But Amos' attempt to explain why Canada's health service has suffered in recent years did not even make a pretense of journalistic balance. She reported that while health authorities blame shortages on this year's flu epidemic, "many Canadians believe it is the healthcare system itself that is truly sick":
"The problem goes back a decade to when the Canadian government, in the middle of a recession, recognized that universal care was inefficient and expensive. So Canada closed hospital wards, eliminated 11,000 hospital beds, reduced nursing staffs, cut the number of places in state medical schools."
The danger of single payor is slow pay will put them out of business. It is incredibly dangerous to have only one source of revenue.
Our federal government has recently announced retroactive reduction in reimbursements. That means they decided people were over paid in the past and they want money back immediately. What can you do about it? Nothing. Cash for clunkers tells us they will shaft the car dealers. Many sales will never get their 4,500.
Heard a doctor on a talk show yesterday say that Medicare (government run) pays only .20 on the dollar. AND many times it takes 2 years to get their money and sometimes they just refuse to pay.
She said she can not even afford to pay her nurses on that pay scale and it COST her money to serve Medicare patients.
Many doctors now refuse Medicare patients and you can see why.
However, the insurance companies are not a lot better. The only pharamcist in the small town I live in had to close down due to insurance companies owing him more than $60,000.00 in payment.
Our system news overhauling, but we don't need government run healthcare!
__________________
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Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
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Every moment, THANK GOD.
Canada's premier medical journal has weighed into the fracas over U.S. healthcare reform with blunt words: Partisan attacks and horror stories are threatening a "precious opportunity" to give Americans the healthcare they deserve.
These tales "are so absurd and full of fantasy that they would be laughable -- if not for the fact that many Americans believe them," the editors of the Canadian Medical Association Journal said.
On the other hand, the skill and talent of U.S. healthcare professionals -- and the wealth of the country -- could give Americans unparalleled healthcare "if they find the courage to embrace change."
"Lamentably, in the current partisan circus playing out on Capitol Hill, analysis is short and sophistry ... is long," they said.
The Canadian healthcare system is not perfect, they argued, but it gives much better results than the U.S. system, citing 2006 statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development:
* Average American life expectancy is 78.1 years, compared with 80.7 in Canada -- nearly three years shorter.
* U.S. infant mortality is 6.7 deaths per thousand live births, compared with 5.0 in Canada.
* The U.S. economy spends -- "or increasingly, borrows" -- more on healthcare than Canada's, at 16% versus 10.1% of the economy.
* Despite the extra spending, Americans see their doctors less often than do Canadians -- 3.8 visits a year versus 5.8.
"The inescapable truth is that, compared to Canada, America is achieving poor value for money from its healthcare system, and that is killing Americans," the journal's editors said.
The editorial noted that Canada spends $156 billion U.S. a year to provide medical coverage for all its 32 million people -- fewer than America's 47 million uninsured.
Quote:
At that rate, the editors argued, the Obama administration's estimated $100 million a year to cover the uninsured is a "screaming bargain
."
The issue of rationing care is also a nonstarter, the journal's editors said. "The only cruelty in rationing healthcare comes in doing it the wrong way," they said.
The wrong way, they argued, is to have private insurers that refuse to cover people with preexisting health conditions. "That is the worst kind of rationing, aimed mercilessly at those who need medical care most," they said.
In contrast, Canada aims to ration medically futile treatments -- residents are not denied coverage for preexisting conditions, and there is no cutoff age, they said.
"Where we occasionally make mistakes is in rationing new treatments that in hindsight prove to be useful, not futile," the editors said.
The editorial admitted that Canadians do face waiting lists for healthcare.
"But that does not mean Canadians routinely die waiting for tests and operations," they argued, "because the lists are for elective procedures, such as joint replacement surgery, and not for emergency or life-saving care."
The journal noted that a common feature of American life -- staying in a job to keep health benefits -- does not exist in Canada. Finally, the editorial noted, Canada's healthcare system had its origin in the western province of Saskatchewan in the 1940s, when health bills forced many families into bankruptcy.
"That same tragedy is replaying in America, where more than half of personal bankruptcies are medically related, the editorial said -- a number that is likely to climb as health costs rise, the population ages, and the U.S. dollar loses ground as a reserve currency.
Primary source: Canadian Medical Association Journal
.
somebody is lying. We can't take care of 47 million for a little over 2 dollars each. or $100 million dollars.
Quote:
At that rate, the editors argued, the Obama administration's estimated $100 million a year to cover the uninsured is a "screaming bargain
Before I retired my business took me to most providence in Canada. I dealt with management more often than not with the owners of the company. In my conversation with them I would ask this question. If you had the choice to pay lower taxes would you opt out of Canada’s healthcare system and take what we have in America. Not one person said they would opt out. These were people considered rich not the working peons.
We continue to hear the lies from the right. Telling the truth seems to escape them.
Listen to the lie this jerk Republican tells. He shuts down his town hall meeting when confronted with the truth. Ignorance abounds much in this video. Watch the red headed woman in the front row.
At that rate, the editors argued, the Obama administration's estimated $100 million a year to cover the uninsured is a "screaming bargain"
47 million uninsured for $100 million. What a deal. 2 dollars a head. Why not put all of America on that plan. If it was $200 billion that would be 150 a month per person. also cheap. Looks like light is tossing out accusations of lies and using lies to do so.
Before I retired my business took me to most providence in Canada. I dealt with management more often than not with the owners of the company. In my conversation with them I would ask this question. If you had the choice to pay lower taxes would you opt out of Canada’s healthcare system and take what we have in America. Not one person said they would opt out. These were people considered rich not the working peons.
We continue to hear the lies from the right. Telling the truth seems to escape them.
Listen to the lie this jerk Republican tells. He shuts down his town hall meeting when confronted with the truth. Ignorance abounds much in this video. Watch the red headed woman in the front row.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_MvNF2GUE0
That guy apparently is a tool. It's funny how he had no answer whatsoever when told that the "public option" he was talking about had nothing to do with the case he was describing. He doesn't want the truth to get in the way of his facts.
One thing is abundantly clear. Republicans have no desire whatsoever to help fix healthcare in this country. They don't plan on contributing to a plan that will work. Their only response is to try to keep the status quo and take care of big insurance companies and their campaign donations.
Republicans aren't interested in actually coming up with solutions to the problem. They haven't been for the last 20 years.
__________________
In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity. Augustine
That guy apparently is a tool. It's funny how he had no answer whatsoever when told that the "public option" he was talking about had nothing to do with the case he was describing. He doesn't want the truth to get in the way of his facts.
One thing is abundantly clear. Republicans have no desire whatsoever to help fix healthcare in this country. They don't plan on contributing to a plan that will work. Their only response is to try to keep the status quo and take care of big insurance companies and their campaign donations.
Republicans aren't interested in actually coming up with solutions to the problem. They haven't been for the last 20 years.
This is a balled faced lie.
Mike you ought to take that back. you wont I know you want but you still just told a lie.
why mike? why did you lie?
The FACT is there are at least 3 major pieces of legislation written by prominant republicans that would go a very long way to fixing much of what is wrong with the Healthcare system.
the democrats in control wont let those bills see the light of day!
Just because Republicans dont want a massive government controled system, does not mean that republicans dont recognize there is a problem. Nor does it mean they dont want to fix what is wrong.
What Republicans want is real fixes and not more government mandates that mess things up!
Stop lying Mike.
__________________ If I do something stupid blame the Lortab!
Mike you ought to take that back. you wont I know you want but you still just told a lie.
why mike? why did you lie?
The FACT is there are at least 3 major pieces of legislation written by prominant republicans that would go a very long way to fixing much of what is wrong with the Healthcare system.
the democrats in control wont let those bills see the light of day!
Just because Republicans dont want a massive government controled system, does not mean that republicans dont recognize there is a problem. Nor does it mean they dont want to fix what is wrong.
What Republicans want is real fixes and not more government mandates that mess things up!
Stop lying Mike.
Ferd you talk about a liar. The AFF's resident right wing wacko and the jerk in the video are two peas in a pod. both are bald face liars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_MvNF2GUE0
You know the Republicans have had control of both houses for 12 years and the white house for the last 8 and and to my knowledge there has been no health care bill so don't say the republicans are for heath care.
The only health care they care about is their own.
You know the Republicans have had control of both houses for 12 years and the white house for the last 8 and and to my knowledge there has been no health care bill so don't say the republicans are for heath care.
The only health care they care about is their own.
Bingo. The Republicans showed no desire to help fix healthcare during Republican administrations. They've showed no leadership on the issue, because at the heart of the matter, they're fine with greedy insurance companies continuing to make huge profits and ration care to people who need it.
They may throw up some smoke screens along the way, but they don't have any real desire to fix healthcare or they wouldn't wait until Democrat administrations take office to start talking about the matter.
__________________
In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity. Augustine
Before I retired my business took me to most providence in Canada. I dealt with management more often than not with the owners of the company. In my conversation with them I would ask this question. If you had the choice to pay lower taxes would you opt out of Canada’s healthcare system and take what we have in America. Not one person said they would opt out. These were people considered rich not the working peons.
We continue to hear the lies from the right. Telling the truth seems to escape them.
Listen to the lie this jerk Republican tells. He shuts down his town hall meeting when confronted with the truth. Ignorance abounds much in this video. Watch the red headed woman in the front row.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_MvNF2GUE0
Oh and the redhead in the front row is a hoot. She tries to shoosh the guy from actually explaining the facts of the matter. Something tells me she probably also believes there are still WMD's in Iraq and that we should start bombing every other Muslim country in the mid-east. She's probably a member of the Don Rumsfeld fan club.
__________________
In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, charity. Augustine
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