Health Care..what do you think?

[Fleck750]

Originally Posted by goof2

Yes and yes, but there are a lot more barriers for someone who wants to sue in Canada resulting in fewer suits, the trials are more often in front of judges rather than juries, plaintiffs win less often, average judgments are a fraction of what they are here, pain and suffering damages are capped in Canada, and Canadian doctors typically pay 10% or less of what malpractice insurance costs here.

The other factor is because Canadian doctors don't concern themselves with lawsuits as much they supposedly practice less defensive medicine. While lawsuits account for less than 1% of the cost of healthcare in America some estimates say defensive medicine accounts for 10% or more of America's healthcare costs (in 05 Medicare's administrator told Congress it was 9%).

By defensive medicine, do you mean fewer tests to cover their ass?

Do you feel that the docs in Canada can make better judgments w/o the fear of litigation hanging over them?

I understand less frivolous lawsuits, but does it make it harder to prove that a doctor is a quack, or does your medical community have a board that takes complaints and yanks a bad doc out of the system?

[goof2]

Originally Posted by Fleck750

By defensive medicine, do you mean fewer tests to cover their ass?

Yes

Originally Posted by Fleck750

Do you feel that the docs in Canada can make better judgments w/o the fear of litigation hanging over them?

I think doctors in both America and Canada make judgments that best fit their situation. American doctors are forced to be more "conscientious" of all potential issues, no matter the likelihood, to cover their asses.

Originally Posted by Fleck750

I understand less frivolous lawsuits, but does it make it harder to prove that a doctor is a quack, or does your medical community have a board that takes complaints and yanks a bad doc out of the system?

Doctors with repeated lawsuits and complaints have their malpractice insurance increase. In Canada they buy in a group and lawsuits have no effect on their premiums.

[Fleck750]

So there is no board of peers that investigate a bad doc and revoke their license to practice?

[goof2]

Originally Posted by Fleck750

So there is no board of peers that investigate a bad doc and revoke their license to practice?

Each state has a medical board that makes decisions about medical licenses.

As far as determining if a doctor is a "quack", lawsuits aren't much of a help there since most of them never go to judgment, or even to trial. They are typically settled confidentially with no admission of guilt by the doctor.

To correct my answer to one of your earlier questions, by defensive medicine I mean running MORE tests to cover their ass, not less.

[Smittie61984]

I keep forgetting that we have a preview of American Healthcare. I grew up a military brat and went to military hospitals/doctors. I think I'd prefer going to a medicine man from Sierra Leon then back to a military hospital.

[derf]

Originally Posted by Smittie61984

I keep forgetting that we have a preview of American Healthcare. I grew up a military brat and went to military hospitals/doctors. I think I'd prefer going to a medicine man from Sierra Leon then back to a military hospital.

The military healthcare isnt bad, but if you don't understand it, it is a burocratic nightmare. I personally like the idea of universal healthcare, but the US gov will mess it up real quick, I dont like the first solution that the proposed, it needs to be looked at by smarter people than politicians and worked from there.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by sherri_chickie

I would really love to hear the Canadian and American opinions on universal health care. Americans maybe you can enlighten me as to why the country seems so opposed and Canadians maybe you can shed some light on how it works here.

I personally love our system, I've lived in both and a good portion of why I came back to Canada was because of our health care system. I had gall bladder surgery, and then went back in a few days later with a raging infection. How much did the operation cost me? $0. How much did a week in the hospital on morphine, percoset and antibiotics cost $0. I just got to focus on getting better and not " how the hell am I going to pay for this ( even just a co-pay can be insane) I do pay more in taxes up here, but seriously the additional taxes is less than what I paid monthly for shitty insurance in the states. Plus prescriptions here are MUCH cheaper than in the U. S.

And in the states the people are already paying for the healthcare of people on welfare, gives no incentive to get off and get a job if you are going to lose your healthcare, dental and vision benefits. I saw it a million times where I worked.

I'm not going to bother to read the rest of the responses but I believe that a lot of the reason for resistance here is this question. If you had your surgery here, would you have gotten the infection? In other words, is Canadian health care inferior because all of the practitioners get paid less and the best/brightest choose other fields where the salary potential is better?

My GF is in school to be a physical therapist. It is an 8 year course but she will make six figures right out of school. In fact, she already has a position lined up. Would she still go to college for 8 years if the gov't decides that PTs are only allowed to make $50,000 per year?

I understand that we pay for medical for welfare recipients, do the rest of us want to also have that level of medical care?

[Apoc]

Originally Posted by TIGGER

I'm not going to bother to read the rest of the responses but I believe that a lot of the reason for resistance here is this question. If you had your surgery here, would you have gotten the infection? In other words, is Canadian health care inferior because all of the practitioners get paid less and the best/brightest choose other fields where the salary potential is better?

My GF is in school to be a physical therapist. It is an 8 year course but she will make six figures right out of school. In fact, she already has a position lined up. Would she still go to college for 8 years if the gov't decides that PTs are only allowed to make $50,000 per year?

I understand that we pay for medical for welfare recipients, do the rest of us want to also have that level of medical care?

Doctors here do damn well. So do nurses, and other areas of the medical field.

Unless you condsider 2-300k not that well for a doctor.

You guys can pretend our HC system is horrible if you want. The rest of us who live with it, know better.

And i've never been turned away or made wait any ridiculous time for any procedure. Its pretty much a myth that you people use to villify and validate your silly opinions with.

[CrazyKell]

Originally Posted by Apoc

Its pretty much a myth that you people use to villify and validate your silly opinions with.

Ding ding ding! We have a winner.

[Amber Lamps]

Originally Posted by Apoc

Doctors here do damn well. So do nurses, and other areas of the medical field.

Unless you condsider 2-300k not that well for a doctor.

You guys can pretend our HC system is horrible if you want. The rest of us who live with it, know better.

And i've never been turned away or made wait any ridiculous time for any procedure. Its pretty much a myth that you people use to villify and validate your silly opinions with.

You would do well to notice the "?" after my words which denote that they are questions...

I'm not saying that Canadian health care is inferior, I am merely asking a question. Although, I do know for certain that there have been cases of Canadians coming down here to get procedures done. Oh and $300,000 (is that Canadian money btw?) is great money unless people just on the other side of the border make $500,000 for the same job. I personally don't care what they do in regards to health care.