Socialized or not socialized, it's all pretty much the same. None of it is very fast. We have the supposed best health plan in the state, yet it took my husband's friend months to get in to see the GI specialist--first available appt. Three weeks after his initial visit he was dead from cancer. I myself have a variety of skin conditions...every time I need to see my dermatologist, the wait is a month to 6 weeks. It's ridiculous. So, I already have to wait. If the wait isn't too much worse, give me the socialized medicine. I have the socialized wait times and the huge monthly health plan payments, too, as it is. If something would lighten the load--either financially or convenience-wise, I'd be all for it.
so the argument against socialized health care is primarily because it would take to long for coverage....meanwhile we're hearing stories of people that have went through the current structure and have found that is is taking too long-literally in some cases...people are dying.
so fuck off. health care needs to be reformed. period.
Socialized or not socialized, it's all pretty much the same. None of it is very fast. We have the supposed best health plan in the state, yet it took my husband's friend months to get in to see the GI specialist--first available appt. Three weeks after his initial visit he was dead from cancer. I myself have a variety of skin conditions...every time I need to see my dermatologist, the wait is a month to 6 weeks. It's ridiculous. So, I already have to wait. If the wait isn't too much worse, give me the socialized medicine. I have the socialized wait times and the huge monthly health plan payments, too, as it is. If something would lighten the load--either financially or convenience-wise, I'd be all for it.
so the argument against socialized health care is primarily because it would take to long for coverage....meanwhile we're hearing stories of people that have went through the current structure and have found that is is taking too long-literally in some cases...people are dying.
so fuck off. health care needs to be reformed. period.
redrock- my apologies, I read it wrong...But what you are saying now would be worse. If taxes were raised to afford it as they are in other countries with it, it would be even worse. You have to take into account that cost of living is rising, but pay is getting cut. Add more taxes onto the cost of living and it's that much more difficult for the poor to get by than it's already becoming. It would be different if income was rising up along with the taxes, but that simply isn't the case.
Of course you need to pay for stuff like that via taxes. But do 'new' taxes need to be raised or can tax money be moved about - I don't know.
Here in the UK, once you earn more than £105 a week you start paying National Insurance. Most eligible people will contribute approx 11% of their salary (I think - may be less). This is not just for health care, but it is also your contribution to all kinds of benefits (unemployment, maternity allowance, incapacity benefit, retirement, income suppoert, bereavement allowance and many more). Not too sure what percentage of the contribution goes to health care and I don't have time to google at the moment but I think it is 2 or 3%. Naturally, those that for some reason are not in employment or taxable also benefit from National Health.
I am sure in the US there are already taxes covering a lot of the above.
Not too sure how much tax in total is deducted from salaries in the US (it has been such a long time since I lived and worked there) but I don't think it is much less than in the UK. EDIT- did a quick look up - US between 15% and 35%, UK between 0% and 40%, both countries with various brackets. I'm guessing the tax burden is very similar for your average earner.
I tell you, I would rather pay 2 or 3% of my salary every month (a lot less than any insurance an employer would offer) and not worry whether I can see a doctor or not, whether I can be treated or not and whether my child can stay healthy, have braces, etc.
As an example, a basic calculation for my husband tells me that the cost of his hospital bed would amount to approx $250.000 (ICU & 'normal'). That is without the brain surgery, all the on costs, tests, scans, equipment, etc., the costs of intensive neuro rehab, continuting care at home according to his needs and for as long as he needs it. I think my 2%/3% contribution is well worth it - only about 600 years worth of contributions!
The staff handles the paperwork. The doctors only add in copies of the notes they took for themselves during your appt.
sure qulifying for medicaid includes all you say. But proving you are pregnant or old is easy. And getting temp. medicaid for it is simple.
Proving you are disabled has a process, and no temp. approvals. You can't just fill out paperwork and expect them to say okay yea you are approved cos your doctor/hospital said you are disabled. No..Doctors can lie. There are plenty of doctors who will tell medicaid anything you want them to if you pay them enough. It's common practice. Not just medicaid either. How you think so many non-handicapped people have handicapped parking placards? Or people in California get on prescription marijuana when they have nothing wrong with them? That's why they send you to their own doctors. Problem with that is their own doctors, as said, are given incentive to say you are not disabled so medicaid can deny you.
I said I was from 2 socialist countries. My country of birth is Germany. There, UK, France, etc all have far higher taxes than us cos of socialised services like what we're discussing. But you are right, we'll have to agree to disagree.
JR- Why not find a different, less busy, derm?
Commy- read above. waiting period is far from the only issue.
Taxes would certainly be raised. Considering our debt. Look at the proposed stimulus plan from Obama. A number of things in it would normally be covered by taxes, but we can't cover them currently.
The u.s. is run stupidly, unfortunately. Congress focuses more on raising their already excessive income than helping the poor. As it is now, even people who do not make enough to pay taxes do have money deducted for social security and....medicaid (or medicare, don't remember which)..If insurance was nationwide, we'd be having a lot more deducted. Without a raise in income. The poor barely scrape by as it is.
..If insurance was nationwide, we'd be having a lot more deducted. Without a raise in income.
I don't want to be nosey, but do you have insurance from your employer? If you do, I'm sure it costs you more than the amount of taxes that could be deducted for medicare. If you don't have insurance (because your employer doesn't offer it, you don't qualify, you can't afford it, etc.) and, god forbid, something serious should happen to you, how would you cope? How would you pay all your medical bills? Your aftercare? Would you then only get the care/aftercare you can afford? I guess if you are employed and earning a reasonable salary, not old, disabled, etc. you do not qualify for medicare or medicaid.
One may have more money deducted from their salary but they gain the peace of mind they can stay healthy no matter what.
Though vilified by many, taxes are not a bad thing if used appropriately. Countries like the Scandinavian countries, etc with high taxes seem to be better off. There have been studies showing those countries have lower rates of poverty, job security, people live longer and are generally healthier. I'm guessing it's because money is spent on healthcare, education, etc.
You mention France and Germany with their taxes.. yes they are high (I lived and worked in both those countries), Belgium even higher (lived and worked there) but at least I can be ill without a problem there. Note that taxes in the UK are no way comparable to those countries. They are very similar to the US (federal and state).
..If insurance was nationwide, we'd be having a lot more deducted. Without a raise in income.
I don't want to be nosey, but do you have insurance from your employer? If you do, I'm sure it costs you more than the amount of taxes that could be deducted for medicare. If you don't have insurance (because your employer doesn't offer it, you don't qualify, you can't afford it, etc.) and, god forbid, something serious should happen to you, how would you cope? How would you pay all your medical bills? Your aftercare? Would you then only get the care/aftercare you can afford? I guess if you are employed and earning a reasonable salary, not old, disabled, etc. you do not qualify for medicare or medicaid.
One may have more money deducted from their salary but they gain the peace of mind they can stay healthy no matter what.
Though vilified by many, taxes are not a bad thing if used appropriately. Countries like the Scandinavian countries, etc with high taxes seem to be better off. There have been studies showing those countries have lower rates of poverty, job security, people live longer and are generally healthier. I'm guessing it's because money is spent on healthcare, education, etc.
You mention France and Germany with their taxes.. yes they are high (I lived and worked in both those countries), Belgium even higher (lived and worked there) but at least I can be ill without a problem there. Note that taxes in the UK are no way comparable to those countries. They are very similar to the US (federal and state).
Na, it's a legit question, not nosey..I am not insured. I am Chairperson of a foundation, as well as being on the board of directors of another organisation, but do not accept pay from either. My father has insurance from his job..but he also has seniority and decent pay. The folk who do not earn enough to pay taxes are most often part-time cos with the economy that is pretty well all you can find. Why? Cos if employers only hire part-time, they don't have to provide insurance. My feeling is that people who are incapable of affording both the cost of living and insurance should recieve gov.insurance. And actually, there are a couple of bills on the table, one in particular that is most likely to pass that will make it so that these people can receive gov.insurance. Medicare for those who can afford some private insurance, medicaid for those who can't afford any.
Taxes aren't bad in general. But here, right now, they are really really bad. They are getting hiked while income is getting dropped. When taxes become higher than people can afford, it is bad. And if Obama passes his God awful stimulus plan, you can be positive they will be raised. There is no way around it.
The staff handles the paperwork. The doctors only add in copies of the notes they took for themselves during your appt.
Sure, the docs must have large staffs to help them process billing paperwork - which is why they have such high overhead. But the docs themselves must complete the paperwork or it would not be legal. (This includes making sure the dictations say things in the way the insurance companies want to hear them.) So they must learm and remember all the different payer's complicated systems. Dealing with this can take quite a bit of time and is one of the causes of burnout among doctors, as well as why they only have 10 minutes to spend with you. My point is, the current system is bad in large part because having so many different payer sources is a burden on the providers.
sure qulifying for medicaid includes all you say. But proving you are pregnant or old is easy. And getting temp. medicaid for it is simple.
Proving you are disabled has a process, and no temp. approvals. You can't just fill out paperwork and expect them to say okay yea you are approved cos your doctor/hospital said you are disabled. No..Doctors can lie. There are plenty of doctors who will tell medicaid anything you want them to if you pay them enough. It's common practice. Not just medicaid either. How you think so many non-handicapped people have handicapped parking placards? Or people in California get on prescription marijuana when they have nothing wrong with them? That's why they send you to their own doctors. Problem with that is their own doctors, as said, are given incentive to say you are not disabled so medicaid can deny you.
Are you sure you're not talking about Medicare??
I said I was from 2 socialist countries. My country of birth is Germany. There, UK, France, etc all have far higher taxes than us cos of socialised services like what we're discussing.
Don't they also have more services than just the one we're proposing? (I believe someone else has already mentioned this point.) And have you figured in all the money the people save by not having to pay insurance premiums, etc? What about the savings to the taxpayers/government/healthcare system due to availability of preventative medicine? How about how it's better for the national economy to have a healthy workforce? And have you read the data about all the money the U.S. is already spending per capita for healthcare and how this money should be able to cover everyone but it doesn't in our current system?
No what I read says filling out paperwork..staff can do the filling out of paperwork. I'll ask tomorrow at my appt.
Ask him whether it's him or his staff who completes - not processes or submits, but completes and signs - the billing forms, clinic notes, and dictations.
Positive, deffo talking bout medicaid. I'll get the title of my lawyers book tomorrow too.
No need; I'll take your word for it.
I've read about it, but we are increasingly unable to afford such things. All thanks to our debt. A debt Obama wants to increase astronomically.
We're increasingly unable to afford to NOT have such things.
How can anyone in their right mind think this is a good idea for us? Coming from a socialist country, I know how bad it is..People waiting for months to get treatments, sometimes even years. Imagine someone with cancer being made to wait for chemo. It happens. And why should we pay for the health care of the wealthy..Let it roll out of their own damned pockets.
No what I read says filling out paperwork..staff can do the filling out of paperwork. I'll ask tomorrow at my appt.
Ask him whether it's him or his staff who completes - not processes or submits, but completes and signs - the billing forms, clinic notes, and dictations.
Positive, deffo talking bout medicaid. I'll get the title of my lawyers book tomorrow too.
No need; I'll take your word for it.
I've read about it, but we are increasingly unable to afford such things. All thanks to our debt. A debt Obama wants to increase astronomically.
We're increasingly unable to afford to NOT have such things.
Okay will do..I'll write it down to be sure I get it straight LoL...
still wanna post the book title tho for those who could use that sort help...
I'll say this much, if that insanely stupid stimulus plan does not pass, I'll support national insurance.
Callen- Obama inherited the mess..That's no excuse to use age old dirty political tricks to create a panicked rush into the worst stimulus plan in our history. He's pulling the same dirty stunts as Dubbya. That makes him as dirty a politician as Dubbya. Get used to it..Obama is just another asshole in the white house.
i agree the haves....have not a clue. i also agree the have nots.....need to get a clue.
i also believe, if we took all of the money and divided it equally among the people. the people that had money before would have money again. the people that did not have money before, would not have money again. i base my observation solely on three examples that i am direclty in contact with. in each example, a person with no wealth inherited or won a large sum of money.......within 3 years, back to where they began or worse.
live and let live...unless it violates the pearligious doctrine.
i also believe, if we took all of the money and divided it equally among the people. the people that had money before would have money again. the people that did not have money before, would not have money again. i base my observation solely on three examples that i am direclty in contact with. in each example, a person with no wealth inherited or won a large sum of money.......within 3 years, back to where they began or worse.
i agree the haves....have not a clue. i also agree the have nots.....need to get a clue.
i also believe, if we took all of the money and divided it equally among the people. the people that had money before would have money again. the people that did not have money before, would not have money again. i base my observation solely on three examples that i am direclty in contact with. in each example, a person with no wealth inherited or won a large sum of money.......within 3 years, back to where they began or worse.
I agree with scb..There have been plenty of people that when given the opportunity and funding, have done good things with it and ensured they will stay in the better position instead of going back to where they were before. The smart one use money to make money..I come from a line of inventors and def have their mind for it..I would use a handout to make one of them in particular a reality and believe me. It would sell..Way better than using UV for significantly whitening teeth!
scb-didn't get to ask..Had to take my mum to the hospital instead. But what I said about the insurance last, it's only to an extent. Tax money should not be used to fund bigger chuchi's or nose jobs without a good reason..And for instance, if you smoke, and were told to stop smoking cos you'll get cancer, but ignore it and sure as shit end up with cancer..Why should we pay for their stupidity? You're dumb enough to bring it on yourself despite being full warned, then you should pay for it yourself.
Thank you so much for that..I can't even fathom losing her. Especially not this early in the game. They won't know for sure till monday, but a cancer expert was insistant that they highly suspect it is cancer. It's all along her breast bone and brain. They really hit us like a ton of bricks with it earlier today.
i also believe, if we took all of the money and divided it equally among the people. the people that had money before would have money again. the people that did not have money before, would not have money again. i base my observation solely on three examples that i am direclty in contact with. in each example, a person with no wealth inherited or won a large sum of money.......within 3 years, back to where they began or worse.
That's quite a generalization...
How is it a generalization? He based it on 3 whole people!!
*heavy sarcasm*
"When all your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse... better find yourself a place to level out."
and many argue about how inept the government is, don't want them in charge of healthcare, etc....but we already have governemrnt funded healthcare for some...so why not for all?
Actually living in Canada I think public health care makes the government a little less inept or at least more accountable. I do know that everytime there is a story about government wasteful spending some commentator will come on and talk about how the millions of dollars that was spent on some crap project could have paid for x amount of emergency room doctors, or MRI machines. When your tax money is going to keeping people from dying I think the government becomes more careful with it.
and many argue about how inept the government is, don't want them in charge of healthcare, etc....but we already have governemrnt funded healthcare for some...so why not for all?
Actually living in Canada I think public health care makes the government a little less inept or at least more accountable. I do know that everytime there is a story about government wasteful spending some commentator will come on and talk about how the millions of dollars that was spent on some crap project could have paid for x amount of emergency room doctors, or MRI machines. When your tax money is going to keeping people from dying I think the government becomes more careful with it.
Tell that to the parents of the little girl who died in Britain after doctors wrongfully pulled 8 of her teeth then discharged her even tho she was not eating, then would not allow her back in the hospital, saying instead that the parents need to get a shrink for her, only the shrink refused to come out to see them, saying she'll go the following week, sucking on a watermelon is enough to keep her alive...she died from starvation and dehydration. she didn't need a fucking shrink, she needed to be in a hospital with a feeding tube till her mouth healed.
In America, if you need medical care, go to county, they cannot turn you away as the UK hospital did.
and many argue about how inept the government is, don't want them in charge of healthcare, etc....but we already have governemrnt funded healthcare for some...so why not for all?
Actually living in Canada I think public health care makes the government a little less inept or at least more accountable. I do know that everytime there is a story about government wasteful spending some commentator will come on and talk about how the millions of dollars that was spent on some crap project could have paid for x amount of emergency room doctors, or MRI machines. When your tax money is going to keeping people from dying I think the government becomes more careful with it.
Tell that to the parents of the little girl who died in Britain after doctors wrongfully pulled 8 of her teeth then discharged her even tho she was not eating, then would not allow her back in the hospital, saying instead that the parents need to get a shrink for her, only the shrink refused to come out to see them, saying she'll go the following week, sucking on a watermelon is enough to keep her alive...she died from starvation and dehydration. she didn't need a fucking shrink, she needed to be in a hospital with a feeding tube till her mouth healed.
In America, if you need medical care, go to county, they cannot turn you away as the UK hospital did.
But that is malpractice and a doctor in the US or any other country could do the exact same thing. I am not sure how it being a government funded system would make any difference. The only difference I could see was that in a US system after the kid died the parents would be sent a bill for the doctors time.
I live in Austria and we have socialised health care that works. You just go to the doctor of your choice, slap down your 'e-card' where your insurance data ist saved and that's it. If the doctor turns out to be not to your liking or an incompentent moron, you just choose another one. There are also doctors who don't have contracts with the 'Krankenkassen' who run all the socialised stuff, so if you want to go to one of those you pay for it, but can then send the bill in and get a part of the money back by the Krankenkassa.
If you need prescriptions, most of the medication is covered at least partly by the insurance and with a prescription from your doctor you even get normally prescription-free medication cheaper. I'm not saying everything is ideal within our system, but it works pretty well and considering my aging parent's poor health, I can guarantee you they wouldn't be able to pay for all the medication they need on a daily basis outside of this system.
You can tell a man from what he has to say - Neil & Tim Finn
They love you so badly for sharing their sorrow, so pick up that guitar and go break a heart - Kris Kristofferson
In America, if you need medical care, go to county, they cannot turn you away as the UK hospital did.
Umm... have you not read any of the relatively recent news stories about people dying from treatable conditions on UNITED STATES emergency room floors?
"When all your friends and sedatives mean well but make it worse... better find yourself a place to level out."
Comments
so fuck off. health care needs to be reformed. period.
Amen! :!:
Of course you need to pay for stuff like that via taxes. But do 'new' taxes need to be raised or can tax money be moved about - I don't know.
Here in the UK, once you earn more than £105 a week you start paying National Insurance. Most eligible people will contribute approx 11% of their salary (I think - may be less). This is not just for health care, but it is also your contribution to all kinds of benefits (unemployment, maternity allowance, incapacity benefit, retirement, income suppoert, bereavement allowance and many more). Not too sure what percentage of the contribution goes to health care and I don't have time to google at the moment but I think it is 2 or 3%. Naturally, those that for some reason are not in employment or taxable also benefit from National Health.
I am sure in the US there are already taxes covering a lot of the above.
Not too sure how much tax in total is deducted from salaries in the US (it has been such a long time since I lived and worked there) but I don't think it is much less than in the UK. EDIT- did a quick look up - US between 15% and 35%, UK between 0% and 40%, both countries with various brackets. I'm guessing the tax burden is very similar for your average earner.
I tell you, I would rather pay 2 or 3% of my salary every month (a lot less than any insurance an employer would offer) and not worry whether I can see a doctor or not, whether I can be treated or not and whether my child can stay healthy, have braces, etc.
As an example, a basic calculation for my husband tells me that the cost of his hospital bed would amount to approx $250.000 (ICU & 'normal'). That is without the brain surgery, all the on costs, tests, scans, equipment, etc., the costs of intensive neuro rehab, continuting care at home according to his needs and for as long as he needs it. I think my 2%/3% contribution is well worth it - only about 600 years worth of contributions!
sure qulifying for medicaid includes all you say. But proving you are pregnant or old is easy. And getting temp. medicaid for it is simple.
Proving you are disabled has a process, and no temp. approvals. You can't just fill out paperwork and expect them to say okay yea you are approved cos your doctor/hospital said you are disabled. No..Doctors can lie. There are plenty of doctors who will tell medicaid anything you want them to if you pay them enough. It's common practice. Not just medicaid either. How you think so many non-handicapped people have handicapped parking placards? Or people in California get on prescription marijuana when they have nothing wrong with them? That's why they send you to their own doctors. Problem with that is their own doctors, as said, are given incentive to say you are not disabled so medicaid can deny you.
I said I was from 2 socialist countries. My country of birth is Germany. There, UK, France, etc all have far higher taxes than us cos of socialised services like what we're discussing. But you are right, we'll have to agree to disagree.
JR- Why not find a different, less busy, derm?
Commy- read above. waiting period is far from the only issue.
The u.s. is run stupidly, unfortunately. Congress focuses more on raising their already excessive income than helping the poor. As it is now, even people who do not make enough to pay taxes do have money deducted for social security and....medicaid (or medicare, don't remember which)..If insurance was nationwide, we'd be having a lot more deducted. Without a raise in income. The poor barely scrape by as it is.
One may have more money deducted from their salary but they gain the peace of mind they can stay healthy no matter what.
Though vilified by many, taxes are not a bad thing if used appropriately. Countries like the Scandinavian countries, etc with high taxes seem to be better off. There have been studies showing those countries have lower rates of poverty, job security, people live longer and are generally healthier. I'm guessing it's because money is spent on healthcare, education, etc.
You mention France and Germany with their taxes.. yes they are high (I lived and worked in both those countries), Belgium even higher (lived and worked there) but at least I can be ill without a problem there. Note that taxes in the UK are no way comparable to those countries. They are very similar to the US (federal and state).
Na, it's a legit question, not nosey..I am not insured. I am Chairperson of a foundation, as well as being on the board of directors of another organisation, but do not accept pay from either. My father has insurance from his job..but he also has seniority and decent pay. The folk who do not earn enough to pay taxes are most often part-time cos with the economy that is pretty well all you can find. Why? Cos if employers only hire part-time, they don't have to provide insurance. My feeling is that people who are incapable of affording both the cost of living and insurance should recieve gov.insurance. And actually, there are a couple of bills on the table, one in particular that is most likely to pass that will make it so that these people can receive gov.insurance. Medicare for those who can afford some private insurance, medicaid for those who can't afford any.
Taxes aren't bad in general. But here, right now, they are really really bad. They are getting hiked while income is getting dropped. When taxes become higher than people can afford, it is bad. And if Obama passes his God awful stimulus plan, you can be positive they will be raised. There is no way around it.
Sure, the docs must have large staffs to help them process billing paperwork - which is why they have such high overhead. But the docs themselves must complete the paperwork or it would not be legal. (This includes making sure the dictations say things in the way the insurance companies want to hear them.) So they must learm and remember all the different payer's complicated systems. Dealing with this can take quite a bit of time and is one of the causes of burnout among doctors, as well as why they only have 10 minutes to spend with you. My point is, the current system is bad in large part because having so many different payer sources is a burden on the providers.
Are you sure you're not talking about Medicare??
Don't they also have more services than just the one we're proposing? (I believe someone else has already mentioned this point.) And have you figured in all the money the people save by not having to pay insurance premiums, etc? What about the savings to the taxpayers/government/healthcare system due to availability of preventative medicine? How about how it's better for the national economy to have a healthy workforce? And have you read the data about all the money the U.S. is already spending per capita for healthcare and how this money should be able to cover everyone but it doesn't in our current system?
Positive, deffo talking bout medicaid. I'll get the title of my lawyers book tomorrow too.
I've read about it, but we are increasingly unable to afford such things. All thanks to our debt. A debt Obama wants to increase astronomically.
Ask him whether it's him or his staff who completes - not processes or submits, but completes and signs - the billing forms, clinic notes, and dictations.
No need; I'll take your word for it.
We're increasingly unable to afford to NOT have such things.
The haves have not a fkn clue.
Lets not forget how we got into this mess in the first place.....greed....no oversight...Obama inherited this mess.
Okay will do..I'll write it down to be sure I get it straight LoL...
still wanna post the book title tho for those who could use that sort help...
I'll say this much, if that insanely stupid stimulus plan does not pass, I'll support national insurance.
Callen- Obama inherited the mess..That's no excuse to use age old dirty political tricks to create a panicked rush into the worst stimulus plan in our history. He's pulling the same dirty stunts as Dubbya. That makes him as dirty a politician as Dubbya. Get used to it..Obama is just another asshole in the white house.
:? :?
i also believe, if we took all of the money and divided it equally among the people. the people that had money before would have money again. the people that did not have money before, would not have money again. i base my observation solely on three examples that i am direclty in contact with. in each example, a person with no wealth inherited or won a large sum of money.......within 3 years, back to where they began or worse.
That's quite a generalization...
scb-didn't get to ask..Had to take my mum to the hospital instead. But what I said about the insurance last, it's only to an extent. Tax money should not be used to fund bigger chuchi's or nose jobs without a good reason..And for instance, if you smoke, and were told to stop smoking cos you'll get cancer, but ignore it and sure as shit end up with cancer..Why should we pay for their stupidity? You're dumb enough to bring it on yourself despite being full warned, then you should pay for it yourself.
I sure hope your mom's okay...
How is it a generalization? He based it on 3 whole people!!
*heavy sarcasm*
Actually living in Canada I think public health care makes the government a little less inept or at least more accountable. I do know that everytime there is a story about government wasteful spending some commentator will come on and talk about how the millions of dollars that was spent on some crap project could have paid for x amount of emergency room doctors, or MRI machines. When your tax money is going to keeping people from dying I think the government becomes more careful with it.
Tell that to the parents of the little girl who died in Britain after doctors wrongfully pulled 8 of her teeth then discharged her even tho she was not eating, then would not allow her back in the hospital, saying instead that the parents need to get a shrink for her, only the shrink refused to come out to see them, saying she'll go the following week, sucking on a watermelon is enough to keep her alive...she died from starvation and dehydration. she didn't need a fucking shrink, she needed to be in a hospital with a feeding tube till her mouth healed.
In America, if you need medical care, go to county, they cannot turn you away as the UK hospital did.
But that is malpractice and a doctor in the US or any other country could do the exact same thing. I am not sure how it being a government funded system would make any difference. The only difference I could see was that in a US system after the kid died the parents would be sent a bill for the doctors time.
If you need prescriptions, most of the medication is covered at least partly by the insurance and with a prescription from your doctor you even get normally prescription-free medication cheaper. I'm not saying everything is ideal within our system, but it works pretty well and considering my aging parent's poor health, I can guarantee you they wouldn't be able to pay for all the medication they need on a daily basis outside of this system.
They love you so badly for sharing their sorrow, so pick up that guitar and go break a heart - Kris Kristofferson
Umm... have you not read any of the relatively recent news stories about people dying from treatable conditions on UNITED STATES emergency room floors?