Thoughts on Universal healthcare

[Shared Acres]

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I live in Ontario and we have government run health care...

my doctor and I decide my course of treatment not the government
and the waiting part depends on what i need done...something that is a life threatening illness like cancer my mom waited 4 days
my son waited 18 days for a podiatrist
I waited 9 says for a dermatologist

so those wait times are not outrageous...

and I choose who my family doctor will be and when a doc has to refer me to a specialist he gives me the names of the ones in my area and asks me who I want to go to. if i want to go to one he has not listed as long as I have the Name and address of the doc he will make the referral out and call the doc and set things up.

there is a common misunderstanding that we have no control with our health care or the wait times are way to long. In every situation I have come across with my family this has not been the case


eta..
My mom is fighting breast cancer
My dad is a diabetic
my son has mental health issues
My DH has a heart condition and my 2nd son does too

I have read several threads about universal health care, and what really stands out to me is that no one is listening to the people who know first hand how it work. There have been more than a couple people post from the UK and Canada about how thier system works. I don't seem to remember any of them telling horrid stories about government control, lack of adequate care, not being able to choose thier desinty ect....It seems we would rather listen to propiganda which may or may not be true.

I agree.

 

[Dar]

it all depends on where you are you are in the country you 100% right.... BUT
the wait times are standard across Ontario (for the most part anyway)

I am in one end of the Provence and my mom is in the other, I have lived all over Ontario with the end result being the same...

I do live in a small town so we dont have the specialists that they do in the big city so we have to go there rural Ontario is screaming for more doctors but even with a shortage we are still managing to get in to see the doctors we need to see

 

[horsejody]

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I have used it. I used to live in the UK. I posted that previously. I wasn't impressed with it.

 

[HennysMom]

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I do appreciate your understanding and your sympathy. DD has had bouts of Lupus Nephrituis for years. It does take a toll.

However, I never said I don't have insurance, just that even with insurance I pay a lot. Plus constantly have to fight insurance companies to make sure she gets the treatment she needs.

I also said I don't know if Universal Health care would work or not, but that the current system does not work.

However, please reread my post about turning away sick children. I found the response extremely rude, so sent back the same.

Regardless, I am sorry if I offended anyone.

I just read it.. sorry I missed it, yes that was a little insensitive, I agree, as not everyone has a money tree in their back yard and can run to it and pay cash for their sick child.

Yes, I agree - even with insurance, we all still pay high amounts for coverage, deductibles, copays and whatnot and its rising each year. There just isnt an easy answer and its even worse when you have to choose between eating and your medication

Been there..done that - yes..even with insurance. *sighs*

Ack - she's got the nephritis part of it...

I'm terribly sorry... poor baby. Lots of prayers coming your way..

 

[horsejody]

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I used to live with government run healthcare as I stated in a previous post. I'll stick with my opinion that it was no good.

 

[Wifezilla]

"Health-care resources are not unlimited in any country, even rich ones like Canada and the U.S., and must be rationed either by price or time. When individuals bear no direct responsibility for paying for their care, as in Canada, that care is rationed by waiting.

Canadians often wait months or even years for necessary care. For some, the status quo has become so dire that they have turned to the courts for recourse. Several cases currently before provincial courts provide studies in what Americans could expect from government-run health insurance.

In Ontario, Lindsay McCreith was suffering from headaches and seizures yet faced a four and a half month wait for an MRI scan in January of 2006. Deciding that the wait was untenable, Mr. McCreith did what a lot of Canadians do: He went south, and paid for an MRI scan across the border in Buffalo. The MRI revealed a malignant brain tumor.

Ontario's government system still refused to provide timely treatment, offering instead a months-long wait for surgery. In the end, Mr. McCreith returned to Buffalo and paid for surgery that may have saved his life. He's challenging Ontario's government-run monopoly health-insurance system, claiming it violates the right to life and security of the person guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Canada's system comes at the cost of pain and suffering for patients who find themselves stuck on waiting lists with nowhere to go. Americans can only hope that Barack Obama heeds the lessons that can be learned from Canadian hardships."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123413701032661445.html

 

[hennypenny9]

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I like talking with you, you seem nice. My reply to everything will always be "nothing is ever black or white" so I tend to not "side" with anyone, but... No one from Canada is complaining, and we are making a lot of assumptions about a system that isn't even on the drawing board (in the US) yet. I think we can all agree that health care for all= Good.

I hope...

 

[Dar]

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I just wonder if we did ever get universal health care in the US, if they would be more heavy handed then our northern neighbors. If the system was set up the same it seems alright... Although people in Vancouver (45 minutes away) seem to be less thrilled with their system. So again, not all good or all bad.

I have heard that BC does not have a very good system...In Canada each province handles their own health care system but is it based on the same model...in Ontario we dont have the same issues as BC....

Please dont misunderstand me there are problems..but not ones that I would consider MAJOR...

 

[HennysMom]

Here's an interesting thought...

for those that ARE on Universal Healthcare systems ... I wonder which one is better? Like Canada vs. the UK?

Hmmm.. now that would be interesting to see the pros and cons of wouldnt it?

which model would we choose then I wonder if given the option?

(or... in this case, no option..its just done LOL)

sorry..had to throw some humor into the mix... things are getting wayyy heavy

 

[hennypenny9]

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Serious.

And like Mjsdhs pointed out, care varies even in one country. It's really good to have conversations about it, though. Informed people make informed decisions!