I have to pay full price for my prerscriptions on the NHS because I don't claim any sort of gov't aid (being over a certain age or disabled, etc) that would exempt me from having to pay. I was told it was going to be a very high price. Turned out to be £6.20 a prerscription.[/b][/quote]
From what I read about the Australian system, prescriptions are also not covered there.

Yes, Lawyers have caused many of the problems with rising costs, doctors retiring, etc. My Mom is a midwife and the number of OB's leaving their practices due to massive malpractice insurance rates is frightening. There needs to be some sort of reform in this.

However, the "free" health care that many get in the US is also to blame. If it cost a hospital $200K for each heart surgery and if 1/3 the people don't pay (I'm basing this on an article I saw where 62% of all visits to the doctors office are by those who have no insurance and the liberals saying 45% of those in the US aren't covered by insurance and I'm giving credit for those who pay for it personally), then where do you think that money comes from to cover those who DON'T PAY? Here's a hint - the hospitals are NOT printing money in the back room. :(

If those who COULD afford insurance would get it, there would be a HUGE decrease in costs for those of us who pay our bills. Right now, insurance is paying out higher and higher amounts to compensate for those who don't have insurance (and don't pay) and again, since they don't print money either, they pass that $$ off to those who have insurance. Almost every single person I've talked to who doesn't have health insurance in the US (and isn't qualified for Medicaid) HAS the money to pay for insurance if they would not eat out every night, buy new cars, new TV's, etc., but since they KNOW they can get the care for free, there's no incentive for them to be responsible.

If you compare not having health insurance in the US to having "free" socialized medicine, then of course it's great. :unsure: But those of us who ARE responsible and pay our OWN insurance and/or medical bills have no desire to pay higher taxes, deal with the waits and possibly substandard care. And Hitlary's health care plan proposal several years ago would have made it illegal to go outside the national plan. :angry:

BTW, I read an article (and I can dig up the link if needed) that said 72% of Australians said the health care there needed a major reform.

good thing we have a family witch doctor. we just give him two live chickens and a bottle of bourbon and he is happy.

Who said I was happy? you have the gall to referr to this half-empty bottle of Early Times as "bourbon"?

From now on I'll only accept Makers Mark.

But the chicken was yummy! :okthumb:

My brother-in-law used to live in Toronto...he's dead, now. When it became apparent that he would never again be paying taxes, they stopped his chemo and let him die. Of course, the fact that he was Jamaican probably had some bearing on it, also.

There was an old pediatrician in Alpharetta - in fact, she may still be practicing - she was a couple of years ago at 102. She used to take chickens, eggs, produce, baked goods, artwork, etc. in exchange for medical care. :okthumb: Neat lady.

yes, i am sure there was a direct Revenue Canada communications link to the nurses station in the hospital. makes you wonder who else they decide to kill on a whim.

like i always say "pay your taxes or the government will kill you if you are a guy from an island someplace"

:rolleyes:

I think I just found proof of this.

http://www.datapush.net/pics/kill_jamaicans.jpg

There is one group of Americans that we seem to be forgetting...
those who can afford Insurance, however are uninsurable...
I am in that position...
No insurance company in the country will cover me due to my back...
I would very much like to pay for insurance... instead of paying for entire surgeries, emergency's (broken bones and visits to ER) straight out of my pocket... There are many people in this country in the same position as I am... To buffer against a serious illness, I have to maintain a seperate balance in the bank just for such emergencies.. It's a Real Pain in the ass...
not only would I be out of work... I would have to pay for any doctor, hospital bills as well...

As a nurse in the real world, I find this a very hard pill to swallow....

First off, let me say on the board:
Happy Birthday, Pattyecake!!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled thread.... :awinky:

Here in GA there's a pool you can join if you're otherwise uninsurable. The state administers the insurance, not an insurance company, per se. My aunt has had arthitis since she was 17 and is basically crippled. My uncle had her on his Delta Air Lines policy even after the divorce until she forgot to send in the yearly paperwork. :unsure: She's able to get a policy from the state. It's not a GREAT policy, but it's there. :) Move to GA, PC! :)

This point alone is what makes me leary of the government getting their hands on things! :zoinks: You couldn't be more right - they've screwed up everything else, why let them screw up more?

PC brings up a good point too though... there are MANY uninsurables out there without ANY health care... my grandma's neighbor is in the same situation.

And in addition to those who can't GET insured there are those who worked hard for years, retired and then were "set up" with retirement insurance to cover them in their so-called Golden Years.... my dad is 65 and his retirement insurance rate just went up to $895/month to cover him & my mom. They had to go with an HMO through his current job (yup... 25 years on a police department doesn't pay enough to ever "really" retire... he still works 40 hours/week to make ends meet) where they are still paying $280/month for a less-than-adequate health care through Blue Cross.

How is anyone supposed to EVER be able to afford to retire, afford quality insurance AND pay the bills? They though they had their retirement years taken care of... instead, he'll never be able to truly retire. If anything - God forbid - were to happen to him, I don't know what my mom would do - there's insurance for that too, but will it be enough? How can you prepare for retirement 30 some years in the future without a crystal ball to know how things are really going to turn out?

Kath, is your Dad not getting Medicare? Medicare coverage can be pretty substantial and I know my Dad's only paying $116 a month for the top of the line BCBS supplemental policy (E or F, I think.....they're standard for all insurers). The last two hospital visits for him (with surgery) ran him less than $100.

And, as I stated previously, rates are going up in a large part to cover the bills of those who don't bother to get insurance nor pay their bills. :angry:

It's not. It is truly terrible.

On those occasiaons when I or my family have had serious problems it has been necessary to grease palms to get timely and decent treatment.

If you haven't, take a look at the Quebecois movie "Barbarian Invasions". It has some scenes that are pretty close to what I have been through.

It's not. It is truly terrible.

On those occasiaons when I or my family have had serious problems it has been necessary to grease palms to get timely and decent treatment.

If you haven't, take a look at the Quebecois movie "Barbarian Invasions". It has some scenes that are pretty close to what I have been through.[/b][/quote]
Well, you should know one thing. The problem here is people complain and whine about things they have and take for granted... That's all we do all year long, winter time is too cold, summer is too hot, fall is too rainy, spring has a dog poo smell, our health care system is slow! That's all we have to do it seems. I've worked in shitty places with minimum wages and no benefits, mean bosses, stict rules, now where I work everyone has a good salary, great benefits, kind bosses, almost no rules and everyone is bitching and whining that it's bad and it's sucks and they are mistreated..WTF!

The day the governement will say to the Canadian people they don't take care of our health fees anymore, 3/4 of that population of whiners will cry! Especially the ones who pay nothing for their medication and who takes a lot of it, the old people with no money who need cares all the time, people with sick children...

Free medicine and free cares rules! :rokk:

This point alone is what makes me leary of the government getting their hands on things! :zoinks: You couldn't be more right - they've screwed up everything else, why let them screw up more?

PC brings up a good point too though... there are MANY uninsurables out there without ANY health care... my grandma's neighbor is in the same situation.

And in addition to those who can't GET insured there are those who worked hard for years, retired and then were "set up" with retirement insurance to cover them in their so-called Golden Years.... my dad is 65 and his retirement insurance rate just went up to $895/month to cover him & my mom. They had to go with an HMO through his current job (yup... 25 years on a police department doesn't pay enough to ever "really" retire... he still works 40 hours/week to make ends meet) where they are still paying $280/month for a less-than-adequate health care through Blue Cross.

How is anyone supposed to EVER be able to afford to retire, afford quality insurance AND pay the bills? They though they had their retirement years taken care of... instead, he'll never be able to truly retire. If anything - God forbid - were to happen to him, I don't know what my mom would do - there's insurance for that too, but will it be enough? How can you prepare for retirement 30 some years in the future without a crystal ball to know how things are really going to turn out?[/b][/quote]
I sympathize...particularly because your dad was a police officer. Wonder how much retiring pols in his area get? They usually take care of themselves first.

Let me take this occasion to repeat what I have pointed out a few times in the past.

Social Security was and is a scam. Medicare and Medicaid are little better, considering how much of the money is given away to people below retirement age.

My wife used to be a nurse, and she could tell you horror stories about the Medicare system.

I wish I had a quick solution to the problem; but, unfortunately, I don't. The whole concept of Socialism and Socialised medicine is broken; and there ain't enough superglue and ductape in the world to fix it. It comes back to the fact that if you give someone else the authority to furnish your needs, they WILL decide what your needs are and what they will cost

Yeah, it kills me that he put his life on the line for so many years and has nothing. And you're right - those politicians in the area he retired from (NW Ohio) are living pretty large from what I've been able to dig up (you've got my interest up). It just sucks.

And Peaches... nope, no medicare yet - he turned 65 yesterday... pretty depressing day for him considering all he's still got to deal with on his plate at his age... hopefully medicare will be *something* but my mom's just 57, so she's got a ways to go before she gets any benefits, and she's the one with all the medical needs between the two of them.

Guess I just need to get my act in gear, stock up my own financial securities so that I can save for my future and hopefully get to a point where I can help them out if/when they need it... nothing else to do but to bitch and moan - and I'm tired of that already. <_<