Posted on 10/18/2007 10:19:13 AM PDT by Graybeard58
The universal health care horror stories continue to accumulate: Despite a multibillion-dollar government effort to speed the delivery of medical care, Canadians in 2006 waited an average of more than nine weeks for an appointment with a specialist, then waited nine weeks more before going under the knife, the Fraser Institute reports. The four months between referral to surgery eclipsed the previous record by four days. Waits were longest for physicians specializing in gynecology, urology and radiation oncology, whose patients especially need prompt care.
In Britain's National Health Service, government-subsidized dentists are rarer than hen's teeth, so treatment has become a cruel if not painful joke. Forty-five percent of British dentists refuse to participate in the system, so people are left to wait many weeks for care (if it's even available in their community) or pay private dentists out of their own pocket. But according to the government's Patient and Public Involvement Forums, 6 percent of Britons have turned to using super glue to reattach crowns, screwdrivers to remove plaque and pliers to extract their own teeth, thereby redefining speedy, affordable care.
Canadian health officials say a rise in high-risk and premature births coupled with the dearth of trained nurses has led to a surge in airlifts of mothers and infants to the United States for quality post-natal care. Though Canada's health-care system is held up as a model for the world, "Canada has used the United States as a safety net for years," Michael Turner of the Cato Institute told an interviewer. "... (A)bout one out of every seven Canadian physicians sends someone to the United States every year for treatment."
To those who hope universal care will cure what ails the U.S. health-care system: Be careful what you wish for.
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Ping to a Republican-American Editorial.
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“But according to the government’s Patient and Public Involvement Forums, 6 percent of Britons have turned to using super glue to reattach crowns, screwdrivers to remove plaque and pliers to extract their own teeth, thereby redefining speedy, affordable care.”
Nasty.
Where I live there can be pretty long waits for some specialists (orthopaedist, dermatologist, GI), but dental work is easy as long as you can afford it.
Can you begin to imagine how EMPOWERED ole Hillary would be to determine who lives and dies by INCOME level?
If the Democratic Congress wants universal health care for this country, put them on it, as well as their children, parent and grandparents for five years. Then come back and tell us what they think about it. Also put them on Social Security and Medicare. You’ll see it fixed very fast. Congress doesn’t care about these things because no matter what they do, it doesn’t effect them personally.
I hope that JoAnn fabrics stays in business for needle and thread sutures when Hillary!Care is implemented! The good news is that duct tape and plastic sheeting will still be available at the hardware store due to DHS suggested readiness & preparedness drills, so the minor scraps and cuts can still be medicated with the Ace Hardware supply kit.
For headaches we can much on willow bark, however, for infections there might be shortages of leech infested ponds, so plan ahead and stock those ponds!
There are over 300 million of us (citizens).
Maybe lots (x million) illegals.
About 900,000 licensed docs.
Do the math.
Decent US health care will be a thing of the past if every hypochondriac in North America has “FREE” access.
Like why there are so many jokes about the English having bad teeth?
Can someone explain to me why anyone would think universal health care is a viable option?
All you need is a trip to the DMV, post office, immigration office, or any government run monopoly to see what a disastrous idea this is. QED.
Just think though, it would be FREE!
(Just joking, of course.)
I have no family doctor. 20,000 people in my city (Kingston, Ontario) have no family doctor. This monday I have an appointment with one of the clinic doctors at my university in order to get a referral to a dermitologist.
The estimated time for my appointment with the dermitologist is sometime in June 2008.
Other example of socialized medical folly can be found in the links below:
http://www.neoperspectives.com/canadahealthcare.htm
http://www.neoperspectives.com/britishhealthcare.htm
“have turned to using super glue to reattach crowns”
I did exactly that for a very long time because I could not afford to go to the dentist.
I can see the Superglue bit but pulling your own teeth? Arghhhh!
Exactly. There will be healthcare for the proletariat. It will be sporadic, unreliable and inept. Your parents and maybe you will die screaming in your own filth.
For party members, academia, the media and the other well connected intelligentsia there will be special hidden healthcare facilities for them and their families.
Does it sound too awful to be true? Your senators and congressmen and their families already have platinum health care.
They will not give it up when they sentence the rest of us to Utopian degradation.
Don’t forget to brush and floss twice a day kids!
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