Andrew wrote:
If you are poor or disadvantaged, you go public and can have a waiting period. Not for the GP, but for hospital non-emergency cases. Maybe 12 months even in some cases, but at the vesy least - you get it done FREE. NO CHARGE.
If I understand correctly, the issue with the US health system is that some people cannot get preceedures done as there is no "free" coverage for the poor (correct?) and the other MASSIVE problem, is that ANYTHING and EVERYTHING costs a fricking million dollars!!!
So even private health insured patients can be stuck with huge bills when not covered or an exception is found...
Thoughts?
Not exactly true, Andrew. We have Medicaid available to our poor citizens, and the care that they receive is the same as what I receive with my Blue Cross plan. We have a couple of problems with Medicaid though. One is that there are citizens who are either too proud, or too lazy to enroll in the benefits they may be eligible for. The other is that there are the 'other' class of people that like to take advantage of government programs. There are other programs available, indigent patient programs and such, for people who might benefit from them.
12 months is FOREVER is you have cancer, or intractable pain, or another condition that would typically be addressed much sooner. Being a health-care worker, I can't even fathom working in an environment where a patient has to wait that long for care. It's just not 'the American way' as I know it. I guess we're spoiled, but I just don't see us "going backward" with regard to our health care choices.
Health care bills are HUGE, I absolutely agree with that. I just (again) don't think this is the right way to fix the problem.

p.s. Under the government run health care program, would a woman be on a 12-month waiting list for that government-funded abortion...?


