Unconstitutionalcare

No?

 

I'm neither left nor right. So fire away. What's your solution?

 

YankeeFan, you need to stop believing every press release the American College of Surgeons issues.

I will use me as an example. I had a problem with urine retention. U.S. doctors did an exporatory on my prostrate and that looked surprisingly good for a 50+ male. But the doctors could get the urine retention down so they did a TURP to open up my prostrate even though they were unsure the prostrate was a problem.

There were complications on my surgery. I am in worse shape, now have a screwed up prostrate, had follow-up surgery a month ago and am looking at a third operation and maybe prostrate removal.

I have subsequently moved to a foreign country and the urologists here can not believe I got two separate opinions recommending the original surgery in the U.S. And this country has substantially longer life expectances than the U.S.

 

This boils down to whether you think health care is a right or a privilege. Personally, I think it's a right and would like to see a system much closer to universal health care. I know there are reasonable concerns about what that could to the availability and quality of health care, and would like to hear more adult discussion, but almost always run into two problems with many of the people against it ...

1) They are too quick to reference their irrational fear of communism that they are sure universal healthcare would bring, which makes them lose credibility to me.
2) They refuse to admit that other countries might have better ideas, or systems than we do.

 

Health care is a right in most civilized countries.

And Canada does not have "socialized" medicine, despite what some of the right wing fear mongers in the US may think.

Doctors in Canada are small business owners-just like the US. Funny how that works.

Only difference is that instead of having a bunch of insurance companies to deal with, they have only one---their provincial government. And so they have more time to deal with patients than spending time negotiating with insurance companies.

Now, I know that there are going to be a bunch of people who will yammer on about "long waits for surgeons and procedures" in Canada, some of which is true. No one here--doctors, patients or politicians would every argue with that.

Fact is, our health care system is less costly, more efficient and more importantly, would never bankrupt any Canadian citizen because they couldn't afford a heart by-pass.

 

Three questions:

1. Who gets to decide what care is "good enough?"
2. How do they decide?
3. What are the penalties for the people who don't take good enough care of themselves?

Let's provide an admittedly ridiculous example.

You're in a hurry to get downtown. In your haste, you forget your gas tank is on empty. You run out in the bad part of town and what's worse, you're forced to walk to a station. Before you get there, you're mugged, and, in your pride, you resist giving the mugger your wallet. So he sticks you bad. You're doubly stupid for forgetting gas and not giving over your wallet. Should you be denied care?

Scenario No. 2: The above situation, only it's happening for the second time.

 

If you want to eliminate crappy, processed food, we could look at shutting down every fast food restaurant in the continent and half the crap available in supermarkets. Don't think that's gonna happen

This issue goes way beyond "personal responsibility", a favourite of the corporate crowd who, still keep shoving fast food down the throats of North Americans

If we want people to change their eating habits, well, then maybe state/provincial/ and federal governments should start the initiatives and develop programmes to develop healthy eating. Not a big job.

 

Michelle Obama is trying to do that, and the Sarah Palin types are skewering her for it. Plus the First Lady doesn't help herself either when she gets caught in photos eating high-calorie meals, as happened recently (and as the right was all-too-eager to point out).

 

Who is making you buy gasoline?

Who is making you buy cable?

Monopoly utilities are heavily regulated to mirror a competitive situation.

A product is worth what people are willing to pay for it.

2+2=4

 

This story always tickles me. The one about Premier of Newfoundland coming to USA for open heart surgery :

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2010/02/01/nl-williams-heart-201.html

 

I'd like to lose 20 pounds, and I am pissed my government won't help me do it. It has a responsibility to make sure I achieve my goals.