Healthcare Overcharge!

[zumbo]

Canadians are ticked about electronics. I am ticked about healthcare cost. We pay way more for healthcare & medication!

Lets try to keep politics out of this! audioholics.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':angry:'>

I see the doctor a great deal more than I update my audio!

Yes we do even though I am an MD and personally benefit greatly from all these dollars. The pentagon and their $600 hammer has nothing on medicine. Much has to do with malpractice and a ridiculous amount of defensive medicine, unrealistic patient expectations, a get the answer now without waiting attitude by doctors and patients and an appalling amount spent on people in their last weeks of life.As boomers age it will only get worse. However as the old joke goes: if we adopt a Canadian style health care system where will all the (rich) Canadians get their healthcare? People waiting weeks for MRIs and hip replacements won't go over big here. Oh well, it keeps me in good audio gear!

[pam]

Hi

This is a political choice. If you are ready to:
- pay 2000$ to 5000$ more of income tax;
- have a law to reduce the amount of liability paid to doctors;
- have an investment in training more doctors at a lower cost (increase subsidies to universities for training doctors);
you can have health insurance for everyone free.

About medication costs, the provincial government in Canada has more bargaining power with Drug companies.

This is all political. When Americans will want medicare for everyone they will have it.

BTW, you pay 5% of your gross domestic product in medicare, and the second most expensive country is paying less than 3%. You pay more and serve less people. It is only a matter of choice.

[jeffsg4mac]

I don't think we pay too much for healthcare just too much for most drugs. My wife is an LPN soon to be an RN, she works and studies her butt off and she deserves every penny she makes. You want free healthcare then move to Canada and get in line. You want the best care in the world then pay for it.

My favorite political about this is "we will not have health care rationing in this country!" So just what does the working poor don't get none mean?
It goes well beyond drugs. There are more MRIs at about 1-3 million dollars a pop in any US city than in any other country on earth. People expect a scan for every back ache or headache. The cost where I live is $880 a study. All this so once in a blue moon you will find an unexpected and untreatable brain tumor? It will put my daughter through college but even I with a vested interest in it am appalled. Put this money into prevention and you get much more back.
I admit I went into this because I like the toys which is why I'm an audio enthusiast too but this is no way to improve the nations health.

[zumbo]

Jeff. I think you missed the point of this thread! audioholics.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt='???'>

[jeffsg4mac]

I'm sorry, What was the point?

[zumbo]

Canadians were complaining about their cost for electronics. So, due to the fact they pay a great deal less for healthcare & medication, I was making the point that Americans pay much more for this. Then, I was asking to keep politics out of this. That seems to be what both threads are about. I am sure many other countries have different cost in different areas, so this could go on for days!

[JAB]

Dan is right about health care line-ups in Canada. There is waiting lists for every type of proceedure, and only the critically ill or life threatening accidents get immediate attention. My other half has had two operations ( not life threatening ) in the last two years, and really didn't have to wait that long for the operations. Once into the hospital, the care and service was excellent. I am sure a private medical bill would have been in the tens of thousands, but medicare paid the shot. Coverage costs us around $900 a year.

In Canada, private medicine is supposed to be illegal, but a new building in my community has opened with private MRI's and three operating theatres. The cost, which is bourne by the patient is high, but the service is immediate. The provincial government watchdog has barked a little, but so far no biting. If you got the bucks-you get the luck!

As per Dan and his frank statements - good on you!! I have been self employed nearly all my working life and also enjoy investing my money in A/V and cars. No drugs - No smoking - No drinking = hobby bucks!

Al

[pam]

Hi Zumbo

The cost of health care is a political choice. US is the most expensive systems (you pay more than anywhere, most of the time twice so you have the money) but 30% of your population is not covered (unlike all other G7). This is a political choice that has been done by americains.

With your actual health cost and the increasing weight of americains will end up having most of the population not covered. You will have to do some tough decision in this matter. People are getting older also. We also have our share of problems.

The cost of electronics was another subject in another subject in the steam vent. I am not only complaining, I am starting to do the promotion of buying outside of Canada (in US). I want Canadian distributors to be more competitive or to die.