O.K. So National Health care in Canada has problems. So does

[theophilus]

National Health care in other countries. I say that the U.S. can DO IT RIGHT and have a NHC system that will be the envy of the world! If not, why not? Let's get busy and show the world that we can take care of our citizens better than anybody else. Throw out the insurance companies. Use some of our trillions of dollars to provide Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness just like our founders wanted. If you don't have your health you don't have much life and our medical system is heading toward life support.

How would you do it? How can we trump the Canadians, the Brits, and any others who we complain about as having bad systems? Our system is a horrible shambles. How do we FIX it and begin a renaissance in this backward racing society? Go for it.....

[getmeouttahere]

1. I've always said that we could do it better...

IF it was a priority...but of course we know where the priorities of BushCo lie.

We could have it all if we wanted...but when you are more concerned with, among numerous other things, the appointment of a judge who would dismantle everything we've accomplished toward a just society in the last 70 years, you're only going to keep going backwards.

[theophilus]

2. Good point. So step one should be throw out all of the Reps and

Dems that are standing in the way of a superior NHC plan to care for our kids, our seniors, and the rest of us and to revitalize our economy. Sounds good to me.

[LynnTheDem]

3. Ask Castro.

His country has one of the very best in the world.

[DBoon]

4. If you think cross-border traffic in prescription drugs is high

between the US and Canada/Mexico, just see what would happen if Cuba were opened up.

LOTS of Americans would go there for medical procedures that arent covered or are too expensive in the US.

It would be a national embarassment. Probably the reason Bush keeps people out of there.

[theophilus]

5. Another good point. I have also heard that many Americans

are going to Asia for elective surgery in first class facilities where prices are a fraction of the costs for the US. Even with the travel costs they come out ahead. A great NHC system here in the US will stop this traffic flow out of the US and encourage people from other countries to come here to spend their money, etc. Another great reason to get it right!

[LynnTheDem]

6. Too true...that and it's a beautiful country (Cuba). Great for diving.

Go on hols, do some diving, and get your meds all in one stop. :D

[markus]

7. We wait 3-4 months to see a doctor under BC/NBS of North Dakota

for non-urgent care.

We have a limited choice of physicians.

Many medicines are not covered (allergy, for example. Both my wife and daughter need them to have a decent quality of life. We my my daughters; my wife goes without).

The myth is that these problems don't exists in the U.S. They do. It's just the idiots who have so many goddamned choices in DC they have to buy a book for figure them out aren't living in our real world.

[Warpy]

8. We'd be able to learn from the mistakes of other countries

if Congress hadn't been loaded with corporate whores who want nothing better than to torpedo any plan that DOES work in order to keep those insurance industry campaign dollars flowing in.

No national health system can possibly be much worse than the rationing by wealth that we have now. Our system is irretrievably broken. It can no longer be patched together by stopgap measures like state insurance for the cheapest to insure (children) and the most expensive (elderly).

When people start dying during their working years due to lack of care, THIS IS WRONG. The whole system has gone completely insane.

[UdoKier]

9. Health care in the US is atrocious.

When I had an HMO as most do, it was horrible. The national system in Japan was a hundred times better.

Why are we paying ten times more for such worse care, and we only cover 60% of the people?

[Bridget Burke]

10. Every human institution will have "problems"

A co-worker took early retirement because she & her husband have some health problems. So they will be moving back to Canada. She would have loved to vote against Bush, but held on to her Canadian citizenship for the health care.

There's no reason that our country could not set up an excellent health care system. Except for the huge amounts of money that insurance companies, HMO's & drug companies donate to politicans.

[depakid]

11. It's simply a matter of rational economics

America's fragmented healthcare system costs EVERYONE big bucks while performing relatively poorly on most of the aggregate clinical outcome measures.

There aren't many good arguments (rational ones) in favor of keeping all of the parasites in the system- parasites meaning people and institutions that add no value. What are we- up to about 15% of GNP on documented healthcare spending?

Whatever problems Health Canada or the British NHS might have- they're dwarved by comparison....

[Enraged_Ape]

12. Bottom line: Even crappy care is better than NO care...

which is what tens of millions of people in this country have. Zip. Nada. Zilch.

Any Canadians on this board who would trade the system you have for NOTHING? I want to hear from you.

[theophilus]

16. This is so true. More are losing their coverage every day.

The premiums are going through the roof. It won't be long before the majority will either have no health care insurance or have very poor coverage or have hugely expensive premiums. The "health" industry seems to be sawing its own limb(s) off and not realize that when there are no more people who can afford the policies they are going to be out of business in this country. I guess they can go to China then and start over!

[Enraged_Ape]

17. Since no Canadians have responded that they would give up...

their care for NO CARE, I take that as a resounding affirmation that our system SUCKS.

[Cleita]

13. This website lays it all out for you

Physician's for a National Health Plan

http://www.pnhp.org

[theophilus]

15. Thanks for posting this link.

We need to stir up the populace and get a leader with a spine to push this forward. Even some of my Bush voting friends realize what a mess we are in healthwise. All it needs is for the right person to start the push.

[applegrove]

14. Nobody in the world is going to be copying the USA health care

system any time soon. It is the worst health care system in the world. The Canadian system is 70% publicly funded. The French system is 80% publicly funded. With universal health care you do not put a government monopoly (and cost controls) everywhere. Only where it does a better job of keeping costs down than the private market.

Because of the expense of the technology and the training of people - some things like MRI remain very expensive or supplied in inadequate amounts. Allowing a few private clinics to get rid of backlogs is a fine stop-gap measure.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. Our "system" is lousy for both patients and providers

My monthly premiums will go up $90 PER MONTH thanks to my reaching a milestone birthday. I called my insurance co., and the only way I can get a significant break is to raise my deductible from $1000 to $3000. It may be worth doing, since I never even use up my $1000 deductible.

I looked into Health Savings Accounts, and not only do I have to apply separately with medical records and everything to convert a regular policy to an HSA account from the same company, but it would cost more to have a $2600 deductible under an HSA than it does to have a $1000 deductible under a regular policy.

Does this make any sense? The customer service rep sounded kind of embarrassed as she was explaining it.

Meanwhile, my brother the doctor finds the insurance companies constantly coming up with new excuses to avoid paying him.

AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!

A simple, streamlined national health care system that could be explained in soundbites would be a winning issue. Too bad so many Dems are taking money from the insurance lobby.