[Muncle]

Okay, Canada's health system is sensational and we should all move to Alberta or Val d'Or except for the friggin' snow and low temps. It's been interesting to hear how much of the taxes go to health care. I don't know diddly about Canadian tax structure, if it is nearly as biased as the US, but if such a health system were imported into this country, we would end up with 50% of the population paying absolutely nothing --- they don't pay taxes, remember --- and the top 10% will end up with yet another mandate.

But regardless of the economic factors, why does it matter? Hancle's bible quote was nice, but has no bearing on reality. The Canadian program may have universal coverage, especially very supportive of the needy, but Canadians have no choice as to whether they wish to help those who didn't win life's lottery. Does that win any points on the Savior Scale?

But I reiterate my questions from a few days ago:


Does everyone have a "right" to all health care? Do all have the "right" to the same or equal health care? Is there a situation when especially expensive health procedures should be more readily available to those who have more resources to pay for them? Should "elective" procedures be available only to those with financial resources? When the time comes to prioritize certain procedures like organ replacement, should the patient's past or lifestyle be a determining factor (long-time smoker, high-pressure job, bad eating habits, drug use, homosexual promiscuity) and who should make these decisions? What about age? Any other social considerations?

Yes, there are major problems with our health care system, many/most of them financial. As far as I can see, everyone is to blame, i.e., medical professionals, insurance companies, blood sucking trial lawyers, drug companies, governments, both state and especially federal, and most importantly, we, the people. The health care system is a massive creature, ultra convoluted at best. There is no quick fix. All the players involved must make changes and the changes must be reasonable. Putting price caps on drugs would play well in the Daily Kos and on MSNBC, but unless it is done intelligently, it could spell the end of the development of new meds or at least severely hamper it. It's obvious that insurance companies and especially Medicare grossly underpay for many services. Doctors and hospitals have a legitimate complaint. If both were forced to increase these payments, remember that those costs will be passed to the members.

All in all, it is a real conundrum as to what can be done, and more critically, what should be done.





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