USA Health Care vs Everyone Else

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

So what are you for?



Here in the usa they make us pay outrageious amounts of money for health insurance and other health costs. If you do not have insurance and an accident happens they will either refuse to see you and let you die or they will see you and treat you but chances are you will be in debt for the rest of your life (depending on the situation)...



In other countries its free for everyone no matter if they have insurance or a job or not. I understand they have to pay higher taxes because of it and it takes forever to get seen by a doctor but thats fine with me. Better than letting people die in the street.

 

[civilwarrocks]

So what are you for?



Here in the usa they make us pay outrageious amounts of money for health insurance and other health costs. If you do not have insurance and an accident happens they will either refuse to see you and let you die or they will see you and treat you but chances are you will be in debt for the rest of your life (depending on the situation)...



In other countries its free for everyone no matter if they have insurance or a job or not. I understand they have to pay higher taxes because of it and it takes forever to get seen by a doctor but thats fine with me. Better than letting people die in the street.

Interestingly I haven't seen any people dieing in the street lately. Here are the facts, the breast cancer survival rate is higher in America than Canada or England. Londoners have been known to have to wait months for dental care. Simple but mortally necessary surgeries in Canada can take up to 6 months to obtain. It is illegal in Canada to pay a doctor yourself. In fact, a large number of Canadians come to America illegally in order to obtain medical care. No one will argue that our system isn't flawed, but we can fix it without a complete overhaul. By creating tax benefits for doctors who give free service to those who show fiscal need we can make healthcare more affordable & by limiting the abilities of malpractice attorneys we can let the doctors do their jobs more easily.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

The american health care system is only beneficial for middle to upper class people. As for the millions of people who are barely getting by, they cannot afford to go to the doctor (even if they have insurance, they cannot afford the co pays and perscriptions).. People simply put it off until its too late.

 

[civilwarrocks]

The american health care system is only beneficial for middle to upper class people. As for the millions of people who are barely getting by, they cannot afford to go to the doctor (even if they have insurance, they cannot afford the co pays and perscriptions).. People simply put it off until its too late.

Which is why I support the plan briefly outlined above.

 

[Whatif]

You want statistics, with no opinion?



We have the highest costing health care in the world.

We are not first on the health care plan list.



Conspiracy theorys welcome.

 

[Alien]

I dont know about statistics or anything like that. But I'm from the UK and yes our health care is free for everyone, and yep, we do pay taxes for it, so technically it isn't free....But I am really grateful that when I get sick, I do not have to worry about how I'm gonna pay for it. My fiance recently got seriously ill and was off work for 2 months, and had so much medication you could almost hear him rattle! We do have to pay for our medication prescriptions, and they are fairly expensive (over £7 an item) but you can get a pre pay thingy for just over £28, which lasts for 3 months. So basically once you have needed 4 lots of medication, anything else is free.

My fiances first trip to the doctor alone would have cost us more than £28 for the medication, so we saved loads of money over the whole time he was ill!

You never have to wait long to see a doctor. You can get an appointment on the same day usually.

Some areas it is hard to find a dentist for free, unless you can afford to pay private. But I've never had any problems at all finding a dentist. Waiting lists for specialist, hospital care can be ages. Our health care is not perfect by any means. You can pay private for specialist care too, if you can afford it.

A lot of people from the UK moan about our free healthcare (the NHS) but all I can say is, I'm so grateful that it's free. The NHS has saved the lives of myself, my fiance, and my dad, all more than once. When my fiance got sick, I had to call an ambulance and it arrived within 2 mins of me putting down the phone.



I'm not sayin our system is better or worse than any other country's. I'm just grateful that it's free. And also, it's early morning here, I'm half asleep, and I'm rambling

 

[Sariki]

I just have this too say and I am leaving it at that.



Now from what i am reading, i am finding that maybe this is a bit off topic but i do apologize.



If this new healcare plan comes into play personal caregivers and the such are done for....

It's going too become a harsh industry.



just thought i would put that out there.

 

[Jayglo]

Health care providers in the United States actually have a legal obligation to treat medical emergencies. Hospitals have a duty to treat any patient who requires immediate attention. (Source: http://www.legalexplorer.com/legal/legal-QA.asp?Sid=22) So they can't just let you die. But like you said, the financial results of that treatment may be disastrous.



It is totally true that we need healthcare reform in America. The cost is too high. American leaders should learn from the positives of health care from other countries, like Alien pointed out, and also learn from the negative aspects of the health care of other countries (like Alien also mentioned, Waiting lists for specialist, hospital care can be ages.) From this information and observations, a bill or legislation should be passed that addresses this.



Having a government-run healthcare system in America may be disastrous, though. Obama himself has even used Medicare (a government-run program that is going bankrupt) as an example of a reason we need healthcare reform. Government-run Social Security is also going bankrupt. More young people think UFOs exist than think Social Security will exist when they retire.” (Source: What Americans Really Want... Really by Frank Luntz). Plus Americans just don't trust their government right now, Bush being a major contribution to this lack of trust.



So that's my take on it.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Doctors in america treat their practice like a buisness. They make sure their patients keep coming back so they can make more money.



Doctors in other countries have more to gain by trying to make their patients as healthy as possible (it reduces the amount of people coming / their work load).

 

[Skillet]

Doctors in america treat their practice like a buisness. They make sure their patients keep coming back so they can make more money.



Doctors in other countries have more to gain by trying to make their patients as healthy as possible (it reduces the amount of people coming / their work load).

In Canada, doctors are still paid for by the amount of patients they see. So, let me give an example: Birth control, I know fully well there are no major side effects (aside from lack of pregnancy.. Lawl..), yet many doctors here insist on giving just a one month supply rather than say two or three, forcing another day they will see you in a month.



And I do think your statement is wrong. I'm sure in the US, if you are paying for your own health care, I'd hope they'd do a damn good job.



As for waiting times, some things are pretty long, say like surgery involving donors. But on some things that can be expected. The government has put many initiatives in to reduce wait times for these to a month by 2012.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

And I do think your statement is wrong. I'm sure in the US, if you are paying for your own health care, I'd hope they'd do a damn good job.

 

[Skillet]

[quote name='Skillet']And I do think your statement is wrong. I'm sure in the US, if you are paying for your own health care, I'd hope they'd do a damn good job.

[/quote]



Then obviously you aren't paying enough. You shouldn't have trusted the one-eyed doctor..



*ZING*

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Health care here sucks. I know, I live here.

There are several corrupt doctors that do a half-ass job.. Just because you pay for it, doesnt mean anything. Well it does for them.. A nice mansion and fancy car..



My mom's doctor was one of them. He would give her whatever powerful medication she wanted.. Basically she would go tell him I want this, this, this, this, this, and this.. and he would prescribe it to her. He was basically her drug dealer.

Perfect example of a corrupt money hungry doctor. He lost his license though and his office is just and empty building now. There are millions of them that never get punished for what they do though.



A co worker of mine is in debt $18,000 for his daughter getting into accident. They refused to take her to the hospital where her insurance was actually accepted. He is in the process of a lawsuit at the moment.

 

[Skillet]

So that's where you draw the line I guess. Sure you can get whatever you want, and supposedly faster surgery, but at what cost?



For me, I'd rather wait a couple months, and know that I am covered, or same thing for smaller things too. I hear all of the damage an accident can have to a family, and living in Canada, I can't even picture that. Higher taxes work for me.