not insurance. It is a gift. Someone has to pay for it.
Progressives are afraid those who need help aren't getting it. Conservatives are afraid those who are getting help don't deserve it. Faux-bertarians are just afraid anyone is getting help at all.
If everyone is covered from day 1, there is no such thing as a preexisting condition. The whole concept goes away. Simply being alive is a preexisting condition that will eventually require healthcare, to everyone, to some degree.
I would correct your statement to: Conservatives are afraid those who are getting help will begin to rely on it, and eventually abuse it. Like going to the ER for the common cold because they know it is free that way. It isn't a matter of deserving, its reliance and abusing.
I agree on the preexisting part. That is an old way of looking at health care. Back when most could afford regular care out of pocket, and health "insurance" was just that. Coverage for catastrophic events and big bills due to accidents, but the regular doctor visit wasn't a ridiculous $300 for a 5 minute visit. The first companies were hospitals themselves, not a third party making a profit off of your health. A preexisting condition shouldn't be that big of a deal if you could afford your own visits and care. The average cost per family is about $20,000 a year in just premiums now. Add on co-pays and deductibles on top of that too. We've gone a long way from covering accidents or even essentially pre-paying for medical expenses based on average use which is the format of the first healthcare really was, to now a third party profiting from it. So many more middle-men need to get paid, and CEOs making millions who don't supply anything of real benefit, and that is where this money is going. I don't like Obamacare, not because of Obamacare itself and people getting covered, but because of the greedy healthcare agencies that rip off people in need, and Obamacare forces us to buy into that. Many hospitals are actually forced to charge their patients more due to their contracts with the healthcare providers, and then pay a co-pay and deductible of that bill, which results in payments that are even higher than someone uninsured would pay. Its ridiculous, greedy and doesn't work.
If your first paragraph is seriously a concern, maybe you ought to drive a few hours to Canada and see how THAT DOESN'T EVER HAPPEN. This is the most asinine comment I've ever seen. Two ways you get into ER - either an ambulance qualifies you as needing the service en route or at your doorstep, or a front-desk doctor on call does. Do people just walk into emergency rooms, no questions asked, in America?
It does happen here. Ask anyone who works in an ER in the states. It may not happen there, but it is very common in the US. People abuse ER all the time because they are not allow to turn patients away (and they shouldn't). So people who don't have insurance will go to the ER instead of a regular doctor who can turn patients away, or people who have government paid insurance go to it for unnecessary reasons if they never see the bill (go to the ER for a cold on Sunday because they don't want to wait until Monday or miss work). Happens all the time here. So I don't know how anyone can call it asinine when it happens on a daily basis here. A better argument could be if everyone has healthcare, then there would be no reason to abuse the ER, that logic makes some sense. But to disregard what is already happening and call it asinine is asinine itself.
Yes, there are tons of abuses with our healthcare system. Way too many people go to the ER for a cold or the flu, and many of them are on Medicaid or smaller plans. I can't say for certain how many go on an exchange plan, but I'm sure there are plenty that do. The company I work for this year instituted a policy that if you go to the ER for anything other than an emergency (accident, heart attack, stroke, broken bones, etc) you will be 100% liable for all bills. They won't pay a dime. Every plan should be that way with the only exception is if there is no Urgent Care or Walk-in clinic in your area.
As far as the pre-existing conditions goes, yes, if everyone had coverage from day 1, there would be no pre-existing conditions, but it doesn't work that way. People change jobs, or get fired and may not be able find a new job that gives them coverage and they have to change plans. That's a sticky situation. While I'm somewhat ok with someone being charged more because of a pre-existing condition, it should still be affordable. No one should have to go broke because of medical bills. And the list that the GOP health plan of their pre-existing conditions was absurd. Someone who is a victim of domestic abuse or rape, should never be charged more for their health plan. Nor should anyone who was born with a defect or any illness/disease they've had since birth. But, if someone smokes for 30+ years and develops lung cancer, they probably should have to pay more
I dont think people believe many people die waiting to be seen in the ER, here or in Canada. If it isnt life threatening it can take hours to be seen though, life threatening conditions obviously have priority. But that can leave people in serious pain, but non life threatening, waiting hours to be seen. For the record I never said I fear those things. I was just commenting on a previous statement. I see more conservatives fear the abuse of the system (because it actually is already happening here now, regardless what happens in Canada) over only wanting those who "deserve" to be covered being the only ones covered. I dont think universal care would be worse off. The biggest concern I hear, far bigger than people abusing it, is taxes. Taxes would definitely be higher, but probably not as high as what I am currently paying in monthly premiums anyway. Personally I think a combination of our system integrated into government sponsored. I see nothing wrong with asking people who get more out of it to pay a little more, as long as it is still affordable. Instead of a third party making billions off it, make government the "insurer." Have reasonable co-pays, so those who are healthy and never see the Dr end up paying a little less than those who do. Avoid the $3,000 MRI bill, and just pay a $50 copay. Still have ERs with a higher copay (maybe $100), so those only with a true emergency will use it over waiting until regular hours and keep them from being over crowded and lower to wait times. I'd definitely be will to pay double co-pay for an ER visit if it meant lower wait times.
correct. you simply will not get triaged with anything less than an emergency.
To be fair... I can cite several cases of ERs sending people home only to have them die there in BC.
Our system needs a bit of help. It's good, but it's not great.
My daughter has had to undergo extensive help with a hip ailment. She's young and this is an athletic injury. The wait times for specialists, MRIs (2 of them) and follow ups have been painful.
really? never heard of that. there was one case in winnipeg that got global attention for the guy in the wheelchair with a bladder infection, sitting there for 2 days and then dying. why have i not heard of these several cases in bc?
specialists are a whole different ball of wax. one of the issues with socialized healthcare. people do abuse those (i know one person in particular who demands them because of some new sickness she doesn't have, only to cancel when she arrives-it's maddening and she should be billed for it).
Hugh...
I did a quick 'British Columbia emergency room death' google search and... well... look for yourself.
Not good.
That happens in the USA too....my co-workers sister was having chest pain a few years ago and went to the local ER. Classic symptoms...chest pain, left shoulder pain, etc. They told her it was acid reflux and sent her home. The next morning she collapsed and died next to her car in the garage.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
correct. you simply will not get triaged with anything less than an emergency.
To be fair... I can cite several cases of ERs sending people home only to have them die there in BC.
Our system needs a bit of help. It's good, but it's not great.
My daughter has had to undergo extensive help with a hip ailment. She's young and this is an athletic injury. The wait times for specialists, MRIs (2 of them) and follow ups have been painful.
really? never heard of that. there was one case in winnipeg that got global attention for the guy in the wheelchair with a bladder infection, sitting there for 2 days and then dying. why have i not heard of these several cases in bc?
specialists are a whole different ball of wax. one of the issues with socialized healthcare. people do abuse those (i know one person in particular who demands them because of some new sickness she doesn't have, only to cancel when she arrives-it's maddening and she should be billed for it).
Hugh...
I did a quick 'British Columbia emergency room death' google search and... well... look for yourself.
Not good.
That happens in the USA too....my co-workers sister was having chest pain a few years ago and went to the local ER. Classic symptoms...chest pain, left shoulder pain, etc. They told her it was acid reflux and sent her home. The next morning she collapsed and died next to her car in the garage.
It definitely happens. But it isnt a case of "we're too busy, have a seat and we'll get to you if you're still alive." It is usually the result of a misdiagnosis, or misinterpreting symptoms of something more serious. Anything serious, and recognized as serious, is always addressed immediately anywhere you are. If not, that is probably some form of malpractice. No matter where you are and what sort of coverage is available, that will unfortunately always happen. Go to the ER, misdiagnose symptoms, and results in death. I would assume this would happen much less frequently if ERs we not crowded with non-emergency patience however. And ER doctors and nurses weren't use to see people in the ER with the common cold, heart burn, headaches, etc.
Many times, doctors and nurses assume the worse of people coming in and complaining of stuff. There are a lot of people that run to them the moment their nose starts running and doctors grow a little insensitive over time.
If hypochondriacs would understand that they will survive the common cold... and that knee pain isn't a ruptured ligament... we'd be better for it: doctors wouldn't be so dismissive and our system wouldn't be so taxed.
Many times, doctors and nurses assume the worse of people coming in and complaining of stuff. There are a lot of people that run to them the moment their nose starts running and doctors grow a little insensitive over time.
If hypochondriacs would understand that they will survive the common cold... and that knee pain isn't a ruptured ligament... we'd be better for it: doctors wouldn't be so dismissive and our system wouldn't be so taxed.
easy to say. honestly, many emergency illnesses can manifest themselves in many different ways. the websites that people look to for guidance don't help. they always tell you the worst case scenario, and off to the ER they go. there is really too much information out there, but i'm sure that easily available info has also saved some lives.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
agreed. you don't fuck around with young kids. things can go south quickly.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
Let's assume this is true. So what? You're going to deny millions of people health care because of some bogeyman story about a moron who went to the ER when he should have gone to the Urgent Care Clinic?
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
Let's assume this is true. So what? You're going to deny millions of people health care because of some bogeyman story about a moron who went to the ER when he should have gone to the Urgent Care Clinic?
of course not.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
Let's assume this is true. So what? You're going to deny millions of people health care because of some bogeyman story about a moron who went to the ER when he should have gone to the Urgent Care Clinic?
I didn't take that as we should deny people coverage. I certainly didnt mean to imply we should deny coverage when I mentioned a similar problem. It's not a single guy. I know quite a few people who work in hospitals and they all say it is a big problem, and bigger in poorer areas. Just pointing out what is wrong and concerns that people have. Legitimate concerns of abuse cause by unnecessary use of the ER, that doesn't mean anyone wants to see people go uninsured or untreated. Just a quick google search had multiple sources quoting it at 71% of ER visits could have waited for a primary care. The most conservative estimate I saw was still 12%, and this is from a source clearly trying to debunk the myth of ER over-use. So its probably somewhere in the middle, but even 12% is still a high number. I didn't much faith into that article since they also try to argue ER visits aren't really more expensive that a primary care doctor visit anyway, and that's just dumb. But here it is.
They counter-argue that most wasted ER visits are uninsured. I agree that many are, many have insurance who abuse it, and many of them are the over-insured. That is a ward of the state and the guardian doesn't have to see the bill, or someone with such a great plan the ER visit is the same copay as a primary care visit. So it isn't all the uninsured, but it is mostly those who have no accountability for their healthcare decisions because they never see the difference financially-its already taken care of by someone else. So there's good reason to at least be concerned that with free healthcare this may not change in our culture even if it is not a problem somewhere else. Even at 12%, that is still a lot of wasted money and care and room to improve.
If we're going to revamp healthcare, we may as well redo it so it is the best system we can have with what we have to work with, and not just just settle for something that works okay for someone else. If we know ER visits are already a problem here, why should it not be addressed if we're talking about creating a new system?
That is why I like the idea of not universal free healthcare, but the idea that the government will act as a non-profit insurer, and we as citizens have nominal co-pays based on the care. Dr visit $25, ER $75 and so on. Even make it $10 and $30 for families with an income under 40k or something. Basically just like a universal system, but require those who use it more to pay just a little more and help keep the cost down for everyone and hold people accountable for choosing the ER over primary care or making unnecessary visits. A non-profit insurer would make premiums a fraction of what they are now, which could just be taken out in the form of taxes instead of an even larger chunk from my paycheck.
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
You don't think there are hypochondriacs that access our medical system repeatedly and when not necessary?
My example was obviously trite, but abuse exists at a level that is far greater than what is being acknowledged here.
I'm saying we live with it (what choice do we have?), but it is problematic to some degree.
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
You don't think there are hypochondriacs that access our medical system repeatedly and when not necessary?
My example was obviously trite, but abuse exists at a level that is far greater than what is being acknowledged here.
I'm saying we live with it (what choice do we have?), but it is problematic to some degree.
I know there are. I was speaking directly to your example as you presented it.
of course it is problematic to a degree, but anytime you have something that is perceived to be free, it will be. especially where your health is concerned. how do you curb it? I don't know. there have been attempts made, whether those attempts have yielded any measurable results I don't know.
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
I agree, there is a far cry between the two, but most of us are somewhere in the middle anyways. We knew it was croup, and that it is pretty rare for children to actually experience serious problems, but that rationale was lost in the heat of the moment. I think it just illustrates that people do what they feel like they need to, and most people are idiots so we just have to accept it as an inevitable kink in the system. There are solutions coming in the future, Skype and Facetime present some great opportunities, Watson is going to change medicine in fundamental ways, etc. The key is that we have to incentivize the progress, not stifle it with unfettered profit motive.
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
You don't think there are hypochondriacs that access our medical system repeatedly and when not necessary?
My example was obviously trite, but abuse exists at a level that is far greater than what is being acknowledged here.
I'm saying we live with it (what choice do we have?), but it is problematic to some degree.
so what? Some people take 2-3 samples at Costco too. Some people suck. That doesn't have anything to do with the issues facing healthcare.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
I agree, there is a far cry between the two, but most of us are somewhere in the middle anyways. We knew it was croup, and that it is pretty rare for children to actually experience serious problems, but that rationale was lost in the heat of the moment. I think it just illustrates that people do what they feel like they need to, and most people are idiots so we just have to accept it as an inevitable kink in the system. There are solutions coming in the future, Skype and Facetime present some great opportunities, Watson is going to change medicine in fundamental ways, etc. The key is that we have to incentivize the progress, not stifle it with unfettered profit motive.
I was the opposite, but turned out I was in the wrong, Our 7-month old son had it. My wife got all worked up, didn't know what he had at the time, but he was wheezing and wanted to take him to urgent care or ER. I wanted to wait until the morning. I really had a hard time even hearing it it was so mild. But we called the nurse hotline and they said anything to do with breathing take him in, so we took him in and he spent 4 nights in the hospital. I had some false confidence in that we took him to see the primary care earlier that day, and I thought why would they send us home if it was that serious, we just saw the doctor literally 3 hours ago, gave us medicine and now we're back home. Guess the doctor made a mistake.
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
I agree, there is a far cry between the two, but most of us are somewhere in the middle anyways. We knew it was croup, and that it is pretty rare for children to actually experience serious problems, but that rationale was lost in the heat of the moment. I think it just illustrates that people do what they feel like they need to, and most people are idiots so we just have to accept it as an inevitable kink in the system. There are solutions coming in the future, Skype and Facetime present some great opportunities, Watson is going to change medicine in fundamental ways, etc. The key is that we have to incentivize the progress, not stifle it with unfettered profit motive.
I was the opposite, but turned out I was in the wrong, Our 7-month old son had it. My wife got all worked up, didn't know what he had at the time, but he was wheezing and wanted to take him to urgent care or ER. I wanted to wait until the morning. I really had a hard time even hearing it it was so mild. But we called the nurse hotline and they said anything to do with breathing take him in, so we took him in and he spent 4 nights in the hospital. I had some false confidence in that we took him to see the primary care earlier that day, and I thought why would they send us home if it was that serious, we just saw the doctor literally 3 hours ago, gave us medicine and now we're back home. Guess the doctor made a mistake.
7 months is a very tender age, glad it came out ok! It's the worst hearing them suffer and struggle.
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
You don't think there are hypochondriacs that access our medical system repeatedly and when not necessary?
My example was obviously trite, but abuse exists at a level that is far greater than what is being acknowledged here.
I'm saying we live with it (what choice do we have?), but it is problematic to some degree.
so what? Some people take 2-3 samples at Costco too. Some people suck. That doesn't have anything to do with the issues facing healthcare.
Well I guess you don't get it then.
When people abuse the system... it gets backed up. Then people who need attention don't get it in timely manner. This 'fact' is an issue facing health care.
I don't have an answer for people's 'suckiness'... but if there was one to curb abuse patterns... I'd be in favour of it.
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
You don't think there are hypochondriacs that access our medical system repeatedly and when not necessary?
My example was obviously trite, but abuse exists at a level that is far greater than what is being acknowledged here.
I'm saying we live with it (what choice do we have?), but it is problematic to some degree.
so what? Some people take 2-3 samples at Costco too. Some people suck. That doesn't have anything to do with the issues facing healthcare.
Well I guess you don't get it then.
When people abuse the system... it gets backed up. Then people who need attention don't get it in timely manner. This 'fact' is an issue facing health care.
I don't have an answer for people's 'suckiness'... but if there was one to curb abuse patterns... I'd be in favour of it.
People try to use this argument of individuals abusing the system in an attempt to argue against a single payer system. It's a misguided counter argument. ........(dots added to find post button, quotes messy)
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
You don't think there are hypochondriacs that access our medical system repeatedly and when not necessary?
My example was obviously trite, but abuse exists at a level that is far greater than what is being acknowledged here.
I'm saying we live with it (what choice do we have?), but it is problematic to some degree.
so what? Some people take 2-3 samples at Costco too. Some people suck. That doesn't have anything to do with the issues facing healthcare.
Does it still count as taking 2-3 samples if I grab some for my kids....who are still using a bottle?
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
You don't think there are hypochondriacs that access our medical system repeatedly and when not necessary?
My example was obviously trite, but abuse exists at a level that is far greater than what is being acknowledged here.
I'm saying we live with it (what choice do we have?), but it is problematic to some degree.
so what? Some people take 2-3 samples at Costco too. Some people suck. That doesn't have anything to do with the issues facing healthcare.
Well I guess you don't get it then.
When people abuse the system... it gets backed up. Then people who need attention don't get it in timely manner. This 'fact' is an issue facing health care.
I don't have an answer for people's 'suckiness'... but if there was one to curb abuse patterns... I'd be in favour of it.
People try to use this argument of individuals abusing the system in an attempt to argue against a single payer system. It's a misguided counter argument. ........(dots added to find post button, quotes messy)
Like I said... we're damned if we do and damned if we don't.
I don't have the answer so we (in Canada) will have to live with hypochondriacs accessing the medical system ad nauseam and bogging things up for the truly needy.
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
You don't think there are hypochondriacs that access our medical system repeatedly and when not necessary?
My example was obviously trite, but abuse exists at a level that is far greater than what is being acknowledged here.
I'm saying we live with it (what choice do we have?), but it is problematic to some degree.
so what? Some people take 2-3 samples at Costco too. Some people suck. That doesn't have anything to do with the issues facing healthcare.
Yeah, it has a lot to do with it. People that abuse the system (which involves way more than just unnecessary ER visits), cause premiums to go up, which causes you to spend more money
2 parents with advanced medical training and experience, and we still took our 2 year old son to the ER when he had croup. Knowing what it was and how seldom it has drastic consequences didn't matter much when he was hyperventilating and struggling to breathe through coughs.
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
Air is fundamental.
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
ok, I can't seriously believe your example actually happens.
You don't think there are hypochondriacs that access our medical system repeatedly and when not necessary?
My example was obviously trite, but abuse exists at a level that is far greater than what is being acknowledged here.
I'm saying we live with it (what choice do we have?), but it is problematic to some degree.
so what? Some people take 2-3 samples at Costco too. Some people suck. That doesn't have anything to do with the issues facing healthcare.
Yeah, it has a lot to do with it. People that abuse the system (which involves way more than just unnecessary ER visits), cause premiums to go up, which causes you to spend more money
Cost/premiums go up because there are costs assigned. If I enter an ER and visit a treatment room a "cost" gets assigned to that even though there is technically no "cost". If 10 people get treated for the flu in that room the hospital bills $4000....if one person gets treated in that room in the same time period on another day the hospital bills $400. The "cost" of that room has not changed...but the payouts by the insurance company have.
Remember the Thomas Nine !! (10/02/2018) The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago 2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy 2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE) 2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston 2020: Oakland, Oakland:2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana 2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville 2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
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specialists are a whole different ball of wax. one of the issues with socialized healthcare. people do abuse those (i know one person in particular who demands them because of some new sickness she doesn't have, only to cancel when she arrives-it's maddening and she should be billed for it).
-EV 8/14/93
I did a quick 'British Columbia emergency room death' google search and... well... look for yourself.
Not good.
-EV 8/14/93
A better argument could be if everyone has healthcare, then there would be no reason to abuse the ER, that logic makes some sense. But to disregard what is already happening and call it asinine is asinine itself.
As far as the pre-existing conditions goes, yes, if everyone had coverage from day 1, there would be no pre-existing conditions, but it doesn't work that way. People change jobs, or get fired and may not be able find a new job that gives them coverage and they have to change plans. That's a sticky situation. While I'm somewhat ok with someone being charged more because of a pre-existing condition, it should still be affordable. No one should have to go broke because of medical bills. And the list that the GOP health plan of their pre-existing conditions was absurd. Someone who is a victim of domestic abuse or rape, should never be charged more for their health plan. Nor should anyone who was born with a defect or any illness/disease they've had since birth. But, if someone smokes for 30+ years and develops lung cancer, they probably should have to pay more
For the record I never said I fear those things. I was just commenting on a previous statement. I see more conservatives fear the abuse of the system (because it actually is already happening here now, regardless what happens in Canada) over only wanting those who "deserve" to be covered being the only ones covered.
I dont think universal care would be worse off. The biggest concern I hear, far bigger than people abusing it, is taxes. Taxes would definitely be higher, but probably not as high as what I am currently paying in monthly premiums anyway.
Personally I think a combination of our system integrated into government sponsored. I see nothing wrong with asking people who get more out of it to pay a little more, as long as it is still affordable. Instead of a third party making billions off it, make government the "insurer." Have reasonable co-pays, so those who are healthy and never see the Dr end up paying a little less than those who do. Avoid the $3,000 MRI bill, and just pay a $50 copay. Still have ERs with a higher copay (maybe $100), so those only with a true emergency will use it over waiting until regular hours and keep them from being over crowded and lower to wait times. I'd definitely be will to pay double co-pay for an ER visit if it meant lower wait times.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
It is usually the result of a misdiagnosis, or misinterpreting symptoms of something more serious. Anything serious, and recognized as serious, is always addressed immediately anywhere you are. If not, that is probably some form of malpractice.
No matter where you are and what sort of coverage is available, that will unfortunately always happen. Go to the ER, misdiagnose symptoms, and results in death.
I would assume this would happen much less frequently if ERs we not crowded with non-emergency patience however. And ER doctors and nurses weren't use to see people in the ER with the common cold, heart burn, headaches, etc.
If hypochondriacs would understand that they will survive the common cold... and that knee pain isn't a ruptured ligament... we'd be better for it: doctors wouldn't be so dismissive and our system wouldn't be so taxed.
-EV 8/14/93
Then again, there are some legitimately stupid people out there. 59 million at least lol
-EV 8/14/93
Shortness of breath and persistent cough is a far cry from a middle aged person running to Emergency for the 6th time in 6 months because their nose is running.
-EV 8/14/93
-EV 8/14/93
Just pointing out what is wrong and concerns that people have. Legitimate concerns of abuse cause by unnecessary use of the ER, that doesn't mean anyone wants to see people go uninsured or untreated.
Just a quick google search had multiple sources quoting it at 71% of ER visits could have waited for a primary care. The most conservative estimate I saw was still 12%, and this is from a source clearly trying to debunk the myth of ER over-use. So its probably somewhere in the middle, but even 12% is still a high number. I didn't much faith into that article since they also try to argue ER visits aren't really more expensive that a primary care doctor visit anyway, and that's just dumb. But here it is.
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2010/03/are_most_emergency_room_visits_really_unnecessary.html
They counter-argue that most wasted ER visits are uninsured. I agree that many are, many have insurance who abuse it, and many of them are the over-insured. That is a ward of the state and the guardian doesn't have to see the bill, or someone with such a great plan the ER visit is the same copay as a primary care visit. So it isn't all the uninsured, but it is mostly those who have no accountability for their healthcare decisions because they never see the difference financially-its already taken care of by someone else. So there's good reason to at least be concerned that with free healthcare this may not change in our culture even if it is not a problem somewhere else. Even at 12%, that is still a lot of wasted money and care and room to improve.
If we're going to revamp healthcare, we may as well redo it so it is the best system we can have with what we have to work with, and not just just settle for something that works okay for someone else. If we know ER visits are already a problem here, why should it not be addressed if we're talking about creating a new system?
That is why I like the idea of not universal free healthcare, but the idea that the government will act as a non-profit insurer, and we as citizens have nominal co-pays based on the care. Dr visit $25, ER $75 and so on. Even make it $10 and $30 for families with an income under 40k or something. Basically just like a universal system, but require those who use it more to pay just a little more and help keep the cost down for everyone and hold people accountable for choosing the ER over primary care or making unnecessary visits. A non-profit insurer would make premiums a fraction of what they are now, which could just be taken out in the form of taxes instead of an even larger chunk from my paycheck.
My example was obviously trite, but abuse exists at a level that is far greater than what is being acknowledged here.
I'm saying we live with it (what choice do we have?), but it is problematic to some degree.
of course it is problematic to a degree, but anytime you have something that is perceived to be free, it will be. especially where your health is concerned. how do you curb it? I don't know. there have been attempts made, whether those attempts have yielded any measurable results I don't know.
-EV 8/14/93
We knew it was croup, and that it is pretty rare for children to actually experience serious problems, but that rationale was lost in the heat of the moment.
I think it just illustrates that people do what they feel like they need to, and most people are idiots so we just have to accept it as an inevitable kink in the system. There are solutions coming in the future, Skype and Facetime present some great opportunities, Watson is going to change medicine in fundamental ways, etc. The key is that we have to incentivize the progress, not stifle it with unfettered profit motive.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2
But we called the nurse hotline and they said anything to do with breathing take him in, so we took him in and he spent 4 nights in the hospital. I had some false confidence in that we took him to see the primary care earlier that day, and I thought why would they send us home if it was that serious, we just saw the doctor literally 3 hours ago, gave us medicine and now we're back home. Guess the doctor made a mistake.
When people abuse the system... it gets backed up. Then people who need attention don't get it in timely manner. This 'fact' is an issue facing health care.
I don't have an answer for people's 'suckiness'... but if there was one to curb abuse patterns... I'd be in favour of it.
I don't have the answer so we (in Canada) will have to live with hypochondriacs accessing the medical system ad nauseam and bogging things up for the truly needy.
The Golden Age is 2 months away. And guess what….. you’re gonna love it! (teskeinc 11.19.24)
1998: Noblesville; 2003: Noblesville; 2009: EV Nashville, Chicago, Chicago
2010: St Louis, Columbus, Noblesville; 2011: EV Chicago, East Troy, East Troy
2013: London ON, Wrigley; 2014: Cincy, St Louis, Moline (NO CODE)
2016: Lexington, Wrigley #1; 2018: Wrigley, Wrigley, Boston, Boston
2020: Oakland, Oakland: 2021: EV Ohana, Ohana, Ohana, Ohana
2022: Oakland, Oakland, Nashville, Louisville; 2023: Chicago, Chicago, Noblesville
2024: Noblesville, Wrigley, Wrigley, Ohana, Ohana; 2025: Pitt1, Pitt2