While this is a movie blog, I figure that since my day job is in health care, I can occasionally throw in something fascinating when I see it.
I don’t mind that people do or do not want a public health care plan, as long as they know why and they desire to learn all of the facts. I hate that so many folks, especially in the conservative movement, sheepishly do what they are told, thinking that it is for their best interest, even when it is not. This is insane. I knew that an argument such as “the public health care plan wants to kill all the old people” would have to arise just because stupid arguments like this work so well on the weak-minded. I don’t know for sure that the new plans being proposed are in this country’s best interest, but I want to hear the debate – not listen to closed-minded ignorant people that should be keeping their mouths closed. A discussion needs to take place, but it’s hard to discuss when ears and minds aren’t open.
I do find it very interesting that supposedly the government can’t run anything well, but yet the managed care organizations are spending millions upon millions of dollars to keep them from even having a chance to try. What are they scared of? If the government really can’t do a good job, then it will fail, or maybe they know something we don’t…
The following is from Keith Olbermann on MSNBC. Some call him a liberal. He calls himself an American. I could care less. I just think he has some very valid points. Some very scary points also.
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I live up in the great white north, and I find it astounding that some Americans think public health care doesn’t work: just look up to Canada!
Contrary to some beliefs, there are no lotteries for health care in Canada. If you’re hurt, you get treated, regardless of age. There can be major wait times, unless its serious. But you get treated.
Do (ultra-conservative) Americans even know Canada (and most of developed Europe) exists? Because they must be pretty blind to ignore the successful health care exibited in these nations.
We are constantly told about the wait times for surgeries and the overall poor health care of the Canadian people. We are warned about the limited or lack of choice of physicians, medicines, and overall options. I do know that MCOs want us to think this, as do our leaders who are paid heavily by the MCOs, but I really don’t know the absolute truth. I’ve spoken to many Canadian physicians that have moved to America, and their chief complaint about the Canadian system isn’t the quality of care, but rather the amount of money there is to be made in medicine in Canada. I do think physicians should be fairly compensated as they put in more school and hardship than any other profession to do what they do. Are some docs making too much? Sure. Some are good business men and women and know how to operate their own practices. They deserve their rewards as long as they are billing ethically and taking good care of their patients. Some are scammers and, well, they all eventually pay in the end. So is Canada’s system better? Again – I don’t know. I think we can do a better job than we are doing now. I do know that. We spend too much money on our health care to have this many people uninsured, unhealthy, going bankrupt, etc… And I’ve always thought that a patient will never get the best health care he or she can get when the MCO managing their care is more responsible to their stockholders than their patients. This is a conflict of interest and the only reason it has gone on so long is that most of our government are their paid employees.
That is one of Canada’s problems: not paying those who work in public industries enough.
There is a shortage of police officers, teachers, doctors, and more across the country because of this, and it’s really not right. It takes years of expensive education to become a doctor, and the only reward is an average paycheck?
Like you said, all systems have their problems, and this is one that Canada is going to have to sort out.