Healthcare in America

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Ice

I think this is why this argument will never have a winner. I have fast service, great doctors, my choice of 4 excellent hospitals close to my home and I can go anywhere I want for treatment. I don't have an issue with my cost of benefits, I don't feel gouged and if I had to, I could alter my coverage to be more affordable. At this point in my life, I'm willing to pay more for options. If I want to go to UCLA Medical Center for a specialist in whatever cancer I may end up with, I want to do that. I don't have to get approval or referrals from my provider. I simply go to whatever doctor or hospital I want and get the treatment of my choosing. I get MRI's on 20 minutes notice, and with my son in hockey, having utilized the MRI more than once, I'm Ok with the cost to have that luxury. If I had an HMO, unless it was an emergency, the MRI would wait a couple of days. We all make choices in our health care. We all have opinions based on our experiences. I can't argue about Canadian healthcare because I've never experienced it. I'm not saying one system is better than the other, I think they both sound flawed. I just have no complaints with how medical needs are met for me and my family.

The argument may not have a winner when speaking with someone of means, but I have my doubts most people have your insurance

[Azure]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Many sports teams have doctors, specialists on staff. I was in the army with Kelly Brett, he is one of the Flames doctors. So they can get in and get seem by Dr Brett right away. He doesn't do surgery, but I reckon, many of them go south of the boarder for that. The diagnostics, MRI, etc...can be paid for at a number of clinics in town.

Question, why are sports teams allowed to privately hire doctors that give them immediate attention, while others in Canada aren't allowed to pay in order to get better health care?

I'm not so sure they all go south for surgery either.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Azure

Question, why are sports teams allowed to privately hire doctors that give them immediate attention, while others in Canada aren't allowed to pay in order to get better health care?

I'm not so sure they all go south for surgery either.

uhmmm 'cause they are a private entity, they can do as they wish. Why wouldn't they be allowed....

Where do you think they get surgery?

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Displaced Flames fan

To illustrate how quickly things have progressed negatively for Americans, when I left the Flathead in January of 1997 to come here, Boeing paid our entire premium for insurance, health, dental and vision. Doctors visits were a $5 co-pay. Prescriptions were either $2 or $5. I doubt there is an employer in this country who pays 100% of their employee's health insurance premiums now. What a benefit that was though....and a financial anchor to the company I'm sure

I've often wondered if American companies are at a competitive disadvantage compared to firms in other industrialized nations because of the US's lack of universal government-funded healthcare. That is, to attract and retain the best employees, businesses in the United States have no choice but to offer expensive health insurance plans as a benefit, thus increasing their labour costs. In Canada, most employers will provide extended insurance (vision, dental, prescription drugs, etc.), but I suspect that sort of plan is significantly cheaper than the total health coverage that US businesses must purchase for their employees.

Has there ever been a study conducted to show the economic impact of privatized healthcare?

[Azure]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

uhmmm 'cause they are a private entity, they can do as they wish. Why wouldn't they be allowed....

Where do you think they get surgery?

I'm not going to go look up articles, but I remember a lot of different news releases throughout the past few years saying that certain Flames players that needed surgery had it done within a week at certain Calgary hospitals.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Azure

Question, why are sports teams allowed to privately hire doctors that give them immediate attention, while others in Canada aren't allowed to pay in order to get better health care?

I'm not so sure they all go south for surgery either.

Why would someone not be allowed to hire a doctor to work in a private company? I only ask because I have worked for a couple companies that had doctors on staff and never really thought anything of it.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

I've often wondered if American companies are at a competitive disadvantage compared to firms in other industrialized nations because of the US's lack of universal government-funded healthcare. That is, to attract and retain the best employees, businesses in the United States have no choice but to offer expensive health insurance plans as a benefit, thus increasing their labour costs. In Canada, most employers will provide extended insurance (vision, dental, prescription drugs, etc.), but I suspect that sort of plan is significantly cheaper than the total health coverage that US businesses must purchase for their employees.

Has there ever been a study conducted to show the economic impact of privatized healthcare?

Someone said earlier in this thread that a Blue Cross plan for a family of 4 was around $200/month, so I'd imagine large companies can get an even better plan for their employees.

Private or public health care, I think the biggest problem the US has is simply cost. There are a lot of other countries that run versions of public/private health care and their cost is nowhere near the same as what the US has to pay for decent coverage. I'm sure that is a big problem that companies have to deal with when trying to retain talent.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Rathji

Why would someone not be allowed to hire a doctor to work in a private company? I only ask because I have worked for a couple companies that had doctors on staff and never really thought anything of it.

I wasn't aware that companies/organizations were allowed to hire private doctors that don't work for Alberta Health Services, and instead form their own 'practice.'

Unless you're saying that Flames doctors have day jobs where they DO work for Alberta Health Services, which would mean that the Flames haven't actually hired them to strictly be THEIR doctor.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Azure

I wasn't aware that companies/organizations were allowed to hire private doctors that don't work for Alberta Health Services, and instead form their own 'practice.'

Unless you're saying that Flames doctors have day jobs where they DO work for Alberta Health Services, which would mean that the Flames haven't actually hired them to strictly be THEIR doctor.

I'm pretty sure that's exactly the case

[Mccree]

Originally Posted by Azure

I'm not going to go look up articles, but I remember a lot of different news releases throughout the past few years saying that certain Flames players that needed surgery had it done within a week at certain Calgary hospitals.

But is that any different than a WCB claim? My father in law hurt his knee at work. MRI within a week and surgery very soon after. Less than a month wait for surgery.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by valo403

I'm pretty sure that's exactly the case

That would make much more sense.

But still a form of two-tier health care IMO.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by Azure

That would make much more sense.

But still a form of two-tier health care IMO.

How did you come to the conclusion that there has ever been a single tier of health care?

[undercoverbrother]

Dr Brett is on their payroll.

He also works at a practice at U of C, at least that's what the College's website says.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by Azure

I wasn't aware that companies/organizations were allowed to hire private doctors that don't work for Alberta Health Services, and instead form their own 'practice.'

Unless you're saying that Flames doctors have day jobs where they DO work for Alberta Health Services, which would mean that the Flames haven't actually hired them to strictly be THEIR doctor.

I could be wrong, but it was my understanding that most doctors in Alberta already work for their own private practice, not for AHS. The government acts as the single-payer in the system, but unlike teachers (for example), doctors are not employed directly by any government agency.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Azure

I wasn't aware that companies/organizations were allowed to hire private doctors that don't work for Alberta Health Services, and instead form their own 'practice.'

Unless you're saying that Flames doctors have day jobs where they DO work for Alberta Health Services, which would mean that the Flames haven't actually hired them to strictly be THEIR doctor.

I think they still need to do work for AHS, not work for them. I know in my case it was 2-3 days a week the doctor was 'working for the company' rather than seeing clients.

I don't think providing private health care, within the perimeters of working for a company and providing service to the employees at the company expense, goes against the Canada Health Act.

This makes me realize that there is obviously a lot about the system that I really don't understand. Anyone able to chime in and clarify?

edit: Actually, as Marchhare said, I think it relates to the fact that Alberta Health Care isn't paying for it at all, and it isn't service offered directly to the public, so the Act might not apply.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by MarchHare

I could be wrong, but it was my understanding that most doctors in Alberta already work for their own private practice, not for AHS. The government acts as the single-payer in the system, but unlike teachers (for example), doctors are not employed directly by any government agency.

Doctor's are independent, and bill AHS, just as you said. That is why some doctor's ram patients though their office, it increases the billings.


In Dr Brett's case he has choosen to offer his services to the Flames. Instead of invoicing AHS when he see Iggy, he invoices the Flames.

[redforever]

A couple of good articles on health care in the US compared to Canada

Debunking Canadian health care myths...while emulating the Canadian system will likely not completely fix U.S. health care, it probably isn't the big bad "socialist" bogeyman it has been made out to be either.

http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_12523427



And a couple of articles written by Diane Francis, an editor for the Financial Post, her perspective as an American living in Canada for 35 years.


1 Republican lies about the Canadian health care system. She gives 14 reasons why she believes that Canada's medical system, while far from perfect, is dramatically better than America's present system.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-francis/republican-lies-about-can_b_201521.html


2 LBJ created Canada's health care system. She gives 5 reasons why she thinks there is a Canadian Advantage in our health care system.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/diane-francis/lbj-created-canadas-super_b_263259.html

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Doctor's are independent, and bill AHS, just as you said. That is why some doctor's ram patients though their office, it increases the billings.


In Dr Brett's case he has choosen to offer his services to the Flames. Instead of invoicing AHS when he see Iggy, he invoices the Flames.

This is the part I'm unsure of. If that's the case, if I was a doctor, what's stopping me from opening a practice and charging people myself? Is there a difference between a person vs. a business? If some rich guy comes to my office and tells me he'll pay X dollars to have a certain surgery done right away, is that allowed? How is that different from the Flames paying me to treat their players right away?

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by The Yen Man

This is the part I'm unsure of. If that's the case, if I was a doctor, what's stopping me from opening a practice and charging people myself? Is there a difference between a person vs. a business? If some rich guy comes to my office and tells me he'll pay X dollars to have a certain surgery done right away, is that allowed? How is that different from the Flames paying me to treat their players right away?

I don't have the answer to that question to be honest.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I don't have the answer to that question to be honest.

I'm wondering exactly the same thing. Hopefully a couple of the posters on here that work for AHS can chime in.