US Health Care Reform - Americans Live in Fear of Change and Ignorance

I don't understand Americans. Their health care system caters to the rich and decisions are made by greedy insurance companies, yet they fight change for a better system. They allow insurance companies to scare them with lies and 1/2 truths about government participated health care systems in the world. I don't understand in this age of the information highway they continue to get it wrong.

John Voight Condemns New Zealand, Canada, and European Health Systems, Click to find out why he got it wrong.

Canadian Health Care is not the terrible mess that they are lead to believe it is. The issues that we face have more to do with a lack of qualified personnel then it does lack of funds. If your case is deemed life threatening by a doctor you get the tests and treatments you need right away. If your case is not life threatening then your case goes into the que for services depending on how serious your case is. What tests and treatments you need are decided by your doctor and not an insurance company.

Those that complain about long wait times etc. are those that don't have life threatening or serious health issues and are waiting only for peace of mind. Since our system is perceived as free many abuse it and constantly ask for tests and treatments and that clogs the system producing wait times. They then turn around and whine about the long wait time and then perceptions about the Canadian system are skewed.

The Canadian system is far from perfect, Canada has a serious shortage of doctors and nurses NOT a shortage of funds. Families can't find family doctors and there are a shortage of beds in the hospitals. Our newly educated doctors have gone south because they can determine their income in the States so they make a lot more per visit. Our system needs less red tape, what government based system doesn't? Ontario is working on LP Nurse run options that seem to be filling the gap left by doctors, hopefully the rest of the country will soon follow suit. When every citizen can easily and openly access the system then it does get abused and bottle necked.

Instead of just listening to accounts of people waiting for care maybe find out how serious their need was. If it wasn't considered serious by their doctors then they have to wait longer but they still get the tests and services in the end. Everyone who needs the tests and services gets the tests and services, when they do depends on their health not their pocket book.

Those who say they couldn't get the service here so they went south and paid for it instead are only telling half the story. First you have to ask how sick were you? How imperative was it for them to be tested right now? In comparison to others in the system was your need the most pressing one? What was the result of the test? Were they in fact sick or just needed peace of mind? Of course they could get the test or service in the States right away, there was no insurance company standing in their way and they paid out of pocket for it.

Some patients will fall through the cracks for whatever reason. Many will look to the States for alternate options and that's fine but it doesn't mean the system doesn't work. It is overwhelmed because many will go just to visit with their doctor while those who need a doctor can't find one with anymore room. Hypochondriacs will tax the system and complain that they can't get the services they want. The wait times can be stressful, but not so terrible that you die waiting because if your dying your case is considered serious and you jump the que. Can Americans say patients never die waiting for an insurance company to approve their treatment?

Reform and Compromise
Will the Senate Pass a Bill in Time?