Location: God's own country
Posted on: 02-09-08 11:36:05
Just saw the movie / documentary SICKO by Michael moore over the weekend.
He painted a very bleak picture of the US healthcare which I belive was some of the most negetive stories of US healthcare. The worst part of it was when it was shown that the insurance can at anytime reject your claim based on the flimsiest of the reasons like pre existing, too young to get these kind of diseases etc... After seeing that movie, I feel very sorry for the poorest of the poor in USA (may be around atleast 10 - 20% of the US population). It is also shown that Bill clinton tried to make healthcare universal by appointing his wife to study the feasibility but some one after a year it all goes up in smoke and healthcare lobbyists place Hillary as tehir second highest contribution receiver. Pathetically it also shows how the Hospitals in USA regularly dump their patients on the steet b'cos their healthcare has expired and when it is found that they can no longer get paid by the patient for treatment done.
He then shifted his focus on Canada. Apart from the fact that we have universal healthcare, it does not (and actually it is not better healthcare) stand out to be world class too.
The next shift is studying the healthcare of UK and France. In the film, it is being showed as very good. the UK healthcare is free for all (incl. visitors). Tablets/medication is free. The Uk healthcare also provides money for transport and inconveneience to the patiets. France is also shown as Good. They have a 35 hr. work week. Min. 5 week vacations a year. 1 week leave for you to move places.. Also if you have an infant, a person appointed by the govt. come to do your laundry / help you / prepare food etc...
Then Micheal moore takes some people(involved in the 9/11 rescue work and who were refused healthcare in USA) to Cuba where they are treated for free (may be a publicity stunt by fidel).
My comments :
I feel that USA needs to have a 2 tier medical system. The public medical system can / should be staffed by doctors form thirld world countries to lower the cost (like from India, Philipines, Mexico etc..). generic drungs can be prescribed for these people so that atleast they can be treated humanely / with respect.
For Canada also I would sugest the same b'cos we are burdened a lot by healthcare costs. 2 -Tier healthcare system is the need of the hour if we plan to be more competetive n the worl market. Otherwise, we should not be seeking to expand our population. Just yesterday a doctor prescribed a medication (not an essential medication) and the cost of 100 tablets was $262 (and I have 2 more refills). I pay only $5 (as my extended insurance takes up the rest) but isn't this crazy? I can get the same tablet in India for Rs. 1 per tablet. We need to lower the healthcare costs and our misuse of universal healthcare.
I really belive that the Indian model will work for both Canada and US. Increase the no of students in medical school and highly subsidise their educatioun so that we have plenty of doctors and this in turn will lower the costs. I would rather see 10 doctors on the ground earning $120,000 each rather than one doctor earning 1.5 million per year.
Pharma companies should be carefully monitored to see that they donot artifically exploit the price take of medicines.
Your views appriciated.
Peace
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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.
"In the film, it is being showed as very good. the UK healthcare is free for all (incl. visitors). Tablets/medication is free. The Uk healthcare also provides money for transport and inconveneience to the patiets"
I can say that this is absolutely NOT true. My sis and sis in law both live in UK and ALWAYS complain about health system. And visitors are also NOT free. Never heard abt transportation cost reimbursed.
Only thing I heard in context to USA is that they give $ 10 or $ 20 to patients and ask them to go to other hospital as they do not want to take them.
I liked the movie, however, it's not as good as his previous stuff, esp. F. 9/11
I felt he over stated and over rated the health system of other countries to contrast it with that of the USA.
Some of the things he had shown about Canadian system were not true either.
For example, he didn't mention the fact that family doctors are hard to find, waiting time for operations are quite long, etc.
I esp. had trouble believing the French guy he portrayed who had a fully paid vacation in the South of France for recovering.
I'm not sure that kind of "health care system" is good for any economy.
I supect that the story was over stated but if it is indeed true, then they are making tax payers pay for these kinds of services, which is unfair.
It opens up the system for abuse.
That French guy's case may be genuine, but I'm sure there will be scores of others who will fake ailments and get quack doctors to prescribe them long sunny vacations at expensive beach resorts - all the expense of other tax payers.
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"Mah deah, there is much more money to be made in the destruction of civilization than in building it up."
-- Rhett Butler in "Gone with the Wind"
Location: Somewhere in dreamland
Posted on: 02-09-08 14:53:21
The transportation costs are reimbursed in both UK and Canada only in situations where you don't have the specialist for your problem in your town (like remote areas) or if your problem is life threatening and you cannot be treated in time (due to backlogs in the system) and you are approved by the government for treatment in a private hospital in a near by country
I think Micheal is been paid by all the other countries to show their citizens how good health care system they have compared to US 
I haven't heard about such good health care systems in Canada, Uk or France untill now. I know a little about UK & France but talking about Canada, its in the worst mess it can ever be apart from the basic medical needs.
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i..........rock........!!!!!
Location: God's own country
Posted on: 02-09-08 16:14:23
Quote:
Originally posted by Aashu
I can say that this is absolutely NOT true. My sis and sis in law both live in UK and ALWAYS complain about health system. And visitors are also NOT free. Never heard abt transportation cost reimbursed.
Only thing I heard in context to USA is that they give $ 10 or $ 20 to patients and ask them to go to other hospital as they do not want to take them.
Aashu,
My bro - lin law and sis in law are also in the Uk and work as doctors. They live a very decent life and they are just the common doctors. They earn around Pounds 70-90K a year and it is the same for almost all doctors who are in the UK havig been educated in India. However some look to come to the USA as they can make more being in USA as doctors. Also do remember that they have to clear some exams before being able to work as doctors and it is easy + they have lots of seats for foreign trained doctors. If you search on the internet, you will find that UK does not discriminate people for healthcare meaning that if you are in UK and you need healthcare, you will be provided it Hence a lot of refugee's and visitor's can use this service under the guise of "Healthcare (free) for all. To reply to another person's statement that Canada and Uk both offer money to patients if they canot find a local doctor, My statement about moeny given in UK for patients is diferent. In UK, Money is given to people when they come for an operation / pregnancy and they have no means of going home (without a transport).
Again on Aashu's point, I doubt if any decent hospital in USA will admit you even if you donot have a healthcard. When the cost of healthcare runs in to ten thousand, I doubt if any one will accpet $10 or $ 20 and go to another hospital. May be US staying Desi's can explain it better.
As recently as before the credit crisis, a majority of persoanl bankruptcies was due to people not being able to pay the health bill .
Peace
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I am a Gents and not a Ladies.
Quote:
Originally posted by tamilkuravan
...............
My comments :
I feel that USA needs to have a 2 tier medical system. The public medical system can / should be staffed by doctors form thirld world countries to lower the cost (like from India, Philipines, Mexico etc..). generic drungs can be prescribed for these people so that atleast they can be treated humanely / with respect. ...............
Peace
Why should doctors from India, Mexico and others be paid lower to work in USA? So that it becomes an "officially" racist country?
India was not following the product patent and only honouring process patent and thus allowed anyone to invent a different process to make the same drug. Final product was not covered by patent and that is why medications in India were cheaper. Amendment to that was made in 2005.
Good for patients but bad for companies investing into R&D of new drugs.
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