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Nat, why would you hope the US would shift to a single payer system as opposed to looking to much better examples of Universal Healthcare throughout Europe? If you have a chance to reform your system, do it right as opposed to looking to Single Payer which is used by VERY few nations.
Canadians are usually not the progenitor of these threads as they apply to a change in healthcare delivery for the U.S.
This thread for example started with a poster lauding the fact Canadians are not confronted with the types of bills as that presented to an American who subsequently posted it on Twitter.
In that respect it's not Canadians proposing America do anything at all. On this thread for example it's once again Canadians having to defend our system of healthcare delivery.
I for one have suggested any number of times in other sections of this forum that all too often Americans themselves bring up "single payer" as the solution when you should be starting from scratch with a clean slate and take the best parts and disregard the worst of all those examples you can see all over the planet doing it better than the U.S. and design a cutting edge system right out of the gate.
As to any assessment of improvement on any scale you can use, a move to a single payer system with all of the warts Canada's has, would be a light year advancement from where the U.S. currently resides as regards all of it's citizens availing themselves of a universally applied basic healthcare system. That fact is not up for debate.
Can healthcare be done better than Canada is doing it; most assuredly! Money is all that is required to improve those facets of Canada's healthcare delivery most often identified by Americans as lacking and in that sense we only wish we had the kind of money the U.S. is spending on it's various cluster of systems.
As regards basic affordable healthcare in the U.S. for all; it's looking good at this moment in your history that fewer and fewer are prepared to stand on their laurels when comparing to other advanced nations. The call is being heard more loudly every day.
This Canadian for one will be more than happy to accept unjustified scorn and a slathering of erroneous propaganda if it ultimately results in those Americans not having the choices we've had for decades ALL finally getting a seat at the table.
The price is similar everywhere, just in some countries somebody else pays it. And those somebody took it away from you just before.
The price is not similar wherever. Everything is several times more expensive in the US for exactly the same treatment and medication. it depends on who is negotiating. Medical procedures in many countries are price-regulated, contrary to others.
The price is similar everywhere, just in some countries somebody else pays it. And those somebody took it away from you just before.
That cannot be further from the truth. Absolutely positively false!
Health care costs are MUCH more expensive in the US compared to other countries and that's the crux of the problem. Why would you even state such a fallacy, this is a well knows fact. Anyways, the reasons are complex and both parties have bandaids trying to fix it but really, no practical solutions.
That cannot be further from the truth. Absolutely positively false!
Health care costs are MUCH more expensive in the US compared to other countries and that's the crux of the problem. Why would you even state such a fallacy, this is a well knows fact. Anyways, the reasons are complex and both parties have bandaids trying to fix it but really, no practical solutions.
Well, that actually doesn't make a difference here. Even if the health care costs in share of GDP is like let's say twice as high than in other developed countries - would we have a different discussion here right now, if that bill wouldn't be $200k but $100k ? I don't think so, somebody has to pay the bill. Either it's you or the others.
Well, that actually doesn't make a difference here. Even if the health care costs in share of GDP is like let's say twice as high than in other developed countries - would we have a different discussion here right now, if that bill wouldn't be $200k but $100k ? I don't think so, somebody has to pay the bill. Either it's you or the others.
How about if you were ALL to pay a proportionate share? Just asking because EVERYONE will need healthcare sometime in their lives and EVERYONE should use regular and pre-emptive healthcare if they've any brains at all.
Life presents enough unknowns as it applies to what can threaten your lifestyle and existence without willfully adding your health to that list.
Nat, why would you hope the US would shift to a single payer system as opposed to looking to much better examples of Universal Healthcare throughout Europe? If you have a chance to reform your system, do it right as opposed to looking to Single Payer which is used by VERY few nations.
I meant I hope the US moves away from their current unworkable, unaffordable system. What type of UHC is up to them.
Even if the health care costs in share of GDP is like let's say twice as high than in other developed countries - would we have a different discussion here right now, if that bill wouldn't be $200k but $100k ? I don't think so, somebody has to pay the bill. Either it's you or the others.
Yes it does make a difference. HealthCare costs in the US are indeed about twice as high per % of GDP compared to other countries (I think it's almost 20% of our US GDP now) and is growing much faster than the rate of inflation. Who are "the others", is this some mysterious invisible being living in another dimension? The cost of health care is incurred by the economy via direct costs to the consumer, or via taxes, or by incurring the debt and letting our children worry about it. The cost is paid somewhere - there is no "others", the citizens get the bill one way or another, sooner or later.
Agree. I see no point of copying a system that is obviously not the best.
I have a few friends in the UK who also complain that the healthcare system is "very bad" (in the European context of course).
In fact a lot of people seem to assume all countries with universal healthcare has a single payer system, which is absolutely not true. It is completely possible to bring private sector into the competition without hurting the quality or raising the cost.
Totally agree. As I European I use the term "Single Payer" also to describe hybrid system like we have in Italy....technically is incorrect to call it single payer.
You are correct The US will never get a truly single payer system but rather a hybrid system...some sort of base Medicare for all. If you want better and additional care you will have to pay for it.
And the largest chunk of what "you will have to pay for it" goes where, guess. To the paper pushers and to the money changers / the fat insurance mafia / conglomerates!
A mother in USA posted a hospital bill for her son on Twitter. Just looking at it, I feel so lucky that I live in Canada. My son had a complex 11-hours surgery, as well. I paid zero. I did not get any bills. My insurance premiums at the time were zero. At my current job, they became $100 a month. I think this is way lower than any insurance premiums in USA (especially for families).
Even though the mother's insurer Aetna has paid for the bulk, the very fact of receiving such bills does a trick on your psyche.
The reason they get the bill is so the patient can verify that it is correct even though the insurance is paying it.
I was in the hospital 3 times 2 years ago with surgery and it didn't cost me anything.
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