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Politics : A US National Health Care System? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Katelew who wrote (3750)	1/11/2008 2:08:05 PM
From: John Koligman	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 42652

And would allow the self employed like me to actually GET insurance without breaking into a sweat <ggg>. You have a great way of summarizing the problem, please hang around! Regards, John

To: Katelew who wrote (3750)	1/11/2008 2:24:50 PM
From: Sultan	Respond to of 42652

Govt. does not own physical hospitals, clinics, labs etc. in Canada.. Clinics and labs are private and hospitals are run through boards etc.. with individual budgets that are funded through the Govt. based on health insurance as well as formula that each province has with the Federal Govt.. What the govt. does however is set the rates at which the doctors, tests etc. will be refunded as well as some limit on how certain procedures will be refunded or not or if the patient will have to pay for it etc.. Generally they are reasonable enough but now and again it also depends on how stickler your doctor is in following them.. This of course is different from province to province.. There are no restrictions on selecting or changing your family physician as long as the doctor is taking new patient and some may not.. You as a patient cannot directly waltzing into a specialist's office/medical lab etc. or make an appointment since you have to be referred by your family doctor etc.. There are some specialized clinics as well as labs where if you want to pay for the service you can get what ever tests you want done.. System works well enough in that you have your health care card which is acceptable (whether it is emergency hospital, your doctor or labs etc.) in the Province where you reside as well as generally in other provinces on an emergency basis or if you have moved for a limited duration.. For all of this a family pays less then 100 a month and if you are too poor to pay, you still get your card and coverage.. In some provinces it is not the direct tax payer who pays but is funded through employment insurance etc.. FWIW..

To: Katelew who wrote (3750)	1/11/2008 2:28:38 PM
From: TimF	Respond to of 42652

The UK actually has socialized medicine (not 100% socialized because they do allow private practice outside the system, but mostly socialized). Its the only rich country that I can think of at the moment that has such a system. Canada doesn't really have socialized medicine. It has socialized health insurance. Although "socialized health insurance" gets called "socialized medicine", I think the distinction is useful. Again the socialization is not 100% but until recently, except in areas not covered by the national system, private insurance was not legal, and even now there is some uncertainty about it, so its a mostly, perhaps almost totally, socialist health insurance system. Single payer, when the government is the single payer. Is socialist health insurance. But than many single payer systems aren't really single payer systems. Most of the payments would be from the government but to the extent that there is any private insurance the health insurance system isn't 100% socialist or 100% single payer. In the US our health care insurance system is less socialist than most other rich countries but even in the US we already have a system that has a fair amount of socialism Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP etc. are socialized health insurance, but many millions of people are covered by private insurance. VA hospitals and clinics are actually socialized health care, rather than socialized health insurance.

To: Katelew who wrote (3750)	1/11/2008 2:43:02 PM
From: Alastair McIntosh	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

Canada is a single-payer system, not a socialized system. Most of the hospitals are private, not for profit institutions. Almost all of the doctors are self employed and earn a living by supplying individual services to individual consumers.

To: Katelew who wrote (3750)	1/11/2008 3:26:20 PM
From: gg cox	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 42652

<<and govt. hires and trains doctors and other medical personnel.>> In Canada, doctors are independent of government. They bill the government for services they provide to patients and are paid for services rendered, same as running an independent business.They are not members of "the proletariate" or the "the party"<<gg>>and the government is not in their offices controlling them in any way. Canadian doctors study at universities and medical schools and generally pay their own way through with exception of scholarships etc.Many exit medical school with huge debt burden which they must pay back like many well trained professional leaving school. Canada's healthcare system "has a heart." and prioritizes "NEED"as any and all systems "MUST" when demand is so great.One giant triage, there is no other reasonable way, when "ALL" are covered. It is not perfect and never will be,no one in Canada will have to declare bankruptcy as a result of medical calamity,cost burden for system is paid by all, through tax system and small fee based on income. There are no $12,000.00 yearly premiums to pay, for a family of four, if without an elite job, to pick up the cost.No monthly premium of over $200.00 per month per individual , if retired and on social secutity. I have posted many "anecdotes" on this thread of the people, that i know about, that have had contact with our system the vast majority are successful outcomes.