A Candian Friend

[Fly Rod]

My Canadian friend and others while having our Bahama dinner party and gabbing the other nite and our discussion turned to comparing the two countries health care.

There's is not free, they do pay some, not like we do.

It is true that you could wait for weeks or months if you do not already have a primary and you will wait if you have a primary because of the patient to doctor ratio. Lack of doctors

Most cases needing a Katscan or MRI wait 4-6 months.

If that is the type of medical that you want then be a fool and support your congressman

[spence]

Canada has a doctor shortage for a number of reasons. A big one is the imposed reduction in medical school enrollment back in 1993.

Additionally, government restrictions on foreign trained doctors have also reduced numbers. I know when I used to travel in Montreal and Toronto a lot the border guards were very strict about foreigners doing work a Canadian could do.

They also loose doctors to the US where the pay is better.

All that being said, I'd note that my sister who has a LARGE number of Canadian friends says they think their system while imperfect is pretty good.

And that being said, I'd note that the current proposals don't looks much at all like the Canadian system.

-spence

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by spence

Canada has a doctor shortage for a number of reasons. A big one is the imposed reduction in medical school enrollment back in 1993.

-spence

Ya mean they are rationing # of doctors while at the same time there are long patient waits?
Sounds like a Government Plan.

Another reason might be a FP makes $210,000 in Canada, a specialist $280,000
which doesn't include OVERHEAD or taxes.

FP would loose 4-6 years of income while they are paying for their education while
the specialist would lose 8 years of income while paying for education.

I'm sure they are waiting with baited breath to get into Med School.

[Nebe]

Any healthcare is better than no healthcare
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[justplugit]

Obama's plan has a champagne taste and a beer pocketbook.

There is no way a single payer plan is sustainable, anymore than
Social Security, and all of us have been paying into that since we were
teenagers getting our working papers.

Ahh what the H, screw our kids and grandkids.

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by justplugit

Obama's plan has a champagne taste and a beer pocketbook.

There is no way a single payer plan is sustainable, anymore than
Social Security, and all of us have been paying into that since we were
teenagers getting our working papers.

Ahh what the H, screw our kids and grandkids.

You're right. Which makes it fortunate that a single payer plan isn't the proposal.

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

You're right. Which makes it fortunate that a single payer plan isn't the proposal.

Only because Obama didn't get his plan passed in 2 weeks and
the Town Meetings attended by the Astra turfs threw a wet blanket on it.

Once employers saw there was a govt. plan available , they would of dropped their plans faster than you could say "lickitey split."

[JohnnyD]

Originally Posted by justplugit

Only because Obama didn't get his plan passed in 2 weeks and
the Town Meetings attended by the Astra turfs threw a wet blanket on it.

Actually, it's because a single-payer program was never in the Bill.

[scottw]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

You're right. Which makes it fortunate that a single payer plan isn't the proposal.

but it is the intended end game...the proposal(s) is/are simply a way to get there by slowly choking out(the unwilling) or completely controlling(the passive) what's left the free market...

[JohnnyD]

Sifting through that a bit, you're at my point.

The initial declaration for the need of Health Care Reform was to curb the exponentially increasing costs for health care. In many cases, the current administration and Congress has done a relatively good job identifying problems. My issue with the above mentioned politicians is their execution of the solution to the problems they effectively identify.

Health Care Reform has evolved from something necessary to curb costs into a plan so that all citizens have health care.

[spence]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

Health Care Reform has evolved from something necessary to curb costs into a plan so that all citizens have health care.

I think you have that reversed.

Were it not for progressive reformists and the ideal of a single payer system, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

-spence

[scottw]

"progressive reformists"...now there's an oxymoron for ya JD..

and you should substitute fallacy for ideal (of a single payer system)..too many examples of utter failure around the world to be considered an ideal in any sense of the word...like socialism and communism

[spence]

Originally Posted by scottw

"progressive reformists"...now there's an oxymoron for ya JD..

and you should substitute fallacy for ideal (of a single payer system)..too many examples of utter failure around the world to be considered an ideal in any sense of the word...like socialism and communism

Oxymoron? Oy...

-spence

[Fishpart]

Having read portions of the bill, it is CLEAR to me that it is purposely written to hide what is really going on. If the plan is simple and well designed it can be written in way less than 1018 pages of doublespeak. An intelligent person should be able to write the legislation in clear language that can be understood and implemented by anyone. Look a the Great Documents of history, they are all simple and to the point.

Healtcare needs fixing, no doubt- There are 15 million who need and can't afford healthcare, not 50, once you remove those who choose not to have coverage and non-citizens.

1) Tort Reform-the major factor(s) causing increases, unnecessary testing and malpractice insurance--Never happen because virtually all lawmakers are lawyers...

2) Transportability and elimination of pre-existing conditions, when you change insurers you should not have to have a waiting period greater than the tiem it takes for preexisting conditions to lose thier coverage.

3) Allow us to go out into the marketplace and buy insurance like we buy car insurance. Also allow individuals access to the network not only employers. In RI we have BCBS and United, why not let there be some competition...

4) Expand medicare to cover the 15 million who truly can't afford or don't have access to healthcare, then reform medicare to eliminate the rampant fraud... example-a third party bought medical equipment on my relative's medicare account and had them shipped to my relative's home when they were away for the summer and picked them up when the carrier dropped them there.... Imagine what we would find if we turned over a few more stones...

5) Low cost catistrophic coverage so those who choose not to have coverage can get coverage in the event they are in an accident.

[spence]

Originally Posted by #^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&

A little disturbing.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/po...-56781377.html

A tax credit? So lemme get this straight. People are being taxed up the ass and some can't afford to pay their taxes and they want to force these same people to have to spend more or be penalized?

What am I missing?

An individual who couldn't afford the coverage would get an offset credit, so no, the same people who couldn't afford it wouldn't be asked to pay more...assuming of course the credit actually covers the entire cost of a plan.

A lot of this would ultimately be funded by those who could afford it, through higher taxes on higher income earners.

-spence

[Fly Rod]

If Nancy is saying that there will be a single payer system, then she is really saying that there will be no government health plan, the dem senators are afraid that they will not be re-elected in 2010 if they vote for it.

I can't wait for Sara in 2012 Imagine she could be the house whip, WOW! I just over her.