Quote:
Originally Posted by notoepik
I have not watched the film, and I probably won't. However, you said
That is simply not true. There are tons of preventative medical treatments and tests done for Americans with and without health insurance.
I won't argue that the American insurance system, and health care adminstration associated with it, is flawed, but it has good points, just as the Canadian system has good points. It has bad points, just as your system does. If I were to choose what the US has now, as opposed to a Universal Heath Care System, I would stick with what we have in the US. Having been a heavy user of the system for the last 7 years I can definitely say I am glad I had the insurance coverage I did, provided by my employer. I am also grateful I could choose to go where I wanted to go for the treatment I needed. I have no doubt I am alive today for that reason.
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My point was that there are many people who choose to avoid proper medical care to save money rather than getting the regular care that they should, ie: preventative treatment. Even for those with insurance, there are many people who have to pick and choose between medications and treatments because they could not afford them even when insured...especially seniors who decide they have to live without a certain pill or cut them in half because they can't afford them all. Ultimately, it comes down to that choice that is what makes the system ill -> that it forces people to perform triage on their own medical needs by the size of their wallets. Have you ever had something wrong and you decided that instead of paying out your deductable or spending on extra costs, that you would just sit and hope the problem goes away? My point was that this kind of engrained behavior can build up in the population (whether rich/poor/insured/uninsured) and the reason that other societies may be healthier in general (another theory the film posits) is that there are less chronically ill people since they have all sought treatment early or to the full extent on a regular basis. My own family, for whatever the slightest thing will visit the doctor without hesitation.
The Canadian system is not great, you have to wait for months to get certain tests or surgeries...but if you have a critical need, you can go anywhere and you will be taken care of immediately. The movie showcases the story of a mother with a sick child. Her insurance would not allow her child to be treated at the hospital nearest to her and her daughter was rejected from that hospital. She had to wait for proper authorization with a hospital affilitated with her insurance company and then go to that farther hospital -> by which time her child had died.
I am curious to know why you would choose your current system vs. that of universal health care? Care to let us know your thoughts on that? Personally I can't see any advantages other than decreased wait times (for basic, non-critical needs), and also lower taxes. How is a universal health care system any different from that of something like social security -> the idea that the young workforce will pay for the needs of aging retirees who cannot work or are otherwise infirm?