what's wrong here?

[AussieSheila]

The system just does not work.



If you are 35 with no health issues and you decide to save the 500 dollars a month for private coverage and you get sick, you will need to pay premium rates for everything AND you will be uninsurable in the future because of your pre-existing medical condition.

$500 per month for a single person? Whoa, I thought $140 per month for a family was getting a bit steep.(Australian dollars, I think we are about 70 cents US to an AU $ atm.) We are subsidised by the government, but I can't remember by how much. $140 is what I pay each month. That gives us cover for pretty much everything except prescriptions. I can even buy my kids a pair of runners and take the receipt to my healthcare provider and get the money back for them because they are sports/health related. I think we get about $500 per year for that. It can be used to cover gaps between the fund and what the doctor in a hospital charges too. You can avoid gap charges by going to certain doctors who subscribe to your particular fund.

For normal gp visits we are covered by the National system and have to pay a small gap charge. Low income families are bulk billed and don't pay anything at all. They also get very cheap prescriptions.

I didn't have private health insurance when my last 3 kids were born. I received excellent treatment in small country hospitals and it didn't cost me a cent.

The government system provides for everyone but you may have to wait a long time for 'elective' surgery. That's why I have private cover, my kids like to live dangerously and if they need to be mended I don't want them suffering for 18 months before they get surgery.

We have a lot of functions here for people who need treatment too, but it's more often to raise the money to send them for specialist treatment i.e. plane fares, accomodation for the family, or to keep the families going during the crisis rather than to pay the medical bills.

[Rat Faced]

The main benefit for Americans in a National Health Service is this:

The cost of Private Medicine comes down astronomically.

They are competing with a free service, and as such they cant just charge what the hell they want to. This reduces the costs of private Medical Insurance.

The UK is a much more expensive place to live than the US in general, however if i wanted Private Medical Insurance i'd be paying a fraction of the cost that someone in the US is.

Just because you have a free National Health system, does not mean that you cannot have Private Health care too. The public system has to prioritise treatments, which means that elective treatments have to wait in line.

[vidcc]

Sounds like we are already spending the money now to be able to do it twice as well... ... ...

But ........such as the Canada Healthcare System.. ... ... there must be downsides? Is it all in the slow process in crisis situations? Is that a factor of concern or not? Or does it normally work very well in crisis situations? Are you able to see a specialist if YOU feel it necessary?

My point rose is that opponents always take the downsides from other systems as a reason to say it doesn't work instead of looking at the failings and saying "we could change that".... Canada for example doesn't allow private healthcare...Britain does.
Opponents suggest it would lead to healthcare rationing...but we already have that based on ability to pay...social systems DO NOT ration essential treatment.
The main downfall i see in social systems is they are bogged down in red tape.

The USA could never nationalise the hospitals etc....it could however set up a first rate national insurance scheme and we could have all the benefits of our private hospitals with every person in the land with 100% coverage for essential healthcare.
Elective treatments such as cosmetic surgery would not be covered and the government bulk buying power would keep costs in check. (assuming they start respecting our tax dollars and make sure they get value for money)
Cosmetic surgery for genuine health reasons would be covered

Edit:
i often hear the arguement that it is wrong to make someone "pay for others"...thing is, even with private health insurance you already are...you are subsidising those in your scheme that need expensive treatment that costs more than they put in.
Bush made the biggest mistruth statement when he said "it means government deciding on your treatment"...and that was just on allowing citizens to buy into "blue cross"...but in social systems it's the doctor that decides on the treatment.

[RPerry]

I could go on and on about what I think of healthcare, but I don't feel the urge to write a book. I have carried health insurance since I have been working. The costs are relatively low, about $15 a week. I'm 90% covered. that used to be 100%, however there seems to be quite a few that run their children to the emergency room for every damn sniffle, or run themselves to the ER cause they have a runny nose. My costs seem to rise every year, yet I haven't been to the hospital in about 2 yrs. When you lable something as "free" you'll always have too many people who abuse the system.
I don't know what to think for sure about Canada's health system... I have a good friend who seems to have waited months to have her knee taken care of, if she ever even made it there yet. Even though I would have to pay some of the costs, if it were me, I would have been through rehab and running already.

[vidcc]

I could go on and on about what I think of healthcare, but I don't feel the urge to write a book. I have carried health insurance since I have been working. The costs are relatively low, about $15 a week. I'm 90% covered. that used to be 100%, however there seems to be quite a few that run their children to the emergency room for every damn sniffle, or run themselves to the ER cause they have a runny nose. My costs seem to rise every year, yet I haven't been to the hospital in about 2 yrs. When you lable something as "free" you'll always have too many people who abuse the system.
I don't know what to think for sure about Canada's health system... I have a good friend who seems to have waited months to have her knee taken care of, if she ever even made it there yet. Even though I would have to pay some of the costs, if it were me, I would have been through rehab and running already.

you seem to be lucky enough to work for a company with a health plan, how much does the company pay ?

You have done what i see many do in your example of your friend waiting.....just because that sometimes happens elsewhere doesn't follow that it would have to happen here.