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Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:10 pmby Bluecast
Mitsuzuki wrote: In about the last 10 years, we've seen the wait times for our health care increase, which is a drag. Other than that, it's one of the best healthcare systems in the world.
A system where you wait to die hope to live as opposed to a system live now hope not to die? I had No insurance nor could I afford it. So I never seeked help. Little did I know til much later about medicaid. It doesn't matter that I have racked up a bill nearly 1 million $ and it has cost me nothing. I got help with NO wait at all.
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:14 pmby mue 26
Maybe it worked out in your case, but I heard so many horror stories of people who thought they were covered with health insurance, only for it to run out or some clause to come up, and then left with no support.
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:16 pmby Bluecast
mue 26 wrote: Maybe it worked out in your case, but I heard so many horror stories of people who thought they were covered with health insurance, only for it to run out or some clause to come up, and then left with no support.
The downside is you're not told there is always options. They try and keep these great programs secret. But they are there.
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:19 pmby Kenny
Its not cool to stereotype people like that, Spoke.
As for the Healthcare thing, its too expensive here. Plus we have social health care programs already, we just call it medicare/medicaid among other things. For everyone else, its the private insurance companies (who are starting to get some loopholes closed). I figure if I'm paying for social programs already, what's a reform to restrucuralize the system to make it more accessible to people who need it to me?
There are more things to consider as well. Money for medical research and building better equipment. But in the cities, its way too expensive. In my friend's hospital, less people are going in for checkups. He's moving back to my hometown where more people are going cause its cheaper. Now, is it higher quality? Depends on the doctor, how many patients they go through, and the one-on-one relationship they care to have.
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:24 pmby Mitsuzuki
Bluecast wrote: Mitsuzuki wrote: In about the last 10 years, we've seen the wait times for our health care increase, which is a drag. Other than that, it's one of the best healthcare systems in the world.
A system where you wait to die hope to live as opposed to a system live now hope not to die? I had No insurance nor could I afford it. So I never seeked help. Little did I know til much later about medicaid. It doesn't matter that I have racked up a bill nearly 1 million $ and it has cost me nothing. I got help with NO wait at all.
I'm talking about doctors appointments. We needed urgent surgery for a family member recently. It was scheduled and performed quickly, perfectly, and at no cost.
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:26 pmby Bluecast
It's not free you know. taxes. I didn't even have to pay that
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:33 pmby south carmain
Bluecast wrote: It's not free you know. taxes. I didn't even have to pay that
I thought you Americans payed taxes? as for the whole you wait 7 months to get an operation well that's not true, if it's an emergency you will get it right there, if it can wait a week you will get it in a week and if it's not urgent at all then you will get it in a month or so at max, the reason why some people have to wait so long is because there are more urgent cases being seen before them, and that's the UK which isn't even the best in the world, if you experienced france's then you would realise it can be one of the greatest things ever, we have healthcare for moral purposes not so we can immorally let someone gravely sick wait to die
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:35 pmby Kenny
If you're unemployed or on welfare (or get some benefits from the gov), you don't have to pay taxes because you have no earned income to give back to the government.
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:36 pmby south carmain
here neither, and you don't have to pay taxes if you earn less than 8000£ a year
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:44 pmby Mitsuzuki
Bluecast wrote: It's not free you know. taxes. I didn't even have to pay that
Of course it's paid for by taxes. That's also in part how our infrastructure gets funded as well. That's how it works with developed nations.
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 3:47 pmby lavrentis
I don't get it when people say the British healthcare system is bad.
It's fucking brilliant, walk in world class healthcare with no bill at the end. They saved my small nephews life plus I have got my moneys worth. It's funny how people think it's commy, it really isn't like that.
Plus we can have private healthcare he if we want it.
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:04 pmby Kenny
It's mostly propaganda spread by news networks so the private insurance executives (and some doctors) can keep driving their Lamborghinis and live in their high class neighborhoods. It's all about money, really. Also some people don't want to pay taxes for anything like college loans, health care, and anything that helps others. They want to keep that extra income for their next trip to Costa Rica or something.
That being said, there's a pro and a con for everything. I for one don't mind paying to help others. Sure, there are those who take advantage of the system but there are others that don't. But I don't think a system should be disbanded because of a few asshats.
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:09 pmby Sonikku
It may not be the best, but it most measurably head and shoulders above the US these days. We've always spent more, but at least for a long time it was paying several times as much for healthcare that was a smidge better. The past couple of years however Britain has ranked higher in quality of care and complications than we have. As if it weren't damning enough already that they pay less to treat all of their citizens than our government pays to treat some. I think when you extend healthcare to everyone and allow the country to invest in preventive medicine that it ironically can save more money than our system of treating few until their otherwise controllable illness eventually exasperates into catastrophic condition, at which point we kick in with the safety net and pay thousands as times as much to save people. It's like saying "We can't afford to extend an ounce of prevention to everyone! We're too bankrupt extending a pound of cure to the few as it is!" Talk about insanity.
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:43 pmby Thief
Kenny wrote: Its not cool to stereotype people like that
"All generalizations are false; including this one." - Mark Twain
Re: Random Thoughts! v2.0
Posted:
Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:49 pmby KiBa
Kenny wrote: It's mostly propaganda spread by news networks so the private insurance executives (and some doctors) can keep driving their Lamborghinis and live in their high class neighborhoods. It's all about money, really.
Well, we've got to be realistic, instead of comparing the size of our stethoscopes. Public medical funding is the same; it also drives up costs because the drug companies, supply companies, doctors, and insurance companies all charge more when they know the state promises to foot the bill, and then politicians never stand up to them, so they drive up taxes, and it just keeps going till the nation is bankrupt, or you have smart leaders who will be responsible with people's money. Every western health system works well at the moment. Just because the U.S. has no formal universal system doesn't mean that you can't get treatment. Realistically, by far most doctors want to help every patient, so they will always treat people for serious injuries in the emergency room whether they have money or not, and then they work it out later, like ordinary people. For tests and long-term conditions or diseases, there are hundreds of programs and charities that will pay for everything. Also, some states do have public healthcare, like Massachusetts, which has literally saved my life more than once. And most cities have free walk-in clinics and hospitals and med schools that will take everyone for free on certain days of the week. But the point is, you can't confuse a "system" for the real world. In the real world, people always help each other, ultimately, so I'd say that any industrialized nation complaining about healthcare is absolutely ridiculous. Every Western society, at least, has really good medical care for everyone, somehow. Complaining about having pretty good systems is kind of insulting to all the really poor people in totally undeveloped countries, or the masses of poor workers dependent on unkind dictatorships. Those are the places where better healthcare is needed most.