Interesting article on SOCIALIZED MEDICINE
 

Michael Moore's new documentary "SICKO" definitely put the issue of socialized medicine back in the public's imagination (the first sustained debate on this in the US in recent memory was during the Clinton administration). Here's an interesting article about Canada's socialize medicine experience: http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArti...70338135202343

While I tend to agree with free market solutions, the constant rise in health insurance does make one wonder....

right wing capitalists arent the ones to ask about the health care crisis...

Thank you.

The notion that there is a "free market" in health care in the first place is a myth. Justlike when the FCC claims "free market" solutions are best when it comes to broadband deployment when 98% of the country has at most 2 choices for broadband.

i think in the "costs" discussion, you have to distinguish between free market economics and the legal system that encourages everyone to sue, for any reason, all the time, for as much as possible and rewards them for it. doctors are closing shop daily because of liability issues and continually rising cost of malpractice insurance. that all has nothing to do with "free market economics"

The free market doesn't work for health care.Im having a heart attack,Im going to start pricing hospitals before the ambulance picks me up. Im sick with a 103 fever time to start shopping.

Side comment $5 :) It is never a surprise when you dig in to quotes extracted from the net to find out a "motivation" for whatever comments.

It is correct that David Gratzer is a Canadian doctor. But - he is much more than that and heavily involved in US politics and with an agenda. It is hard to see how he can practice as a healthcare professional when he appears to devote all of his time on political committees representing doctors, writing books such as "The Cure: How capitalism can save American health care" and trolling around the lecture circuit. For presumably a busy doctor, he has managed to register probably around 20,000 entries in Google offering his opinions on "how it should be".

Frankly - I don't believe the scenario he quoted...
There may have been an exceptional set of circumstances where this happened, but no way is that an example of "universal healthcare". I'm from a UHC country and this would not be tolerated - nor would it be tolerated in any Euro country - and seriously doubt it would happen in Canada under normal circumstances.

If that should in any way represent the UHC standards of Canada - perhaps Dr Gratzer could forget his personal agenda and net publications and perform the functions for which he was trained and actually treat patients :winkwink:

PS It gets boring having to separate fact from fiction on the net and isolating purported balanced and "respectable" comment from the long line of agendas folks have :-)

wrong. you get emergency care no matter what... you're life gets saved no matter what. how does a "free market" change that fact?

its one thing to say its expensive ... but don't suggest that for some reason you won't get top notch emergency care regardless of whether or not your 100% broke or a billionaire.

I don't know how many of you have required life-threatening medical tests or had to deal with a lot of specialists, but the experiences in that article are much more like what us and our family have been through than the bright wonderful vision of free health care for all. Health care doesn't mean squat if you can't even see the doctor for an initial consultation, let alone waiting a year or MORE for a diagnosis so you can START treatments..

Try living in a small town where the only family doctor is the ER because there's waiting lists for YEARS to get a family physician. The system is under immense pressure and it will crack... I'm looking forward to the ability to have private health care facilities available. :P