High-Priced Pain: What to Expect from a Single-Payer Health Care Syste

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   nicompposted 14 years ago

   "In Britain, over 800,000 patients are waiting for hospital care. In Canada, the average wait between a general practitioner referral and a specialty consultation has been over 17 weeks."
   
   "In 2004, in British Columbia, Canada, a health worker strike resulted in the cancellation of 5,300 surgeries and numerous MRI examinations, CT scans, and lab tests. Canadians have a shortage of physicians, and the recruitment and retention of doctors in Britain has become a chronic problem."
   
   "For example, an esti­mated 60 percent of radiological equipment in Canada is technically outdated."
   
   
   http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCare/bg1973.cfm

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      megs78posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      My son (1 year old) was referred to a specialist by my GP and was seen within 3 days.  When its important, it goes fast.  If it is say, dermatalogical (acne, for example), well thats longer...took me 8 weeks to see a specialist.  But who cares?  Acne is not going to kill me and i didn't have to pay to see one.  Plastic surgery however, is not covered and is extremely costly, and the wait time to see one is up to 6 months...go figure.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Now, can we have a comparison with how many patients are waiting for hospital care in America? 
      
      And you must include people who need hospital care but can't even get on a waiting list because they can't afford it, or their insurance has turned them down.  Because all those people ARE on the waiting lists stated above, and will at least get care eventually.  In America, they'll just go on suffering. Or die.
      
      You also need to differentiate between life-threatening conditions and elective surgery.  Some of those people may just have an ingrown toenail!  In both the countries above, people with life-threatening illnesses are seen fast.

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         nicompposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         If a patient needs hospital care for an ingrown toenail, we are all in trouble. In the US that's a simple outpatient procedure performed in a doctor's office.
         
         The number of people waiting in the US is pointless to this discussion. Britain trumpets their system and is quick to denigrate ours.

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            Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            How can you debate the relative merits of the two systems if you only provide facts on one of them?
            
            And actually, I wouldn't say Britain "trumpets" its system.  Every Brit knows the National Health System is far from perfect.  There are many better free health systems elsewhere in the world - Australia being one of them, but I believe the Scandinavians do it even better.
            
            However, when the average Brit looks at the American system, they realize they have a lot to be thankful for.

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               nicompposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgMEPk6fvpg

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2. 61

   nicompposted 14 years ago

   Hmmm... where are the Brits?

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   tksenseiposted 14 years ago

   How about we compare survival rates for breast cancer and prostate cancer patients in the US vs in the UK?
   
   
   
   http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2009/08/5-y … nates.html

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      kerrygposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That chart would be more convincing if it answered at least two important questions:
      
      What European countries is it comparing with the US? England? Poland? Albania?
      
      Does it include people in the US who are diagnosed with cancer but untreated because they don't have insurance?

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         nicompposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         lol. You obligate yourself to compare all 50 states as well. Let's keep apples with apples.

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   tksenseiposted 14 years ago

   http://politicalcalculations.blogspot.c … urope.html
   
   
   http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/ … urope.html
   
   
   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic … takes.html

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      kerrygposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That answers my first question. Going to take a shot at the second?

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      nicompposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Great research.
      
      "UK cancer survival rate lowest in Europe."
      
      Waiting Ryan to spin this...

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   tksenseiposted 14 years ago

   If you really want to research all those sources, knock yourself out.

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