Crumby healthcare honcho eats cookie

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

I know exactly who you are talking about and there is something wrong with our health care system in the sense that we merely focus on issues like these after they have become malignant and manifested themselves into something that costs millions of dollars of treatment. I can't help but think that there are some inequalities in our society which at least in Canada result in millions of dollars being thrown into health care with little benefit.

What is the point of treating someone if you know that they are going to go back to the same situation that caused the issues in the first place?

I guess that is a bigger question than a guy eating a cookie and being a jerk about it.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by mikey_the_redneck

Oh bull.......everyone knows a handful of people (mostly younger women in my case) who think they are sick all the bloody time, and therefore visit the doctor when it is not necessary, jamming up the waiting rooms for eveyone else.

Really? You've got any hard numbers backing that up?

Something more than your sporadic anecdotal guesswork?

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Really? You've got any hard numbers backing that up?

Something more than your sporadic anecdotal guesswork?

We have three in our office of 70 people; so that's 1 for every 23 people. Wikipedia has Alberta's population for 2010 list as 3,724,832. So because my office seems to be a microcosm of the real world, that comes out to about 161,949 wackos who fill up doctor's offices.

Various sources list at the average doctor's office vist in Alberta as anywhere between $95 - $265. Let's meet in the middle - $180.

WilsonFourTwo knows a gal who visits the doctor anywhere between 10-15 times a year. Let's make her the standard but use her lowest value just in case - 10 visits a year.

10 visits a year @ $180 per visit = $1800 per year per person.

$1800 per person * 161,949 people = $291,508,200

HARD NUMBERS FOR PLAYER COACH REG DUNLOP

[amorak]

Extrapolation: A made up number's best friend.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Originally Posted by Coys1882

We have three in our office of 70 people; so that's 1 for every 23 people. Wikipedia has Alberta's population for 2010 list as 3,724,832. So because my office seems to be a microcosm of the real world, that comes out to about 161,949 wackos who fill up doctor's offices.

Various sources list at the average doctor's office vist in Alberta as anywhere between $95 - $265. Let's meet in the middle - $180.

WilsonFourTwo knows a gal who visits the doctor anywhere between 10-15 times a year. Let's make her the standard but use her lowest value just in case - 10 visits a year.

10 visits a year @ $180 per visit = $1800 per year per person.

$1800 per person * 161,949 people = $291,508,200

HARD NUMBERS FOR PLAYER COACH REG DUNLOP

Those might be some of the softest numbers I have ever seen.

First - where did 3 out of 70 come from? Is 70 the average sample size that you intend to use in order to determine usage of the health care system in Alberta? Is this 70 people a cross-section from various demographics? Levels of disease? Socio-economic backgrounds? Do you know any of this or is it just a rough estimate that there are 70 people of whom you know all of their medical conditions and their usage of the health care system?

Is that really where you are starting out from with your hard numbers?

2. You then further your anecdotal evidence with more anecdotal evidence using anonymous source off of an internet message board dedicated to hockey? If you are going to try and pass this off as hard numbers you might want to put forth a little more effort.

3. Who do you classify as a wacko who uses doctors resources? People with the sniffles? People with diseases and illnesses which you can't externally see so you assume that they are not there? People with mental illnesses?

[Coys1882]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

Those might be some of the softest numbers I have ever seen.

First - where did 3 out of 70 come from? Is 70 the average sample size that you intend to use in order to determine usage of the health care system in Alberta? Is this 70 people a cross-section from various demographics? Levels of disease? Socio-economic backgrounds? Do you know any of this or is it just a rough estimate that there are 70 people of whom you know all of their medical conditions and their usage of the health care system?

Is that really where you are starting out from with your hard numbers?

2. You then further your anecdotal evidence with more anecdotal evidence using anonymous source off of an internet message board dedicated to hockey? If you are going to try and pass this off as hard numbers you might want to put forth a little more effort.

3. Who do you classify as a wacko who uses doctors resources? People with the sniffles? People with diseases and illnesses which you can't externally see so you assume that they are not there? People with mental illnesses?

I've edited my post for you approval.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

Sorry I didn't pick up on the sarcasm, I hear arguments like that one all the time where people just pick out random numbers from nowhere such as people they know and form positions from those.

I am studying to be in the health care field and even the majority of people I am in classes with don't realize the true costs of the health care system and where the money actually flows and that is to the old folks in the community who are living longer and longer all while (no offence is meant) contributing nothing to the Canadian economy at the current time. This results in an increased burden. People think that it is the person abusing the health care system when in fact it is our health care system that is designed to fail as our population gets older.

Ice flows and polar bears might be the only option? Because people want to retire earlier and live longer. The cost of this is huge and in my opinion from an economic sense (and not doing any research on this mind you) it is economically sensible to keep a young population healthy so they can continue to put money into the economy by way of working, however it is socially responsible to allow those who have worked to enjoy the fruits of their labours in their older years.

[Ashartus]

There certainly are people who abuse the system. I used to work in a hospital (many years ago) and it was pretty common then for young girls to go to emergency complaining of a stomache ache, knowing they'd get a pregnancy test that is free for them but costs taxpayers several hundred dollars. That sort of practice makes me sympathize with the idea of implementing a user fee. Maybe the long wait times have cut down on that practice though.

There are also a lot of people who maybe don't need to be in emergency who aren't really abusing the system though. I've had some experience taking kids to walk-in clinics over the past few years; they tend to either prescribe antibiotics or tell you to go to emergency (or prescribe antibiotics then tell you to go to emergency when they don't work).

When I go to my own family doctor I get a proper evaluation instead (he's never prescribed antibiotics for me or told me to go to emergency), but it can take several days to get in to see him, or longer if he's on vacation. Lots of Calgarians don't have family doctors, so they have a choice of going to the walk-in clinics and getting substandard treatment, or going to emergency.

I don't think there are quick and easy fixes to the problems in our health care system, but a major effort to increase the number of family doctors would probably be a good start. Changes to how family doctors are paid so that they can actually spend the necessary time with patients would also be a good idea IMO.

[mikey_the_redneck]

^^Good blog Ashartus...eliminating toxic substances from many things in our lives could be a step to improving societal health, and reducing costs.

[First Lady]

http://eatingmycookie.com/

Go figure...

[First Lady]

Good article on the deterioration of healthcare (in AB) in today's Herald.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/health/...989/story.html

[cal_guy]

Originally Posted by Ashartus

There certainly are people who abuse the system. I used to work in a hospital (many years ago) and it was pretty common then for young girls to go to emergency complaining of a stomache ache, knowing they'd get a pregnancy test that is free for them but costs taxpayers several hundred dollars. That sort of practice makes me sympathize with the idea of implementing a user fee. Maybe the long wait times have cut down on that practice though.

I'm not sure if this is true during your day but non-profit pregnancy centers today generally provide free pregnancy tests. In any case charging for medically necessary procedures are prohibited under the Canada Health Act.