My girlfriend has a serious illness. We are still sticking to the public system. Not because it’s free, but because it’s the best there is. Through that system we get help from the best there is in Sweden. We also get free help from US and European experts. Our system picks up the bill from the use of international experts.
Our system has flaws though. There’s no denying that. Not so serious illnesses can, and often do, have waiting times. Often un-acceptable waiting times. If I would need a knee surgery I might conci going for private solutions.
Your comments are valuable for everyone to read. No system is perfect. At least you can “de-bunk” the myth that free healthcare doesn’t mean lower quality. Quality issues exist everywhere, doctors are people, and here in the states there are some bad ones...some average ones...and some very good ones.
Also what most people in the US don’t understand, is that under Univesal Health Coverage, your choice of doctors woul be MUCH bigger. You can choose anyone, anywhere, because they would all belong the the same “HMO”.
It will have to be limited in some way (like school enrollments) to avoid chaos (people in CA picking specialists in NY). If for nothing else, logistics.
Then there is the issue, why should doctors allow their rates and pay be set by the state (and probably all be the same or based more on cost of living than expertise)… as they would be de facto if the state was paying all the bills. The best doctors could quit the field or leave the country. I wouldnt allow you or the state to tell me what to work for..... thats socialism. I’d leave.
As to his comments, they are interesting but they don’t demonstrate much. The public system is the best… but would it be the best if there was room for a private system… or is it the best because it’s all there is and it’s become a public monopoly keeping new [private] entry into the marketplace… out?
For what its worth, I think “Sicko” is a lot less partisan than 9/11.
It wasn’t less partisan . . . it was just more subtle. In the end it was typical Michael Moore anti-capitalist propaganda. And in some cases Moore really went out of his way to fabricate his tales. In fact, his tale about Mychelle Williams, the little girl who died of sepsis, is just blatant bullshit. She died because a doctor at a government run hospital was guilty of malpractice . . . which is exactly what a California court of law said. Watch Sicko again to see if Moore mentioned that little tidbit. (Hint: He didn’t.)
You might also note that he brings up cases where experimental treatments were denied because that’s all he could dig up. Funny thing about some of those experimental treatments . . . Medicare denies them too . . . and so do other health care systems in other countries.
And by the way . . . all HMO’s are not alike . . . some allow out of network healthcare. Large corporations have employees all over the country who may not live inside a network. Some plans allow women to choose their OBGYN regardless of locations. Some plans are hybrids with varying deductibles and co-pays. And so on . . . It all depends on the plan.
For what its worth, I think “Sicko” is a lot less partisan than 9/11.
You might also note that he brings up cases where experimental treatments were denied because that’s all he could dig up. Funny thing about some of those experimental treatments . . . Medicare denies them too . . . and so do other health care systems in other countries.
Since when is Kidney Transplant an experimental treatment????
Didn’t you see the movie? The guy had a doner (his brother or cousin) all set to donate. They (the HMO) just didn’t want to pay the 50,000 that a kidney transplant would cost them. Bad for their corporate profits and bad for the shareholder.
since when is waiting 18 months for a hearing aid, healthcare?
The hearing aid thing is an isolated incident. Plus I’d rather wait 10 years for a hearing aid than die from being DENIED A KINDEY TRANSPLANT WHEN I HAVE FULL MEDICAL COVERAGE AND A WILLING DONER.
since when is waiting 18 months for a hearing aid, healthcare?
The hearing aid thing is an isolated incident. Plus I’d rather wait 10 years for a hearing aid than die from being DENIED A KINDEY TRANSPLANT WHEN I HAVE FULL MEDICAL COVERAGE AND A WILLING DONER.
How often does that happen? Do you really believe that woman is the only one waiting for a hearing aid? When does the isolated incident become common enough for you to no longer consider it isolated? When it happens in America and not one of your socialist utopias?
And here you are complaining about HMOs again. But you still want the organization that created that headache to be fully in charge of healthcare. You’re an idiot.
since when is waiting 18 months for a hearing aid, healthcare?
The hearing aid thing is an isolated incident. Plus I’d rather wait 10 years for a hearing aid than die from being DENIED A KINDEY TRANSPLANT WHEN I HAVE FULL MEDICAL COVERAGE AND A WILLING DONER.
How often does that happen? Do you really believe that woman is the only one waiting for a hearing aid? When does the isolated incident become common enough for you to no longer consider it isolated? When it happens in America and not one of your socialist utopias?
And here you are complaining about HMOs again. But you still want the organization that created that headache to be fully in charge of healthcare. You’re an idiot.
Yeah… The UK NHS has their wait times on line… its not… like a secret or anything (that they have wait times)…
They do avoid studies on survivability rates though…
For what its worth, I think “Sicko” is a lot less partisan than 9/11.
You might also note that he brings up cases where experimental treatments were denied because that’s all he could dig up. Funny thing about some of those experimental treatments . . . Medicare denies them too . . . and so do other health care systems in other countries.
Since when is Kidney Transplant an experimental treatment????
Didn’t you see the movie? The guy had a doner (his brother or cousin) all set to donate. They (the HMO) just didn’t want to pay the 50,000 that a kidney transplant would cost them. Bad for their corporate profits and bad for the shareholder.
You omitted his point about Mychelle Williams in your reply. I thought that was the more important point. But I’m sure you’re just doing your homework on it.
For what its worth, I think “Sicko” is a lot less partisan than 9/11.
You might also note that he brings up cases where experimental treatments were denied because that’s all he could dig up. Funny thing about some of those experimental treatments . . . Medicare denies them too . . . and so do other health care systems in other countries.
Since when is Kidney Transplant an experimental treatment????
Didn’t you see the movie? The guy had a doner (his brother or cousin) all set to donate. They (the HMO) just didn’t want to pay the 50,000 that a kidney transplant would cost them. Bad for their corporate profits and bad for the shareholder.
You omitted his point about Mychelle Williams in your reply. I thought that was the more important point. But I’m sure you’re just doing your homework on it.
So you’re saying that someone who died because the current “profit at all costs” HMO system defined a Kidney transplant as “experimental” is not as big of a deal than that other lady? That’s pretty sick!!
For what its worth, I think “Sicko” is a lot less partisan than 9/11.
You might also note that he brings up cases where experimental treatments were denied because that’s all he could dig up. Funny thing about some of those experimental treatments . . . Medicare denies them too . . . and so do other health care systems in other countries.
Since when is Kidney Transplant an experimental treatment????
Didn’t you see the movie? The guy had a doner (his brother or cousin) all set to donate. They (the HMO) just didn’t want to pay the 50,000 that a kidney transplant would cost them. Bad for their corporate profits and bad for the shareholder.
You omitted his point about Mychelle Williams in your reply. I thought that was the more important point. But I’m sure you’re just doing your homework on it.
So you’re saying that someone who died because the current “profit at all costs” HMO system defined a Kidney transplant as “experimental” is not as big of a deal than that other lady? That’s pretty sick!!
Considering all of moore’s other outright lies and fabrications why should I accept the crap you are regurgitating for him as anything even close to being the truth?
Oh and the solution to fixing a problem like this isn’t putting the people who put HMOs in charge in complete control, despite what you think.
Since when is Kidney Transplant an experimental treatment????
Didn’t you see the movie? The guy had a doner (his brother or cousin) all set to donate. They (the HMO) just didn’t want to pay the 50,000 that a kidney transplant would cost them. Bad for their corporate profits and bad for the shareholder.
It wasn’t a kidney transplant that Tracey Pierce needed. The man had advanced kidney cancer. It was a bone marrow transplant that his doctor wanted to try. They found his brother to be a match. Bone marrow transplants for kidney cancer are experimental. Few, if any, health care systems anywhere in the world would have paid for it.
There comes a time when decisions have to be made. How much money do you spend to prolong a life when the probablity is very low the treatment will succeed? That’s one reason Medicare quit paying for heart transplants back in the early 80’s. Almost no one survived due to the heart being rejected by the immune system. Until certain drugs became advailable to surpress the immune system, a heart transplant was close to being a death sentence. As survival rates began to rise, they reconsidered the procedure.
Once again, I really think you should get your facts straight because you are woefully uninformed.
One other point, Commando . . . a denial for payment by a health management company is not the final say. You can appeal the process. If the result doesn’t suit you, then you can appeal to the state insurance commission . . . in other words the government has the final say.
You should also note that experimental treatments are often abandoned after several years of trial. They don’t often work, and they are usually very, very expensive. There ain’t no bottomless pit of money out there . . . it’s just a fact of life.
Now, Commando, ask yourself this question . . . why did Michael Moore have to dig up a 14 year old case (Mychelle Williams) where a patient died because of malpractice in a government run hospital, then skew the story to create the illusion that Kaiser Permanente was the culprit when there are actual court records in the California Supreme Court saying otherwise?
I suggest he did it because that’s all he’s got . . . Sicko was pretty damn weak if you ask me.
Now, Commando, ask yourself this question . . . why did Michael Moore have to dig up a 14 year old case (Mychelle Williams) where a patient died because of malpractice in a government run hospital, then skew the story to create the illusion that Kaiser Permanente was the culprit when there are actual court records in the California Supreme Court saying otherwise?
I suggest he did it because that’s all he’s got . . . Sicko was pretty damn weak if you ask me.
Where did you get this “Mychelle Williams” stuff. I can’t find it on any search. Can you send me a (legit) link and I’ll look at it.
