as an insurance broker, i'm interested in the pros and cons of nationalized healthcare.

i have heard stories about long waits to see specialists, get MRIs done etc., doctors bailing to practice in the US....and on and on and on.

with much talk here about some sort of nationalized sysytem, please speak up and let me have your opinion....pros and cons.

i want the true poop from citizens.

me too. england has an interesting system as well.

anyone care to chime in?

quote:

have heard stories about long waits to see specialists, get MRIs done etc., doctors bailing to practice in the US....and on and on and on.

Me THREE! I dare NOT mention names of hospitals I am dealing with AS I WRITE...I NEED my nose!

I see virtually nothing BUT a vast team of Specialists; I am currently trying to obtain a crucial appointment with a "Unique Specialist"--in that he is a docor of TWO specialties as well as some remarkable 'specifics directly pertaining to my personal health profile'. The thing that amazes me (and frustrates me) is this: Why is it that this doctor contacts me himself--a busy specialist at an [current] Award-Winning hospital. Yet when I call for vital medical records to be sent by my [regular] specialists, I am sent to the 'Virtual World of Never-Ending Voice Mail'!

Hmmmmmmmmm!

OK

That is a big chore to fill. Lets start at the beginning.
Once upon a time there was a Socialist minister from Sask called Tommy Douglas. He called for the nationalization of health care in Canada. What the end result was that health care in Canada is a right not a privilege to the wealthy.

Now what does this mean to the average Canadian...Well, any Canadian citizen can access emergent care free of charge. Their family doctor and for that matter all health care professionals are accessed and paid for by our provincial tax dollars.

In many of our provinces, there is a monthly fee for such coverage. British Colombia, for example levies a $40.00 fee for every person over the age of 18. This is pro-rated for income. If you income is below the poverty line then, your bill is reduced. Also, if you are on social assistance, (welfare) your bill is zero.

In Saskatchewan, the birth place of socialized medicine, the health care system is "free" but our taxes are higher as a result.

Is this to say that there is no two tired system in Canada? The answer is a resounding NO! There are many ways to circumvent the waiting times if you have the money to do so. In Alberta, Ontario and Quebec there are private MRI clinics that you can pay a fee to go to. Also, there are many people who "fast track" for treatment and diagnostic testing by simply going across the border to the US and getting treatment there.

The other issue is that of pharmacological access. Yes, you can get a prescription for your pneumonia free of extra charge from your family doctor or the ER but the top of the line oral anti-biotic (Biaxin) will cost you between $60 and $80 depending on the course of the treatment.

Is it a perfect system? No! but it does mean that each and every person has the same access to fundamental healthcare.
There is no such system for Dental care. This is taken care of by your work extended health care insurance or through a secondary insurance agency such as Blue Cross.

Because we are dealing with the entire population and not just those that can afford the treatment the waiting lines are longer. Because we do not discriminate due to income we are dealing with millions instead of thousands accessing the same resources.


I hope this is a bit of a start

Re Long Wait Times:

Key word is Emergency.

People complain about long wait times because they have to wait 6 hours at a hospital for some nurse to see them about their bad cold. If something goes seriously wrong, the care is immediate and excellently free.

Case in point:

Last May, I fell off my bike and drove the end of the handlebars into my stomach. Fearing internal damage, I went to the hospital, where I received an ultrasound, an MRI, blood and urine work, and various other tests by a staff of qualified ER people. All of this was done- including analysis- within 3 hours, while the wait in the ER was 5-6 hours just for a bed.

Point being; The reason people wait so long for care in an ER is because they flood the system with minor crap, and expect immediate treatment. I expect this has something to do with the lack of health care plans in employment benefits, which affect the costs of medications and "optional" and "cosmetic" procedures quite substantially.

I would have to agree with Kathy & NN.
In the UK with have the National Health system which all adults in employment pay into from their salary as National Insurance, their employer is also required to pay into this. Note National Insurance (N.I.) is not just for health benefits but for your pension and other needs.

So if you needs to see a general practitioner (GP) you call by your local health centre or phone and get an appointment, this may not be for the same day unless you have a serious problem. You will however get seen and if the situation in serious get either visited at home or admitted to hospital.

When I was ill last February G took me into the A & E of our local hospital, explained to the receptionist what had happened and I was in a cubicle on being checked within fifteen minutes. That I then had to wait a while due to a serious emergency (the guy died despite their best attempts to save him) did not bother me at all.

What absolutely annoys me is the number of people who go along to A & E because they 'don't feel well' they need to see their GP and get their treatment there not clog up the A & E. Add to this the idiots who get into fights and have to be checked out, the drunks, those taking drugs... they all get left to wait until the cases that really need attention are dealt with.

Once out of the high dependency unit last Feb. and on a normal medical ward I was shocked to discover that someone who had drunk themselves into a stupor had to be admitted and take up a much needed bed because someone has taken them to A & E - in fact someone probably called an ambulance for them! This by the way was at lunch time on a weekday not a Saturday night booze up.

Our dental care is also not free, used to be that we had NHS dentists but thanks to the government they barely exist now so we have to pay for all our dental treatment. G & I are lucky in that we don't have real problems with our teeth but I here of folk who just don't go to the dentist anymore.

I believe that healthcare should be available to all and paying through National Insurance ensures that it is. Of course we also have private practices and private hospitals in the UK - frequently it is the same specialists who work for the NHS who also work in the private section, seeing patients in their lunch-hour or only working part time for the NHS. Whilst I have no objection to a medic deciding to work in private practice I do strongly object to them working in both and using NHS equipment to get test run for private patients.

I could go on and on... PM me if you want more

well that helps....thanks to both of you. i'd like to hear from others as well.

what's your healthcare like??

I love in Canada and have be fortunate enough to never have a big problem with our health care system. I've had some serious health issues and major surgeries and have always had excellent care. I've only been to the emergency department a few times and have never had a long wait. The times I went to emergency I was having chest pains and I have a pacemaker. Needless to say they rushed me right in. What pisses me off is the people who crowd the emergency rooms because they have a bad cold or the flu. Once when I was there a grown man was crying and screaming for help because he cut his finger and was dying. the man needed 3 stiches,lol. Where I live we have lots of walk in medical clinics in which you usually have to wait a while to see a doctor but hey, that's what you get when you don't have a doctors appointment. If we didn't have universal health care here my family would be bankrupt. The surgeries and medical procedures I've had aren't cheap.
We don't have universal dental care here, that would be nice if we did, lol.
In the city I live in there is a shortage of family physicians and I'm fortunate enough to have had my family dr. for many years.
Where I live we do pay a small monthly fee for health care but that is being disolved this year. I think we paid something like $200 every 3 months for a family.