With the Obama administration pushing for a universal health care plan, i.e., socialized medicine, I would be interested to hear from citizens of other countries about the health plans in place there and how they like them.

I would be especially interested to hear from residents of Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Norway and other countries with a socialized medicine system.

I have friends in the UK who say there form of health care sucks really bad. One friend broke his hand and the Doctor who worked on it srcewed it up so bad he had to have three surgerys on it. another had a grouth on his for head and it was going to take a yr to get it rmoved. Unless he let a med student do the prosedure. if he agree to that he could have it done that day.

I have two cousins who are MD's in England and I am a Dr. here. Both systems have their flaws.

ddj

Not really from “another country” but have been in a US government run and controlled medical care system for the past 28 years – US military (combination of active duty and Reserves). So I have experienced both government provided and private medical care systems.

Sick Call (minor colds/sniffles etc) and no $hit emergency it has been top self. The problems come for all those issues in between and what you would accept as…..acceptable. If you are willing to wait 2-3 months for an appointment to see your primary care physician, who then may need to refer you to a specialist and again having to wait weeks to months for an appointment then it isn’t bad.

Like I started with – the combat care we get is first rate. I don’t have any first hand experience with VA care but the press and media routinely chronicle problems there. Would the US public be willing to accept the levels of care and treatment US military veterans receive?

In my view the current “insurance crisis” is not about being able to obtain medical care to “save life, limb and sight” as that is already guaranteed under Federal law. That is why anyone and everyone can go to an emergency room and receive treatment and go away without paying. The issue seems to be obtaining insurance coverage that covers preventive care and elective surgical procedures.

Case in point both my mother-in-law and sister-in-law have been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in the past 6-years. No medical insurance – was paid for via combinations of existing Federal and State programs, charities and discounted drug programs by the “evil” pharmaceutical companies.

Why is it that so many people from countries with socialized medicine come here for treatment they can’t get there?

Let me ask you this simple question. If the health care reform package is going to be so good for the american people, why won't ANY of the Reps and Senators agree to give up their congressional care plan and participate in what they are pushing?

the health care reform movement is very near and dear to my heart. first I deal with it everyday as a practicing oral and maxillofacial surgeon, and secondly i employ and provide health care insurance for 15 families. this will affect everyone of us and i doubt any of us will be impressed with the outcome. reform is needed, but we should fix the existing plans that are not working. and what is the hurry? why pass a plan that is ill conceived just so b.h. obama can prance around saying he got the healthcare reform (change) he was voted into office to produce. my oldest son lived in London 2 years. he interacted twice with the UK national health insurance. 1. he developed a cold sore. in his job it was in his best interest to get rid of it as soon as possible. In the US i would have prescribed an ointment and pill to reduce the duration of the viral infection and treat his condition..our standard of care....he was told by the health care professional he saw in the UK that they don't prescribe medication but more orange juice might help. I don't think my patients would accept that treatment plan. 2. my son slipped in his shower and fell accross the knob cutting his check. he called me at 4:30 Am and with the miracle of I-chat I was able to view the laceration. I recommended seeing a physician to suture the wound, not possible , laceration not "extensive" enough... it was treated with a bandaid, he now has a very distinctive dimple on his left cheek. not the outcome my patients would accept, but I think a few young ladies told him it looks cute so he's ok with it now. WE DO NOT WANT OUR GOVERNMENT running our HEALTH CARE. I encourage anyone and everyone to write or call your representatives to voice strong opposition to Universal Health Care. and thats the way it is ...IMHO

Obama would like to get this and another bunch of stuff approved quickly and before all the ramifications are known. For all you who voted for him, I believe you're in for a number of very unpleasant surprises. As regards universal health care and health care in general:

1. In the U.S.A., as alluded to above, ANYONE can walk into an ER in a public hospital (which the majority of hospitals are) and get treated for ANY condition regardless of their ability to pay. If that isn't universal health care, I don't know what is and, best of all, many get by without paying anything.

2. In the U.S.A., the only people who are guaranteed medical care for any reason out of an ER setting are prisoners. That applies even if they're on death row.

3. I don't know why they're trying to save money on Medicaid (a.k.a. Welfare). That type of "insurance" already pays pitifully little and there is no incentive for patients to seek the most economical solution to their problem. They thus arrived chauffeured by ambulance to ERs with various trivial conditions my mother would have treated at home.

4. Where the Federal Government is hurting is the Medicare costs. They would like to pay little or nothing for medical services. They have been using various tactics over the years to pay less some justified and some not. What they would really like to do is decrease life prolonging services for the elderly (don't think I'm kidding); when they die sooner, there will be less outlay for medical expenses and they will pay less in Social Security which is a win win situation for them.

5. Obama, et. al., would like to mandate health insurance for all but doesn't wish to do anything about the malpractice insurance situation probably because he and many other legislators are attorneys. It is frequently the case, in malpractice litigation, where the plaintiff's attorney claims that one more test or procedure would have prevented the harm to their client. Physicians have to order tests to protect themselves and to satisfy their patients. If you are never going to let a case of say a heart attack slip through the cracks, you have to do tests.

In some European countries, patients with heart attacks have been treated at home. In the U.S.A., if one sent a patient with a heart attack home and that patient died, not only would there be a law suit but the plaintiff would no doubt win. The plaintiff's attorney would also win since he/she would take home at least 40% of the winnings.

6. The people who are really hurt in the current medical insurance climate are the middle class employed with no health insurance. When they get sick, they really are hurt financially because they end up financing health care that others don't pay enough for like Medicaid patients and those that don't pay at all. Obama's plan might help them at least until they're old at which time I'm sure the purveyors of Medicare and Social Security would rather have them die than cost the system.

If Obama's plan goes through, U.S. citizens will have a LOT of unpleasant things to get used to like not being able to have their gallbladder removed as soon as they like, not having every trivial wound sutured for cosmetic reasons, not getting antibiotics for ear infections, etc.

Oh, and the best part, we'll probably be taxed at 50% of our income to finance all this just like other countries with socialized medicine.

I agree with above...and as you can see there are so many perspectives to the problem. I see people every week who are uninsured and are seen regardless of there ability to pay. They can't get elective non urgent care but essential, urgent needs are met. Medicaid is broken in my state (Mo.) it is not difficult to qualify, but so many never even try too (lazy), however many of the ones that know the system sure know how to "work"it imagine having to (being able to ) go on state assistance for health care and at the same time being able to save up for breast augmentations that you pay for out of your own savings...along with the 3G I phone, cable tv and new suv. Medicaire is a sham too...it pays for less and less and yet why is health care cost going up? This will only get uglier when OBAMA CARE comes to save us all. Americans are a lot of things, but we have grown accustom to the best and getting it when we want it. In the past this worked reasonably well because more of us were willing to take responsibility for our lives..now it seems more and more are expecting someone else to be responsible for their lives. truly a sad day....

THEY,the gov, can not run the VA how the hell
are they going to run a nation. In the London Times several years ago, A poll said that 60+%
of Traditional Brits wanted to leave and the #1
reason was the gov. run medical system.

quote:

Let me ask you this simple question. If the health care reform package is going to be so good for the American People, why won't ANY of the Reps and Senators agree to give up their congressional care plan and participate in what they are pushing?

Because they know what they have planned for us sucks rocks-- big time. They want to give us a plan that is so restrictive that we will be able to do just about nothing we can do today. Like to mountain bike? Forget it-- too dangerous. Like to waterski? Forget it-- too dangerous. Like just about any kind of vigorous, strenuous sport or activity? Forget it-- too dangerous. Will impact the cost structure of the NHS too much. You will soon be directed, by force of law, to go straight home from work and sit in front of your TV for three hours a night, tune your set to the Jigaboogabama Network and watch reruns of Boogabama's Greatest Hits until you want to scream. So it is written, so it shall be done...