|
The US doesn't have a health care system, they have an insurance system. Let he with the best insurance win, let those who find themselves denied by the insurance companies go suck an egg.
When people talk about Obama's plan (including Obama himself) it's always "insurance" this and "Insurance" that. He's not on the right track at all, only scratching the surface of what needs to change.
And someone down there who is covered can definitely go for treatment and end up only paying a few hundred bucks, but how much did they pay over the years in monthly insurance fees leading up to that treatment? Certainly someone without that level of coverage can end up paying thousands for the same treatment.
Personally I'd rather pay a little extra on my taxes than have to cough up an extra $500 to $1500 like some Americans say they're paying per month. Some say they're only covered for up to 80%. Others say their deductible is $5k. Up here in Canada the only "deductible" we have is on auto or house insurance. :D
I have no doubt that if done right the US could come up with a health care system that takes the best qualities of the systems in Canada, UK, Sweden, Germany, etc, and ties it all together to be the absolute best of the best. But unfortunately there are too many misinformed people there who cringe and shake in ignorance over such frightening terms as "universal", "socialized" or *choke* "government-run". ooOOoo, scarrrrry.
Put it this way... an old high school friend of mine just had open heart surgery at a local hospital, 5 days ago to be exact. She's home now and doing great, emailed me this morning to rave about how it went and the level of care she received.
The bill to her on discharge? --- $0.00
No fees
No defucktable deductible
Just a ride in a wheelchair to the car by a health care aid and a well wish.
I don't know how you can beat that, or argue about it for that matter. I would love to see the US have a better system them they do, one that is better than ours, but when I see these same threads over and over and over and people arguing the same arguments as 5 or 10 years ago I'm afraid that change won't arrive in my lifetime. Sad for the friends and relatives I have in the US whom I care about.
|