I don’t know. When I lived in Canada while on leave from the army, it seemed that they were healthy and living long a fruitful lives. Speaking with them they could not imagine a society where health care is not provided freely and openly to all citizens. When i went to the doctor there, (a couple times due to my own dumbness), the doctors where as good as they are here in Houston. The service was amazing, free, and government run. I do not have a problem with buying into a public option or having one entity controlling it. Health care premiums are high and have skyrocketed higher in recent years and everyone I know without health insurance is middle class hard working people who probably need it. I had one of those Cadillac health plans and despite paying out the wazoo was still under insured and somethings were not covered at all. My neighbors husband died because of a preexisting condition the insurance company didn’t want to help pay for his treatment. I almost went bankrupt when my wife..you know her…needed surgery on ovarian cancer because blue cross blue shield said she had to have had it before she switched to us so the previous insurance company should cover it…oh my god. I want change and at after thinking about all the hardships i have seen,(being a middle class American), change is needed.
I doubt that the disparages in the Canadian system would be significantly noticeable, but pretty much all of the research I’ve seen says that wait times are much longer (particularly for special services) and the quality of care for more serious conditions is better in the U.S.
I absolutely think that we need change in the system, but I don’t believe the answer lies in a complete overhaul. Our solutions should be subtle but effective.
The fact is that America is a global leader in the research and treatment of illness. People travel here from all over the world for treatment. All of the top medical schools are in America. Other nation’s medical services and citizens benefit from what we do here. All of that is a result of free markets, and will be compromised under government-run health care.
Much of our problem here is that health care is simply expensive, which has a lot to do with people not taking care of themselves in the first place, in addition to ridiculous waste in the system and with lawsuit abuse that costs hospitals and doctors. Those issues can be addressed without sacrificing the quality of our care, without reducing the freedom of everyone involved, and without hiking taxes and increasing our national debt.
I am only speaking from personal experience and have not looked into the research or studies behind these issues (Most people haven’t and never will).
To the majority, working class people who struggle to take care of their families, none of these studies or research matter just the results. I just don’t see how taking health care out of the private sector and make it part of a more managed and controlled environment would make it less effective lowering quality.
I was int he army for 4 years and have been on every continent on this planet and to many different nations and, to my astonishment, every other industrialized nation besides the US has some form of universal health care for its citizens. The most powerful nation in the world and I feel ashamed that some people cant get the basic medical care that they require because of cost or “pre=existing conditions” or whatever mombo jumbo these politicians and insurance companies come up with.
I was stationed in Cuba and though they may not have all the best equipment and schools of medicine we have, they still offer whatever they have for free to their people.
A really good example of the government working for its people, health care wise, is Japan. In Japan, health care services are provided by the national government. Health care fees are set by a government committee. People without insurance through employers can participate in a national health insurance program administered by the government and can choose any doctor any policy. And we all know that Japan has marked successes in the field of biomedical research and development. The run neck and neck with the US when it comes to innovations in science/science medicine and they offer the best money can buy to their people for almost nothing.
I think because we are the innovators of so many advancements in science and medicine that the first thing that’s needed to be done is make those advancements available to everyone that is an American citizen. This is a goal I don’t see being accomplished in the current state of our health care system. Overhaul seems like a good choice. Some bad decisions have been made in the past to get it to this point so to continue on this path is crazy.
The research, the studies all that is fine and good, but my knowledge on the subject comes from life, personal life experience.
I am not trying to argue. This health care debate brings sour memories to mind. I am letting personal experience get in the way of rational thought at times. Plus I am a military man so things are simple looking to me when I am sure there are many different things I am not accounting for. When you want to make an omelet break some eggs ya know…..
Wesley Gant 
I don’t know. When I lived in Canada while on leave from the army, it seemed that they were healthy and living long a fruitful lives. Speaking with them they could not imagine a society where health care is not provided freely and openly to all citizens. When i went to the doctor there, (a couple times due to my own dumbness), the doctors where as good as they are here in Houston. The service was amazing, free, and government run. I do not have a problem with buying into a public option or having one entity controlling it. Health care premiums are high and have skyrocketed higher in recent years and everyone I know without health insurance is middle class hard working people who probably need it. I had one of those Cadillac health plans and despite paying out the wazoo was still under insured and somethings were not covered at all. My neighbors husband died because of a preexisting condition the insurance company didn’t want to help pay for his treatment. I almost went bankrupt when my wife..you know her…needed surgery on ovarian cancer because blue cross blue shield said she had to have had it before she switched to us so the previous insurance company should cover it…oh my god. I want change and at after thinking about all the hardships i have seen,(being a middle class American), change is needed.
Nette says hi..
Hey Michael. Thanks for stopping by.
I doubt that the disparages in the Canadian system would be significantly noticeable, but pretty much all of the research I’ve seen says that wait times are much longer (particularly for special services) and the quality of care for more serious conditions is better in the U.S.
I absolutely think that we need change in the system, but I don’t believe the answer lies in a complete overhaul. Our solutions should be subtle but effective.
The fact is that America is a global leader in the research and treatment of illness. People travel here from all over the world for treatment. All of the top medical schools are in America. Other nation’s medical services and citizens benefit from what we do here. All of that is a result of free markets, and will be compromised under government-run health care.
Much of our problem here is that health care is simply expensive, which has a lot to do with people not taking care of themselves in the first place, in addition to ridiculous waste in the system and with lawsuit abuse that costs hospitals and doctors. Those issues can be addressed without sacrificing the quality of our care, without reducing the freedom of everyone involved, and without hiking taxes and increasing our national debt.
Tell Nette “hi” back for me. =)
I am only speaking from personal experience and have not looked into the research or studies behind these issues (Most people haven’t and never will).
To the majority, working class people who struggle to take care of their families, none of these studies or research matter just the results. I just don’t see how taking health care out of the private sector and make it part of a more managed and controlled environment would make it less effective lowering quality.
I was int he army for 4 years and have been on every continent on this planet and to many different nations and, to my astonishment, every other industrialized nation besides the US has some form of universal health care for its citizens. The most powerful nation in the world and I feel ashamed that some people cant get the basic medical care that they require because of cost or “pre=existing conditions” or whatever mombo jumbo these politicians and insurance companies come up with.
I was stationed in Cuba and though they may not have all the best equipment and schools of medicine we have, they still offer whatever they have for free to their people.
A really good example of the government working for its people, health care wise, is Japan. In Japan, health care services are provided by the national government. Health care fees are set by a government committee. People without insurance through employers can participate in a national health insurance program administered by the government and can choose any doctor any policy. And we all know that Japan has marked successes in the field of biomedical research and development. The run neck and neck with the US when it comes to innovations in science/science medicine and they offer the best money can buy to their people for almost nothing.
I think because we are the innovators of so many advancements in science and medicine that the first thing that’s needed to be done is make those advancements available to everyone that is an American citizen. This is a goal I don’t see being accomplished in the current state of our health care system. Overhaul seems like a good choice. Some bad decisions have been made in the past to get it to this point so to continue on this path is crazy.
The research, the studies all that is fine and good, but my knowledge on the subject comes from life, personal life experience.
I am not trying to argue. This health care debate brings sour memories to mind. I am letting personal experience get in the way of rational thought at times. Plus I am a military man so things are simple looking to me when I am sure there are many different things I am not accounting for. When you want to make an omelet break some eggs ya know…..