Comments on: Canada vs US healthcare http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:18:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: snareshttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-87381 snares Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:26:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-87381 America has better Doctors ergo better healthcare not becuase of how it is paid for but by the quality of our education system. Our doctors are taught by the best teachers ergo are better. If you buy a product with a check rather than cash does it make it any less "good"? No. We don't need to change our system we need to change how we <b><i>pay</i></b> for our system. America has better Doctors ergo better healthcare not becuase of how it is paid for but by the quality of our education system. Our doctors are taught by the best teachers ergo are better. If you buy a product with a check rather than cash does it make it any less “good”? No. We don’t need to change our system we need to change how we pay for our system.

]]> By: winterswolfhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-82450 winterswolf Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:19:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-82450 I always thought the US had better medical care and the cost was affordable until I developed cancer. Suddenly, the "20% co-pay" didn't seem so great when my basic medical treatments started running 50k a month. It's been two years of battling cancer now and my share of the bills, is well over 200k. We're selling our house this year to get out from under. Yeah, I can see GREAT disadvantages to universal healthcare - to insurance executives and politicians getting their lobby dollars. I always thought the US had better medical care and the cost was affordable until I developed cancer. Suddenly, the “20% co-pay” didn’t seem so great when my basic medical treatments started running 50k a month. It’s been two years of battling cancer now and my share of the bills, is well over 200k. We’re selling our house this year to get out from under. Yeah, I can see GREAT disadvantages to universal healthcare – to insurance executives and politicians getting their lobby dollars.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-81712 Anonymous Sun, 11 Nov 2007 04:08:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-81712 I pay $700. out of pocket for my "companies" health care plan which covers my wife and a 7 and 4 year old. I still pay $25. to go to the doctor and $10. for every generic perscription. this means if my family goes to the doctor 4 times a year, I pay another $500. supposing I get a perscription each time. I pay approximately $9000. a year for health care for myself and my family. I pay about 10-15K a year in taxes along with the 7 percent on every purchase. <br/><br/>Now, after all that, I have to get a referral from my doctor so that I can go see a specialist. I also pay a higher co-pay ($50) and now because I go to a specialist for say an MRI because of a problem with my neck, I have to pay 20% of the MRI ($500) in addition to the $9000. I alreay paid, because this is not calculated against a $1000. annual deduction. Imagine if I had 2-3 people in my family that had to go to special care??? As nice as it sounds, it really isn't a good system, that to me equals a bad to mediocre system. <br/><br/>My point is that if I have to out of pocket for so many things and there is always a possibility that the insurance company will not cover it or drop me from coverage, why is a capitalist verison of the socialized healthcare so much better than a government run system? I am American by the way. I also have in a new clause for every policy that I have signed up for in the last 5 years, a 5 million max benefit payout. This means that once I have reached this level, not per year, I will not have benefits. I pay $700. out of pocket for my “companies” health care plan which covers my wife and a 7 and 4 year old. I still pay $25. to go to the doctor and $10. for every generic perscription. this means if my family goes to the doctor 4 times a year, I pay another $500. supposing I get a perscription each time. I pay approximately $9000. a year for health care for myself and my family. I pay about 10-15K a year in taxes along with the 7 percent on every purchase.

Now, after all that, I have to get a referral from my doctor so that I can go see a specialist. I also pay a higher co-pay ($50) and now because I go to a specialist for say an MRI because of a problem with my neck, I have to pay 20% of the MRI ($500) in addition to the $9000. I alreay paid, because this is not calculated against a $1000. annual deduction. Imagine if I had 2-3 people in my family that had to go to special care??? As nice as it sounds, it really isn’t a good system, that to me equals a bad to mediocre system.

My point is that if I have to out of pocket for so many things and there is always a possibility that the insurance company will not cover it or drop me from coverage, why is a capitalist verison of the socialized healthcare so much better than a government run system? I am American by the way. I also have in a new clause for every policy that I have signed up for in the last 5 years, a 5 million max benefit payout. This means that once I have reached this level, not per year, I will not have benefits.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-80784 Anonymous Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:18:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-80784 i would still rather live in the United States than in Canada, even if they have a better health system, which i dont think they do.<br/><br/>americans are less healthy then canadians not because our system is bad, but because INDIVIDUALS decide to go on crappy diets and dont exercise, dont blame the health care system nor the doctors. i would still rather live in the United States than in Canada, even if they have a better health system, which i dont think they do.

americans are less healthy then canadians not because our system is bad, but because INDIVIDUALS decide to go on crappy diets and dont exercise, dont blame the health care system nor the doctors.

]]> By: Caryhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-80623 Cary Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:53:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-80623 It is the timeless battle of quality vs. affordable care. America has a several tiered system where if you are rich, you receive better care than if you are poor. The downside, is that the lower tiers drop off, and Americans neglect care due to lack of finances. <br/><br/>The Canadian system does not have the quality, timely care upper middleclass Americans receive, but all classes receive the same quality of care. It is the timeless battle of quality vs. affordable care. America has a several tiered system where if you are rich, you receive better care than if you are poor. The downside, is that the lower tiers drop off, and Americans neglect care due to lack of finances.

The Canadian system does not have the quality, timely care upper middleclass Americans receive, but all classes receive the same quality of care.

]]> By: Patricia Donovanhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-80620 Patricia Donovan Wed, 03 Oct 2007 14:21:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/10/canada-vs-us-healthcare.html#comment-80620 Despite vastly different systems, the issues are the same. I just spent a few days in London. Watching the local newscasts drove home this point. The placement of doctors in “high street” stores to improve access to healthcare, providers who miss evidence of behavioral health problems in patients, overcrowded emergency rooms — all familar refrains. Over lunch, two British physician friends shared the challenges of being held to quality measures in their practices. One news story Americans don’t hear “across the pond” is the one about the number of individuals waiting to be admitted “to hospital” in the U.K. — down to 660,000 this year from over a million people in 2006. That constitutes good news in England, I guess. Despite vastly different systems, the issues are the same. I just spent a few days in London. Watching the local newscasts drove home this point. The placement of doctors in “high street” stores to improve access to healthcare, providers who miss evidence of behavioral health problems in patients, overcrowded emergency rooms — all familar refrains. Over lunch, two British physician friends shared the challenges of being held to quality measures in their practices. One news story Americans don’t hear “across the pond” is the one about the number of individuals waiting to be admitted “to hospital” in the U.K. — down to 660,000 this year from over a million people in 2006. That constitutes good news in England, I guess.

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