Does Socialized Medicine Work?

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel
Why look outside the US when there are two bang up examples of socialized medicine here?

http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2008/09/22/across_mass_wait_to_see_doctors_grows/

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php...show_article=1

Except that that's not socialized medicine. In MA, everyone is forced to buy health insurance, so instead of being socialized medicine, it is still privatized medicine. You fail.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Wernazuma III
And medical tourism is nothing special to the USA: one of the favorite countries for getting treatment is, ...drumroll... Cuba.
edit: Here a Wikipedia-link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourism

To those who complain about the preventive aspect of socialized medicine: It's much more preventive than a private system where you think thrice before seing a doctor...

I tell lots of folks here that if the price of treatment exceeds the price of a trip to Cuba, they should go to Cuba.

[Japher]

commie

[DanS]

Thanks, OFITG.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Japher
commie

I always did like you

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by Comrade Snuggles


Except that that's not socialized medicine. In MA, everyone is forced to buy health insurance, so instead of being socialized medicine, it is still privatized medicine. You fail.

Rather an irrelevant hair to split. Plans like this are the closest the US is going to get to universal health care in my lifetime, thank god.

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by GePap


The funny thing is that the reason for the waits, as the Boston Globe article clearly states, is that there already was a shortage of primary care doctors, and now that so many more people have gotten insurance, people are actually using it.

Yeah, I know, the gall of people tryin to see a doctor now that they have the ability to, after years of not going! Shouldn't they have known that our system was working better when the lack of insured patients hid the lack of primary care doctors coming out of medical schools because you can make more money in a hospital or being a specialist? Terrorists!

Yeah, pretty poor planning from both states. Seems like a fairly obvious consequence, but whatareyougoingtodo? Combination of tort reform and massive loan forgiveness to build the doctor base? Mass doesn't strike me as an enticing place to move to if you're living in the sunbelt.

[Japher]

Originally posted by Comrade Snuggles


I always did like you

That's the kind of guy I am.

[GePap]

Originally posted by asleepathewheel


Yeah, pretty poor planning from both states. Seems like a fairly obvious consequence, but whatareyougoingtodo?

Even with greater waits, more people will be treated - and therefore it will be a plus for overall public health.

Combination of tort reform and massive loan forgiveness to build the doctor base? Mass doesn't strike me as an enticing place to move to if you're living in the sunbelt.

Which goes to show the inherent problems any one state trying to implement universal care on its own without support from neighboring states or the Feds. It is not an indictment on universal care.

[TheStinger]

Originally posted by DanS


Can you give us some flavor on the waiting lists (type, length) from your personal experience?

From a personal experiance I have waited no more than 4 weeks and that was for non urgent procedures, my wife was admitted as an emergency so she probably doesn't count although in her follow up care she always saw the consultant at her ante natal clinics.

I have also been able to see a physio within a week of being refered by my GP.

My mother in law when suffering from cancer saw a sepcialist within days of her diagnosis.

Our sysyem is not in any way perfect and people with long term chronic condiitons can have problems in delays as they will have operations cancelled if an emergency comes up but on the whole the situation is pretty good

[Bosh]

From my personal experience in Korea (universal health care paid by Social Security-style payroll tax) there's short to non-existent lines, low costs, low taxes, virtually no paper work, short doctor appointments (right in and out if there's nothing serious) and average service. I'd take that over the American system in a heart beat. Very good value for what's being paid...

[asleepathewheel]

Originally posted by GePap


Even with greater waits, more people will be treated - and therefore it will be a plus for overall public health.

But for the fact that public health doesn't exist in a vacuum, I'd agree.

Originally posted by GePap
Which goes to show the inherent problems any one state trying to implement universal care on its own without support from neighboring states or the Feds. It is not an indictment on universal care.

Depends on the definition of universal, doesn't it?

[Q Classic]

Originally posted by Bosh
From my personal experience in Korea (universal health care paid by Social Security-style payroll tax) there's short to non-existent lines, low costs, low taxes, virtually no paper work, short doctor appointments (right in and out if there's nothing serious) and average service. I'd take that over the American system in a heart beat. Very good value for what's being paid...

I suppose, if you don't mind the feel of the hospitals.

[Kidlicious]

Isn't asleepatthewheel a lawyer?

[Bosh]

Originally posted by Mrs Snuggles

I suppose, if you don't mind the feel of the hospitals.

*shrugs*

Hospitals are clean and professional, I usually go to a university hospital nearby. There's snazzy ones if you don't mind paying extra...