Ok I'm behind single payer health care now

[MiserableFailure]

For years I was always afraid of it but after doing substantial research on the internet I am convinced that this is the best plan for America. I think that it is crucial that we take medical decisions out of the hands of private insurance companies where they have an incentive to deny care to make a profit. I have read about the bad-faith insurance cases where private health insurance companies have denied coverage of live saving procedures in favor of the almighty dollar.

I wish that one of the top tier Dem candidates would embrace single payer care because a solid majority of Americans are behind it. Even some Republicans and most independents, and of course Democrats.

[MiserableFailure]

1. I mean people say that you can ration care by price or waiting lists

We have a for profit insurance system mostly now and I still have to wait 3 months to get in to see my dermatologist for stuff. I don't really see how single payer could be any worse. It makes sense to bump important cases ahead of the elective ones.

[MiserableFailure]

2. I have questions though

One thing that I read that concerns me though is the fact that psychiatric care is not covered under Canada's single payer program? Is that true? And neither is dental care? And prescription drug programs are administered by the provinces but the provinces are not required to have one. Prescription drugs are a huge percentage of Americans' health care expenses.

[SoCalDem]

3. I have a sneaking suspicion that if people were not so stressed about

their overall health, maybe they might see an improvement on the mental health side as well..

And perhaps they could afford to see therapists if they did not go broke trying to pay for "insurance"..

[MiserableFailure]

4. socaldem

valid points but i believe in mental health parity. non-physician therapists should not be covered but psychiatric care by psychiatrists certainly should be. they are doctors just as much as internists or surgeons are. and why is dental care not covered? teeth and gums are important. it should be.

[SoCalDem]

5. I agree wholeheartedly. n/t

[ConsAreLiars]

6. All forms of treatment need to be included.

Acupuncture, so I hear, works in a lot of cases, and there has bee a long debate about the merits of Freudian MD's and Ph.D.'s of all variants. I favor full disclosure about any scientific reviews about efficacy, but I don't think prohibiting access to any of the treatment options is fair or just or even cost-effective.

[MiserableFailure]

7. Sorry,

but I do not put psychology on the same level as psychiatry. psychiatry is a medical science and psychology is a social science. people can pay for psychologists out of their own pocket if they want to go see them. the terminal psychology degree is a doctor of philosophy degree. psychiatrists are either MD's or DO's. it's a big difference.

[ConsAreLiars]

8. You're entitled to your opinion, however ill-informed (nt)

[MiserableFailure]

9. try going to a psychologist and asking for a prescription

say you go to one for depression or attention deficit disorder and they want to prescribe you something. you know that they can't. because they aren't doctors. they end up having to go through another doctor, usually your primary care doctor, who they refer you back to to write the script for you to get the drugs. i'm not interested in adding a layer of bureaucracy like this to a national system.

[ConsAreLiars]

12. I don't see reducing treatment options as a good thing.

Eliminating the kinds of restrictions you advocate would help cut down on the role of bureucrats. My criteria is free and full access to care, not how many forms the insurance companies want under today's system. Single payer universal access (with no insurance company forms and profits involved) would make that kind of bureaucracy a thing of the past.

[MiserableFailure]

13. but

a psychiatrist can do everything that a clinical psychologist can and can also do a lot more.

[ConsAreLiars]

14. Actually, they have rather different treatment procedures.

Not saying one is better, just that more options is better where the person seeking teatment is concerned. You will never find a psychiatrist trained in Rogerian or Gestalt of behavioral or Jungian and so on and so on approaches. The MD with his Big Pharma indoctrination may help some, but otthers may benefit more from other approaches. Why would you deny them access to treatment that works better for them? Your attitude seems like more of a problem than a cure.

(edit because the s and a keys are too close)

[Swamp Rat]

10. I agree

Forget bias that has led to a dysfunctional healthcare system, controlled by corporate, pathologist-lizards. ;) :D

[Selatius]

11. I might be wrong, but in France I believe it's covered.

Sécurité Sociale covers roughly 75 percent of your medical costs, period. The remaining 25 percent can either be paid by you out of your own pocket or by purchasing supplemental insurance. Most people in France do purchase supplemental insurance to cover the remaining cost.

If you needed mental health treatment for physical abuse as a child or because you went to Iraq and returned with PTSD or something else serious like manic depression or schizophrenia, you would get 75 percent of your costs covered, period. If you needed to see a dentist for a check up, you're covered. If you needed prescription drugs, you are likewise covered. Canada's model is better than our own, but if you're looking to emulate the best, forget Canada and talk to France.