Also, thanks for bringing up that argument against universal health care based on longer wait times for non-emergencies, Heather. That point has always struck me as saying the insureds’ desire for instant access to drs. outweighs the need for more people to have access to drs. at all.

It’s a complicated issue and although I support it, universal healthcare may prove not to be the answer. But I sure haven’t heard any better solutions out there. (No, I don’t think McCain’s tax credit plan qualifies as a solution.)

As a Canadian (woohoo!), who has spent the past 8 months studying in the states, I have seen first hand both sides of the argument. I have experienced medical emergencies galore, (one roommate was an undiagnosed diabetic, another broke her ankle, I had a flare up, etc. etc.)

Yes, we were all taken care of swiftly in the states, but thank God we all had insurance and lived within 25 minutes of a Canadian hospital as well.

The bills were astronomical (300 dollars for 20 minutes in my case- which I had to pay out of pocket because I didn’t understand the insurance game) My friend who broke her ankle would have had to pay thousands to get it fixed because her insurance didn’t offer 100% coverage, so she went to the Canadian hospital. My roommate with the diabetes…well, again, thank God she had major insurance because it was beyond enormous (emergency visit, 1.5 weeks in, one night in ICU).

Have I had to wait at Canadian hospitals? You bet. There is no doubt the system is failing, especially for those working in it. My mom has been a nurse for over 30 years and she can almost never take her vacation time. They are always always short staffed, and because she works in OBS, it makes for a dangerous situation at times. We also have a massive doctor shortage, so family doctors are few and far between, and often the ones we do have ignore the nobility of the profession and thoroughly interview potential patients so they can weed out the “difficult” cases.

But, have I ever been in an acute emergency and not been dealt with first? Nope. Every time I have gone to emergency with asthma issues I have been taken before almost everyone except the ambulances, because it is considered a life threatening . Even in waiting for an MRI on my knee twice, a non-emergency procedure, I never had to wait for more than 6 months. It may sound like a lot …but I understand that the people before me deserve it just as much, or if not more than me. Nobody gets ahead because they have money.

Of course, the experience varies from province to province. Amy? They don’t cover behavioural therapy for autism here either, which is tragic, because the debt families accrue is astounding.

All in all though, in my own unscientific analysis, I far prefer universal healthcare. I don’t think big business should have a right to control a basic human right, such as healthcare.

Here I was worrying that I will lose my drug coverage in December, and will have to pay out of pocket! There are worse things, I suppose.

To Z:
1. – No one said that a partial socialization of health care to make sure that US citizens – especially under-privileged children – can get health coverage is going to change what is currently covered by private insurance. In fact, the problems you are describing with MRIs were a problem here in the States as little as five years ago. I lived in a major metro area with tons of good hospitals around. When I tore the ACL in my knee, I had to hobble around on crutches for weeks waiting for my turn on an MRI. These waits were a problem of availability and expense of MRI machines. It had nothing to do with Universal Health Care versus private.

2 – I have been in other countries – plural – with socialized health care (not just knew someone who had) and having received care in those places, I can tell you that there are some drawbacks. But most arguments against are filled with the ‘applying parts to the whole’ logical fallacy. You can’t take a problem that is prevalent in Sweden but not a problem in Canada, and then take a problem in Canada that is not a problem in Sweden and then argue that both problems are a problem with all socialized health care. That’s like saying sharks are fish, gold fish are fish, therefore all fish are gold and can eat you.

3. – As far as your issue with not being able to get health care if you are not from that country – you are creating a straw man fallacy. You are creating an argument (in New Zealand you cannot receive health care if you are A) a non-citizen and B) you are dying. So your friend was dying in a New Zealand hospital and was refused care? Don’t know that I believe that. I think you are exaggerating a point and that’s fine but don’t make that stuff up. Details matter when it comes to this subject. Also, I do not pretend to know your politics on this, but isn’t one of the biggest beefs people who are against gov’t involvement in health care the fact that illegal aliens are provided heath care? So don’t worry, in our country, that won’t be a problem … or are you only against non-citizen care when that non-citizen is an American?

Look, I am all for a free market. But insurance carriers are constantly raising premiums and looking for ways to get out of paying by pricing the sick out of the market and raking premiums from the healthy. The business model for insurance centers on not actually having to provide services but to take in premiums. I have had to actually argue with my insurance customer service because they refuse to cover a medication prescribed to my child by a specialist because there was no record at the company that we had tried an over-the-counter medicine first. And the over-the-counter medicine they were pushing was 1 – proven to make patients with my daughter’s condition worse, 2 – a way to get out of paying. When did insurance carriers start presuming to know more than doctors?

Will universal health coverage solve that problem? Maybe, maybe not. But I’m not going to hold that example up and say all private health care is broken. None of your arguments hold anymore water than that.

I’m with AsthmaMom. I would take it a step further and say that making health coverage a 100% private industry hasn’t worked. It’s turned decisions that should be about patient care into decisions about dollars and cents.

I’ve spoken to other Canadians—a reader of this blog, for example– who support that country’s system. You can read her comment about it here on this post.

“Did you know in a lot of countries with socialized medicine if you are not from that country and you are dying they will not treat you without payment first.”

No, I didn’t, actually. But I do know U.S. citizens die every day for lack of coverage, as reported in these news articles:

TampaBay.com
PennLive.com
USNews.com

There are also plenty of treatments that plans in this country don’t cover, and problems with long wait times as well. People in my state are fighting right now for health insurance plans to cover behavioral therapy for autistic children since parents often go into massive debt and take out second mortgages to pay for it out-of-pocket. And that’s just one example.

Let me repeat–I know there is no perfect plan, but I also don’t think health insurance should be a luxury, as it is for a large number of people in this country under our current system.

There is a problem with our current health care system, but I believe sincerely that universal health care is not the answer. If you think it is then go visit a facility in another country and see for yourself.