Health Care and govt. system management
 

I was in the Caribbean some months ago and struck up a 2 week long friendship with a very nice and $ well off Canadian couple.
During one of our kindly talks
Bill points his finger at my wife and me. He then proceeds to tell me
“ you Americans have to fix your healthcare system” he goes on to tell us how terrible and unfair it is He informs us that Canadian Socialized Medicine was the only answer.
(Bill and his wife collect 19th Century Art as a hobby and live in Toronto, Canada.)
I asked Bill if he ever had gotten a
MRI. He replied yes. I asked where he got it. He said Buffalo,Ny.
Why i asked him, He told me the wait time was to long in Toronto and he could not wait.
I expected this answer because I have Canadian relatives, one of which had broken her arm and it was days before she could get an X-ray. She could not afford a trip to Buffalo and was not able to pay out of pocket.
On PBS A COUPLE DAYS AGO and less than 6 days to election I heard an interview regarding the terrible state of affairs in our country and who is to blame.
The focus then shifted onto the sad state of affairs in Canada and who in our current government was to blame.
I thought the interviewee was a Canadian govt. official.
I was surprised to learn that it was actually a NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN
He complained that Buffalo NY
Had already suffered an excess of TEN MILLION DOLLARS lost medical services income because Canadians were blocked by Canadian govt officials and not crossing the boarder to seek health care.
It’s not rocket science. Be careful
What you ask for.

Interesting to speak to people living in other countries and ask about the quality of their health care.

Govt control is often rationing of health care.

One Canadian told us that they delay treatment hoping to save money if by waiting the patient passes before getting treatment.

A couple years back the wife and I were in Minnesota visiting family. My wife talked with a lady from Canada that was staying in the hotel were we were staying and she related the same problems with the Canadian medical system. Very long waits for tests such as MRI and CAT Scans and surgeries such as hip and knee replacement. If you want to see how a government run medical program will operate read up on the problems with the Veterans Administration. Too few workers to do the work and not enough money to do the job properly.

Why do we need to strike up a conversation with a wealthy couple on the islands (LMAO) or speak to people in other countries regarding the quality of a government run/subsidized healthcare? We have it here, it's called the Affordable Care Act and for a majority of citizens, it's a lifesaver (no pun intended). Yes, a majority of families qualify for significant subsidies on health care and STILL receive the quality of care they expect and DESERVE from the great US of A.

Unfortunately some people have tried 60+ times to get rid of the ACA with no replacement even though they have had 10 years to do do. Yes, this is a great country. Vote.

Sorry to say, the ACA is NOT affordable! I recently had to go on it after our COBRA ran out. My monthly cost was $754.00 per month with an $8500.00 deductible. This is the cost for ONE person! (Full disclosure... I had a “pre existing condition”. I had a small basal cell cancer on my nose in 2015.)
I truly could not afford to go to the Doctor. It also took over 6 weeks for them to get me into the system, even though I had paid my premiums. It took repeated phone calls and emails from my broker. In the meantime, I couldn’t even get a prescription refilled because as we all know, the first thing we do when going to the pharmacy is show our insurance coverage. Although I had paid, I had no proof and no ID number for them to verify it.
Additionally, I DID have to find a new GP as my coverage was for one hospital system only.
It is shameful that anyone can think this is an affordable option for the middle class.
My husband and I never had to have that conversation at the kitchen table about whether we could pay for a Dr. visit until I was part of the ACA.
Be careful what you wish for!

Sorry to say, the ACA is NOT affordable! I recently had to go on it after our COBRA ran out. My monthly cost was $754.00 per month with an $8500.00 deductible. This is the cost for ONE person! (Full disclosure... I had a “pre existing condition”. I had a small basal cell cancer on my nose in 2015.)
I truly could not afford to go to the Doctor. It also took over 6 weeks for them to get me into the system, even though I had paid my premiums. It took repeated phone calls and emails from my broker. In the meantime, I couldn’t even get a prescription refilled because as we all know, the first thing we do when going to the pharmacy is show our insurance coverage. Although I had paid, I had no proof and no ID number for them to verify it.
Additionally, I DID have to find a new GP as my coverage was for one hospital system only.
It is shameful that anyone can think this is an affordable option for the middle class.
My husband and I never had to have that conversation at the kitchen table about whether we could pay for a Dr. visit until I was part of the ACA.
Be careful what you wish for!

Actually, no. tens of thousands of middle class Americans lost their previous health coverage and were forced into ACA but do not qualify for subsidies. Not because they are wealthy but because they make a middle class wage. And remember how this ACA was going to "cure" the "fact" that 40 million American allegedly had no health insurance? Well, guess what, now they are claiming 30 million Americans have not insurance. We have now"read the bill" and know what's in it -failure.

It seems to me that there are 4 groups of people who really like ObamaCare.

1. Those in congress who voted for it.
2. Those who receive it at no cost.
3. Those who have it subsidized by taxpayers.
4. Those who don't have it but tout its merits.

So, to which group do you belong?

What a lot of people don't realize is that, the reason the ACA covered more people, was because it greatly expanded the income eligibility for Medicaid. So, some middle class people, who were satisfied with their private health insurance plan, were forced to go on Medicaid because their private plan was deemed illegal by the ACA.

Those in congress who voted for it are not part of the system. If they really liked it they would want to be part of it.

Think that does say something doesnt it.

Go to Boston and walk through all the hospital parking garages and count the Canadian license plates.
They are not there sightseeing.

My wife and I have traveled many time to Europe and have had many discussions about their So-called socialized medicine. They hate it. Many of them are taking out their own insurance, and going to private hospitals and clinics run by doctors.

"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government take care of him had better take a much closer look at the American Indian." Henry Ford

My summer home is very close to the Canadian border. I have a hard time believing any of the stories of how bad the Canadian health care system is. First I probably interface with Canadians more times per year than most of you do in a lifetime - no complaints. Most Canadians are very proud of their health care system. Secondly about this wait time issue- living right near the border and if the wait time issue was true then our border town hospitals / medical facilities would be full of Canadians - none. I will tell you when the Canadian dollar is strong our shopping malls are full of Canadians. I assume the Canadian health care is is still functioning well this year since their Covid rate is less than ours and they can't come across the border to get our health care.

You don't live in Canada. I have or rather had a sister-in-law that received Canadian health care treatment. She resided in Toronto. She had to wait so long first just to see a doctor, then another wait to see a specialist, and then too long to recieve treatment. She died of cancer and it was not pretty. Her only treatment was pain killers in the hospital while family was allowed to come in and say goodbye. Now, her daughter-in-law is a nurse in Canada and when she wants treatment, she comes to visit us so she can take advantage of our superior health care system.
I have lived in countries that have socialized health care and I can tell you first hand how bad it is. Do the citizens like it. Sure, they grew up with it and it seems like it is free. Although free is when they take half your paycheck in payment for the gov. FREE stuff.
I had to go to one hospital for a ultrasound and had to pass down hallways without lights to the basement. I also observed a few windows that were broken. My spouse had to go to a hospital in one country where the family had to bring blankets and food for the patient. Next time you folks wish to complain about our system, give me an idea how bad your "struggle" is with American health care. And yes, it can be very expensive some times. I know. I have had to pay the ER bill a long time ago when I didn't have insurance. And yes, it did go to collection, but I still paid it all off. Sorry if some of you can't afford to pay over time, when the bill is too high. Guess it may interfere with your lifestyle, but that is life. This is not Obama's Utopia that was promised.