Universal Health Care for the USA
Universal health care for the masses in the USA is long past due. We have millions without health insurance who receive no health care. Politicians in Washington DC should be ashamed of themselves for withholding health care from the very people who elected them. But then, they have the best health care in the world and will have it for life.
President Obama has every intention of the U.S. having universal health care but the Republicans are fighting it tooth and nail. Why is the U.S. so pig headed about a health care plan that obviously works? The main reason is we have been so misinformed about universal health care by the pharmaceutical companies. They pay big bucks to keep the misinformation going and we have been sold a bunch of snake oil that even some Democrats give credence too.
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The U.S. and Canada went in separate directions in the 1960’s when the U. S. choose public coverage only for the elderly and the very poor. Canada choose a universal coverage for hospital and physician’s services. That means all Canadians have coverage and there are no deductibles or co-pay. Here millions of our people are uninsured and those who have insurance pay an exorbitant price.
Those who have Medicare coverage still pay a premium to Medicare, and a second premium for a supplemental insurance which covers the expenses Medicare doesn’t pay. There is a third insurance for drugs from the pharmacy. People who have no coverage must come up with the money for treatment and medication or do without. Hardly any hospital will take anyone, even in an emergency without insurance coverage.
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Now, you tell me why our politicians can’t see that we need universal health care. For one reason they have good health care, they don’t pay for it and it will continue as long as they live. Why should they worry about those who suffer and die because they have no insurance? Besides that, I think the pharmaceutical companies have our politicians in their back pockets. Those companies sell their drugs for many time over what the same drugs cost in Canada, and they are not about to take a chance on losing the footholds they have gained in our government. I order a six month supply of a prescription medication from Canada and pay the same for it that I would pay at my pharmacy for a one month supply, and that’s with my drug insurance, which I don’t have to use in Canada.
I understand that Canada and the U. S. have one similar failing. We both have to wait too long on appointments and elective care, and both do a poor job of managing chronic diseases. Canadians live on average three years longer and their infant mortality is 20% less than in the U.S. So there, What’s wrong with our politicians, surely they are not ignorant. Big money from pharmaceutical companies are a mighty lever. And to hell they say with the masses.
Canada spends 10% of its economy on health care, the U.S. spends 16%.That extra percentage amounts to more than $800 billion a year. The spending gap between the two countries is due to higher overhead. Canadians don’t need thousands of actuaries to set premiums and thousands of lawyers to deny benefits. Because this $800 billion in the U.S. is spend for non patient care, Canadians receive more for the money. Single payer plans can deliver because their funding goes to patient care, not to actuaries and lawyers.
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CHAN LEE PENG | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Health care generally is a good policy, but the policy makers actually don’t try to understand what is needed by the Americans. The patients seem to bear on more cost to pay for drugs and medical bills. So, those who benefit from this policy is very few. They should re-shape the health care policy for the benefit of the Americans.
Thanks and have my liked it.
Mr Ghaz | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Excellent! ..this is really nice information it will help me thanx!
Jenny Heart | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Well written with great information. Like it!
Christine Ramsay | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
You make me realise how lucky we are in Britain to have the national health service. An interesting piece.
Christine
RS Wing | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Unfortunately for most Americans, most political representation regarding health care is dismal at best. There is an absolute relationship with Drug companies, Physicians, Insurance Companies, and politicians that don’t seem to have the patients interests come first. Out of all the tax revunue collected by this government, it’s unbelievable that this is still an issue. Again it comes down to the almighty Buckaroo that never seems to float ourway towards to American citizens who actually need this health care system changed for the good of the people, for all the people. Funny how their insurance plans are well intact for life. That should tell us where their loyalties lie.
Ralph Brandt | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
I agree that it needs to be but Government run is no good.
Ralph Brandt | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Do you personally know Canadians or are you reading liberal media garbage. I know Canadians and New Zealanders because my daughters are married to one of each. The waits for health care are horific with people dying while waiting for care. It happens routinely there. Here we get hyped up when it happens. In addition – many procedures will not be allowed under the new Obama care. Check out his chief of staff’s brother who is a doctor and on some of the boards. He does not think joint replacement or angioplasty are valid for anyone over i believe it is 50! Call him Jack Kevorkian… We have been killing twenty one percent the unborn since January 1973 and are now placing a government bounty on the unborn by providing tax money to pay for the surgery. We will now move on to the elderly. We are coming close to Nazi Germany “fittest only” policy. God help us.
Joe Dorish | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
We could save a ton of money if we tried holistic approaches to medicine but the Drug companies fight that tooth and nail. I live in the Drug companies backyard and they lobby and pay political contributions with the best of them to control medical care in America.
john | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Excellent! thank you for good topic.
N. Lloyd Andrews | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Very good Ruby. The pharmaceutical companies are lining the politicians back pockets, big insurance is lining the front pockets.
The right-wing love to point out the shortcomings of the Canadian and British systems pointing go long waits and people dying because of the waits. It’s fear-mongering at its finest.
The U.S. does not need to necessarily model reform after Canada or the U.K. necessarily. There are other systems that happen to work well. And I’m not just reading liberal media garbage. I’ve read the conservative media garbage as well and find that there is serious, egregious, misinformation out there.
The U.S. has to do something though. There has to be real change and real relief.
Lostash | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
The NHS in the UK sounds great on paper, but in reality is far from it. Long waiting lists, incompetant and/or demoralised staff with poor training (I know that from personal experience!) and dirty hospitals. I would happilly pay that little extra for private health-care….if I could afford to!
cebuanaeyez | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Another great article Ruby! With the increasing rise in health costs, so many Americans do not have health insurance. Very scary!
Tanya Wallace | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
I think this is a very excellent and diverse topic.I have experienced both forms of care from both canadian and nhs from the u.k and the waiting lists are long,however;at least when you do become ill you can go to a hospital without having to deal with a whole lot of paper work and there are people as you mentioned that cannot afford to go to a hospital is they fall ill or even see a doctor for that matter so I would definately say the national health service is beneficial to a lot of people more so then private.Excellent article as always Ruby!
Daisy Peasblossom | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Folk wisdom has it (and I say folk wisdom because I have done no research to verify this) that at one time the Chinese paid their doctors to keep them well. When the patient became ill, the payments ceased. Could there be an incentive here?
Ruby Hawk | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Thank you my good friends for your opinions. I have tried to look at all sides fairly. Yes, my partner has family in Canada. One of the reasons they will not relocate to the U.S. is because of our health care system. Some of them have chronic health problems and they could not get health insurance here at any cost. I also have family who cannot get health coverage and if they should need hosptialization they would be up a creek without a paddle. When they have to see a doctor they have to come up with cash. Needless to say they do not get the care they need. On medicare and all my supplemental insurance I have good care but I would give it up with pleasure for everyone to have health care even if its not as good as what I have now. It’s only fair for everyone to be covered equally.
jamie mullen | Aug 7, 2009 | Reply
Ralph I don’t know what you are talking about. I live in Canada and I can tell you are not telling the truth.
lanne | Aug 8, 2009 | Reply
I don`t know about the rest of Canada Ruby, but in Ontario where I live, our health care system is great. I had to undergo 5 surgeries in 2006 and I paid for nothing…including a health care plan.
Nice article.
N. Lloyd Andrews | Aug 8, 2009 | Reply
@Lostash: The problem is, “That little extra”. Isn’t little. Our insurance premiums keep going up and up and the coverage we get for it keep going down and down. People have to choose between getting care and eating. Or they have to choose between paying the mortgage or filling their prescriptions. “That little extra” that people can’t afford kills people…literally.
As I have commented before, the system in the U.K. may not be the one for us. Nobody in our congress has mentioned France, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, or any of the other 36 nations that rank higher in the World Health Organization’s list of health care.
The U.S. can and should research all the plans and tailor reform to fit our nation’s needs.
Jeremy James Noye | Aug 8, 2009 | Reply
Great article!
As a Canadian (born and raised) I have to admit I’m somewhat appalled at what I read. About two months ago my mom suffered a reaction to one of her medications and I found her in her bed unconscious. She was in E.R. for 24 hours, I.C.U. for 2 1/2 weeks, during which time she was in a coma, Intermediate I.C.U. for 2 days, and a regular semi-private room for a week. During this entire time I was as well taken care of as my mom, often getting my own private waiting room, family facilities with big screen T.V.s, fridges, microwaves, cots, and anything else you might need. Out of the entire process we had to pay out of pocket for the ambulance ride and that was it. That was actually covered by my mom’s benefits through work so we actually paid for nothing. I can’t imagine how much it would have cost. We would have had no way of paying it. I hope you guys get something. You deserve it.
Your friendly neighbour to the north,
Jeremy
PR Mace | Aug 9, 2009 | Reply
Well done article. We need to look deeper into this reform and not go blindly into the night. I think are hidden problems.
Jamie Myles | Aug 9, 2009 | Reply
I strongly agree that there has to some reform but not what they’ve come up with in these bills.They need to stop frivolous mal-practice law suits that are the scheme of tort lawyers and they need to reign in the insurance companies that are charging outrages amounts for health coverage. they also need to get a handle on billing fraud by hospitals and clinics who go so far as to charge $20.00 for one aspirin.I know this goes on because I work in health care and have been familiar with the billing practices of a few of the facilities I have been employed at over the years. If you can get these things under control health care costs would plummet and would be affordable for most Americans. those who still wouldn’t be able to afford it can do what they do now and get coverage under medicare or medicaid. The illegals need to straighten out there criminal status and go home or become taxpaying citizens to get coverage. Obama’s plan of letting seniors die without necessary health care and funding even more abortions is horrible and no decent moral person would think this is ok. It is basicaly killing off people to provide more finances for those the government thinks are more worth of receiving benefits.
Lex92 | Aug 10, 2009 | Reply
Okay… I read your article. I have no idea where you’re getting the pharmecutical companies lining the politicians pockets to keep the U.S. illinformed. So i’m not really going to comment on it.
I just want to ask a couple questions question.. Have you read any of the health care plan for the U.S.? I don’t think you have or you’d be singing a different tune. For one thing, doctors can’t invest in medicine…like opening their own clinic? So, who is running the hospitals? Someone who has no idea about medicine…scary, eh? Also, you’ll get your end of life options…basically you’ll be put on pain pills till you die. It makes me scared for my grandmas… to get denied surgeries that they need because of their age and because it’s not cost effective. My great grandma would have died 10 years ago if we were under the Obama plan… I never would have really known her like I did, you might not see your grandkids or your great grandkids because its not cost effective for the government to keep you around.
I suggest you read the plan it’s bad news. I also think if the government got totally out of health care the costs would go down (my uncle agrees, he’s an ER doctor)
Shergill | Aug 13, 2009 | Reply
Good Day Alexa Gates,
I do not feel that the Author of this article, Ms. Ruby Hawks, is ill informed. If anything you will do well to look at some statistics on cost of health care in other developed countries, their life expectancies, infant mortality figures, and life satisfaction inedxes.
If you care to look at those figures you will quickly learn that Americans are paying the most for their health care, dying sooner and above all have one on the highest infant mortality rates.
Where does the money go? Not to health Care. The money goes to line the pockets or the share holders, hospital executives, insurance companies, pharmaceutical industry, and enrich the doctors who are underpaid at $200,000 per annum.
Health Care should be a right. Not a privilege of the rich.