cleared, then busted

In article . net,
Economists who can count all the inputs say that in total, Canada spends
considerably less per person on health care than the US. And unlike the
US, they don't leave out 1/4 of the population while doing it.


Canadian hospitals have less modern equipment available than American
hospitals do. They depend on American medicines after destroying incentives
to develop their own with price controls. They buy American medicines in
bulk covering only the manufacturing costs, while American hospitals have to
cover development costs as well. In short, American health care is better
than Canadian health care.

Let's not forget that many Canadians that can afford to come down south
for procedures (at least between Victoria and Vancouver BC to Seattle).
But I think it balances out with the numbe of people going to Canada to by
prescription drugs (which I've been told recently might be illegal).

("Steven P. McNicoll" wrote)
That largely explains why "the entire British healthcare system is still
much less expensive than the collection of US systems". It's not that
it's
actually less expensive, it's that somebody else is paying for most of it.


Sound like "affordable housing."

--
Montblack

My first choice would be someone honest and thought about the people instead of
filling their wallets - I think it would be hard to find someone like this in
politics

Hell, our city council woman is under investigation by the FBI for taking money
to vote a certain way on a strip club issue, its funny because this is what
congress does all the time, but they call it lobbying and its legal - thats why
nothing gets done in DC unless your a big company with alot of donations to
give.

Jeff
http://www.turboarrow3.com


C J Campbell wrote:

"Jeff" wrote in message ...
| I did not vote for Bush, I would rather have a president in bed with his
| intern then in bed with Big Business and screwing over the little people.
|

Why is this the choice? Have we become so polarized politically that we will
put up with any amount of corruption from anyone who claims to represent our
own point of view?

Maybe our first choice should be people of impeccable behavior, regardless
of their political leanings.

In a previous article, Lynn Melrose said:
Busloads of Americans coming to the border to save some bucks on drugs
sound a lot better than the busloads of Canadians going South to get
timely badly needed medical care, due to long waiting lines at government
run hospitals back home. [Wall Street Journal 7/23/02 "Socialized
medicine is a real headache."]

The Canadians coming south are queue jumpers who don't want to
wait their turn for non-emergency care. My dad had a heart attack a few
years ago and had two CAT scans and an MRI and surgery within 6 hours.
And his cardiac surgeon was the same guy who was featured on an episode of
NOVA many years ago for his innovative rehabilitation techniques (a group
of his patients were shown running the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii).

There is nothing wrong with the Canadian system that couldn't be cured by
spending as much per person as the US system does. There is nothing wrong
with the US "system" that couldn't be cured by burning a few insurance
company bean counters and their bought politicians at the stake.

--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
It might not be practical, it might not be a good idea, but it could work.
Sort of like Windows.
-- berry

In a previous article, "C J Campbell" said:
Maybe our first choice should be people of impeccable behavior, regardless
of their political leanings.

My first choice would be people of impeccable principles. You got any
candidates like that? John McCain is the closest I've sean, and even he
tends to follow the political winds.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Their constitution is unwritten, and is mostly based on common law and
practice. In other words, they do something wrong and it then becomes
the norm. -- Laurie Couturier, on the British legal system

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
| In a previous article, "C J Campbell"
said:
| Maybe our first choice should be people of impeccable behavior,
regardless
| of their political leanings.
|
| My first choice would be people of impeccable principles. You got any
| candidates like that? John McCain is the closest I've sean, and even he
| tends to follow the political winds.
|

There are no such candidates left, if there ever were any. The political
parties are so obsessed with power that only the corrupt can survive.

Busloads of Americans coming to the border to save some bucks on drugs
sound a lot
better than the busloads of Canadians going South to get timely badly
needed medical
care, due to long waiting lines at government run hospitals back home.
[Wall Street
Journal 7/23/02 "Socialized medicine is a real headache."]

Here in the UK healthcare is free at the point of delivery and is accessible
to everyone. I also have private health insurance provided by my employer
and that is for when I want non emergency treatment or treatment at my time
of choosing. For emergencies the National Health Service is as good as it
gets. For non urgent treatment like a hip replacement there could be a wait
of up to six months.

I have an impingement in my shoulder, possibly a torn rotator cuff. Using
the private insurance I have had an MRI scan, and got an appointment for
surgery set up for January after my Christmas Holiday in Florida. I could
have had the operation yesterday but the recovery might have got in the way
of the vacation (no flying).

Its all paid for out of taxes and is available on the basis of need not
wallet or insurance. It does leave us open to abuse as there are cases of
foreigners who fly in, get diagnosed as being ill and then get treatment. We
just have to live with that, it a mark of a civilised society and in a funny
Christian sort of way, turning the other cheek.

Its comforting knowing that if anyone in my family gets ill, I don't have to
worry about who pays.

On a more stupid point, over the counter drugs policy in the US is so
different from here.

For example, here Ibuprofen is sold only in blister packs of 16 tablets. It
is illegal to sell more. Yet last time I was in the US I bought a tub of 500
at Wal Mart for next to nothing. Here the reason is that these things are
considered dangerous (suicide) etc. Mid you if you go the urge to kill
yourself in Wal Mart, its easier and to get a gun and shoot yourself than
swallow 500 ibuprofen tablets.

"C J Campbell" wrote in message
...

"Jeff" wrote in message
...
| I did not vote for Bush, I would rather have a president in bed with his
| intern then in bed with Big Business and screwing over the little
people.
|

Why is this the choice? Have we become so polarized politically that we
will
put up with any amount of corruption from anyone who claims to represent
our
own point of view?

Maybe our first choice should be people of impeccable behavior, regardless
of their political leanings.

Yeh, but there is no place in politics for people with those qualities.
People with those qualities would rather be dead than a politician.

Politician never lie. They just tell their own truth.

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message


The Canadians coming south are queue jumpers who don't want to
wait their turn for non-emergency care.

hmm....

There is nothing wrong with the Canadian system that couldn't be
cured by spending as much per person as the US system does.

It would seem to me that those "queue jumpers" are indeed driving up the
"total inputs" you mentioned a few posts ago - and are more than willing to
spend the money.

No, American healthcare isn't everything I'd like it to be, but I shudder to
think what it would be like under government administration. If you want to
talk about HMO's and how the lawyers are deciding more about medical
practice than doctors, I'm all ears. Bring in the government and I'll show
you the door.

--
John T
http://tknowlogy.com/tknoFlyer
__________

In article , Bob Noel
wrote:
The Canadian system had and still has the US system as a relief valve.
(but I am glad you've had your Canadian system work well for you).

When I put my hand through a glass door, severing all the flexor
tendons, median nerve, both arteries in my wrist, I had it fixed by
so-called "socialized health care".

The comment made by the US AME who looked at the repair when I went for
my first medical?

"They did a really good job with that"

I had regained normal function of the hand in 3 months, too. The
sensation took a little longer to come back on all of the hand (nerves
take time to grow). The job involved not only repairing the wrist in the
first place (6.5 hours of microsurgery) but followup daily physiotherapy
for 2 months. I wonder if insurance would have paid for it all.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"