Gave him an STI?

[IndiReloaded]

Our "shoddy" system paid for my daughter's life-changng brain surgery at one of the best hospitals in the world. I am quite certain it wouldn't have been covered in either Canada or England.

I've lived in both systems. If anyone in my family needed serious, non-standard surgery we'd definitely be heading south. It may be a two-tier system, but that upper tier is the best there is if you can afford it.

[Wakeup]

... lmao ..

Anyway, Vashti.. good to hear your daughter wasn't turned away. Wouldn't want that to happen to ANY ONE.

[IndiReloaded]

Ynor do we have to fight a stinking privately run insurance company who employ people to find reasons why they shouldn't pay out a claim.

Yes we do. You don't have extended healthcare, do you? We do. There are folks employed at Pacific BlueCross who do exactly what you are describing.

[vashti]

... lmao ..

Anyway, Vashti.. good to hear your daughter wasn't turned away. Wouldn't want that to happen to ANY ONE.

Yes, I suppose it could happen in this country to people who didn't have insurance, but it would happen to EVERYONE in your country using your "superior" universal health care coverage, and though I have to admit that I DO see a benefit to the majority of Americans if we changed over to your style health care, I am ridiculously thrilled we don't have it right now, because the quality of healthcare available to my own family will surely go down..

[IndiReloaded]

If you want to imagine how the model would play out, look at education. Public education is pretty much available for everyone, but how much better is a private one?

Anyway, its an old argument. Haves and have nots. Fact is, the average person's taxes doesn't pay for the level of service they think they deserve.

[sadie_genie]

The waiting time for emergency care is ridiculously long in Canada. I think I would die in pain waiting for a doctor/nurse to take care of me. Even when it isn't busy, they still take ridicuously long. If the health care system is private and run like a business, the competition would push for better service and less wait time. I still think there should be a government funded system for the poor but there should also be an option for private health care.

[qwertz]

Britains healthcare system has its pros and cons (as does every other country) We get free healthcare and I cant fault the treatment my son received with his heart condition. He has received the very best care from world renowned surgeons (though it does help that he has a condition that they describe as 'unique' ). But on the other side of the coin, his treatment for his disability is on the whole quite poor, I was unhappy with the standard of care and I now pay to go private (no insurance). You get what you pay for.

[vashti]

I think all three systems are probably equally reactive to emergency or life-saving care. The big differences come with chronic care or elective surgeries.