Comments on: The Ugly Truth of Socialized Medicine ~ Courtesy of the New Democratic Party of Canada

By: brad maynard

brad maynard — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:30:15 +0000

the problem with the canadian system is the same as the problem with the american system, subsidy with no competitive forces to drive down prices. dont get me wrong though, i do think highly of our system but it does lack that competitive side that makes things cheaper and more efficient. there is much waste in our hospitals, mostly at the top where bureaucrats hang on to their jobs by whatever means when they clearly are no longer (or have never been) useful. a single payer system whether it be taxpayer or insurance company always invites abuse in the accounting department. we need to trim the fat in our system and use the savings to hire more nurses and doctors (get rid of the unions too!!) and our system might come back into the realm of affordability.might.
as for america, your on your own, that truly is a mess there. get rid of insurance companies and people WILL go without care. go singlepayer through government, financially speaking “it was nice knowing you.”

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:38:41 +0000

In 1985 my wife needed a liver transplant operation. The Ontario government sent her to Pittsburgh for the best care available. She got it. Cost to us: the price of the rental TV in her room. While there I met pep[;e whose families had to take second mortgages so their relatives could hve the same operation.
My best friend had his prostate cancer treated and cured, and a hip replacement, very short waits, all successful.
Let’s get real. The price we pay for taking care of each other is that we may have to wait just a bit longer – but we *all* get the same care. That’s what community means.

By: RD

RD — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:26:33 +0000

I tend to agree with Bryan on this. There’s too much money at stake south of the border for the propaganda not to fly. Our system’s not perfect, and I could afford private insurance easily if I were south of the border but I just think our system is better and more accessible to its citizens.

Don’t those Christians judge each other on how the least among them are treated? Or is medical treatment an exception to the rule?

By: Bryan Senka

Bryan Senka — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 13:49:35 +0000

They waited a long time because they were not sick. People who actually were sick got seen ahead of them.

I can’t complain about the Canadian medical system at all.

I get to choose my doctor, I get to dictate my course of treament if I know enough about the situation to know what questions to ask, and I get what I want pretty much when I want it. I can get in to see my family doctor the same day virtually every time. When I dislocated my hip, I showed up to the specialists office without an appointment, without a referral, and within an hour I had my rads done, and was discussing them with the doctor. When my leg was cut open by a skate in a hockey game, I went to the nearest hospital emergency room, was taken in and treated, stitched up, and back in my car driving home also in about one hour. When my son was cross-checked head first into the boards, they wanted to make sure that he got an MRI done, even though he was in no pain, and was fully mobile. He got it within a couple of hours. When my brother in law needed a liver transplant, his need was assessed, he was placed on the list in priority of his need, and he got the first one available. They even flew him out of province to the hospital best equipped to do that particular surgery.

Even elective surgeries are a lot easier than most people think. For a vasectomy, I waited a whole four days for my appointment. That was bizarre, because I EXPECTED to wait, and suddenly was getting nervous about getting snipped when they told me I could have it done so fast. I had a mole on my neck that I was concerned about because I kept cutting it shaving, and people were telling me that bas bad. I walked in just to book the appointment for the consultation, and was ushered into the examination room immediately and had it removed right then and there.

There are a lot more private options available than most people think too. Truly elective procedures (like plastic surgery) are fully private. You most certainly can pay out of pocket and go see whomever you want. Many sports injury clinics are private as well.