There is an old chinese curse: May you get what you wish for. Our healthcare is far from perfect, but it is still better than the alternatives. Here are some statistics for you.
Percentage of people who wait more than 4 months for surgery:
23% in Australia
26% in New Zealand
27% in Canada
36% in United Kingdom
5% in US
Heart surgery in the UK done 1/4 of the rate as done in the United States
Dialysis patients wait 62 days in Canada for blood-vessel access - 16 days in the United States
1.8 Million people are waiting for hospital care or outpatient treatment at any given time in the UK
160 day waiting period for knee replacement surgery in Norway
UK has 1/4 of CT scanners per capita of the US
UK has 1/3 of MRI scanners per capita of the US
UK provides only 1/4 of the rate of the US for coronary-bypass surgery
US provides life saving kidney treatments at the rate of 9 times than the UK for people over the age of 85 (Can you say rationing?)
Only one in ten adult Canadiens have had a colonoscopy compared to one in three in the US
Twice as many Canadien women have not had a mammogram compared to the US
The rate of mortality is 25% higher in Canada than in the US for breast cancer, 8% for prostate cancer and 13% higher for colorectal cancer
Approx. 8 million of the uninsured in this country make more than $75,000 per year
Data from the National Center for Policy Analysis. Data available at ncpa.org
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Against Euphemisms
11 hours ago
7 comments:
This is great stuff. May I copy this for my blog? We need to get the word out.
Are health care is pretty good here. I often wonder if our government takes over our health care completely, will they have the ability to decide what care we ought to have? Or will that freedom still lie with us?
It will not lie with you. A government board will make the decisions. It sounds good that it will be free. But first, it won't be free. We will pay with much higher taxes. Second, it will be care that some government entity will make all the decisions. 10% of Canadian women have never had a pap-smear. Just ask a veteran what government care is like. How many times have you heard on the news that a soldier coming back from war has been denied coverage. If they won't cover war wounds they certainly won't give you and your family the care that you need.
Our health care definitely isn't perfect BUT it is still a lot better than what the countries have.
We can reform what we have without nationalizing health care, can't we?
When we go to the hospital in cases of emergencies,at least they don't tell us we can't proceed because we don't have insurance.
The problem I think is that most people in this country is starting to just want to be GIVEN everything they ask for...
These are truly scary numbers. I can't imagine anyone thinking this would be a good idea. You also have to remember that we have much larger populations than the countries listed above. So it only makes sense that our waits would be even longer. People need to contact their representatives. Once this is in place, it will be next to impossible to back away from.
The current administration seems to be gleefully ramming this down the throats of the American taxpayer. While I agree that the current system is flawed, by going to a national healthcare system we are going from troubled to horrible. I've seen these sorts of systems in place in Europe and people don't like them. However, once put into action, they're very difficult to unwind.
We have relatives who live in Canada. A few years ago we visited for my GF's uncle's 50th birthday. As we sat around with some of their friends and neighbors, the topic of health care came up. Here are some more stats that will shock you, direct form Canadian citizens:
The average wait time for an office visit is 10-14 days.
You are limited in the number of office visits you are allowed in one calendar year. (four was the common number)
At one time, for a short while, the waiting list for OB-GYN's was 9 1/2 months.
This is the model that the Dems want to use? No thanks.
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