Comments on: National Health Insurance!?

By: accurate and true

accurate and true — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 23:25:59 +0000

John Geyman needs to stop misinforming the public:

1. The reason why Britain has a National Health Service is b/c of World War II, when rationing of all goods and services was required by the country. The system remained after the war b/c of bureaucracy it created. It is now the 3rd largest employer in the world, behind the Red Army of China and India’s National Railways.

2. Infant mortality rates are often cited as a reason socialized medicine and a single-payer system is supposed to be better than what we have here. But according to Dr. Linda Halderman, a policy adviser in the California State Senate, these comparisons are BOGUS.

As she points out, in the U.S., low birth-weight babies are still babies. In Canada, Germany and Austria, a premature baby weighing less than 500 grams is not considered a living child and is not counted in such statistics. They’re considered “unsalvageable” and therefore never alive.

Norway boasts one of the lowest infant mortality rates in the world — until you factor in weight at birth, and then its rate is no better than in the U.S.

In other countries babies that survive less than 24 hours are also excluded and are classified as “stillborn.” In the U.S. any infant that shows any sign of life for any length of time is considered a live birth.

A child born in Hong Kong or Japan that lives less than a day is reported as a “miscarriage” and not counted. In Switzerland and other parts of Europe, a baby is not counted as a baby if it is less than 30 centimeters in length.

By: jack

jack — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:51:43 +0000

Infernobutterrfly. “a single payer health care or one ran by the gov’t equals one company. ” How is it true? It doesn’t make sense to me. You still have private health care besides govt option. I think you are paid by private insurers to write these things. Private insurance thru employer is the biggest scam run by insurers, it is like a umbrella that disappears when it rains. When you get cancer or serious health issue, you lose your job and you lose your health insurance. Now dont talk about cobra, everybody knows how bad that is. By the way you guys live in one of most social countries in world. Dont believe me, just look at your paycheck.

By: John Smith

John Smith — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:05:40 +0000

I want to see the look on these ideologues faces when the bottom falls out and private businesses suddenly say “wait, I don’t have to cover my employees? Thanks Uncle Sam.” The private market will be choked out due to lack of support! I’m curious to know if this sudden shift to a single payer system is taking into account the massive repayment options students in Europe have access to.

Who’s going to foot the bill for tuition?

By: Infernobutterrfly

Infernobutterrfly — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:42:39 +0000

Jack, to me, a single payer health care or one ran by the gov’t equals one company.

Don’t get me wrong. I do like the idea of universal health care. I just do not see any practical means to establish that in America. I see an ideal method and noble cause. But the methods so far are not anywhere near practical. If you want to talk about ideals, sure. But reality is also about practicality.

By: jack

jack — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:44:22 +0000

Infernobutterrfly , you are misinformed, there isn’t going to be just one organization. Private insurance is still going to be there. Would be nice if people just read before wasting everybody’s time.

By: Infernobutterrfly

Infernobutterrfly — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:12:32 +0000

I agree that this article is very one sided and for SDN to claim that they are not pushing an agenda is silly at best. Please leave the political activities to those who push it. Like another poster, you have also lost my donation until the site is truly reflective (not subjective) on “hot” issues.

As for the call for a NHI, it will never work. My reason is simple. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Giving one organization the power of determining the nation’s health care will result in the abuse and corruption of the ideals, sweat and blood of those involved. Its only a matter of time.

But I will have to admit that the current system needs to change. I do not know how, but I do know it isn’t in NHI.

By: jack

jack — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:21:07 +0000

I moved to canada from usa and find people are very happy, they are not worried about medical bills, or insurance premiums, no chance of going bankrupt paying medical bills. My doctor is a us citizen lives in blaine and comes to work in canada for last 20 years. I can see him any working day with about 1 hour wait. Not only american doctors come here to work but american patients also come here to buy medicines. We are all happy here. People are not dying here because of lack of insurance like in usa. Canadian medical system is better than usa. It is not free, I pay 100 dollar every month for it.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:03:27 +0000

Single payer insurance is the worste possible thing that can happen to the United States health care system. My father lived in Germany for 22 years. He was in a motor cycle accident and have sever knee injuries. It took the government 7 months to process his claim and for him to finally get the surgery he needed. (not surprisingly he had to have 4 more surgeries at the tax payers exspense because of how long it took). The goverment is extremely inefficient. It takes the goverment 50 employees for what a private company can do with 2. But its ok, because YOU are going to be paying for it. YOU are going to pay for those employee’s to have the best retirement packages, everything holiday off (while you wait for paper that you need for you procedure of medication). BUT ITS OK BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR IT! As a pre-med student I wonder whats going to happen as med school exspenses keep rising (plan on gradutating 250K in debt) and physician pay is going to decrease incredibly; not to mention the increased amount of taxes i am going to be paying. Just part of Obamas’ plan of spreading the wealth or how he so eloquently ( i just puked a little in my mouth) “sharing the burden”.

By: James

James — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 07:24:38 +0000

Well, after residency, I am looking for another profession if this passes.

I have the skills, I invested the time and I can select under what pretenses I use them.

Bye bye patients, good luck finding another sucker to treat you.

By: Dr. Tony

Dr. Tony — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:36:15 +0000

Dr. Gevman is entitled to his opinions.
Let me first state my credentials:
1. Almost fifty years of family practice – board certified and recertified
2. particiapnt in the Clinton Health Care planning in 1993
3. International exposure to various medical systems and colleagues around the world.
To quote Robert Heinlein, “TANSTAAFL. There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.”
I admire the altruism of the young doctors and doctors to be. Please let me warn you that
1. statistics lie. The oft quoted ranking of the US on world health is worthless because the input data is manipulated by the countries that submit them.
1. You cognitives who think that your efforts will be better paid – I saw this happen when Medicare was being proposed. Mr Califano’s folks approached the proceduralists and cognitives secretly and promised both sides a bigger piece of the pinancial pie and more respect- if they supported the proposal. Each thought that the offer was unique to them.
Guess what? The pie became a muffin and the crumbs were what was left.
2. Never trust your leaders, especially in the primary care field. They will, in the name of altruism, sell you down the river to gain political prestige.
Ask them how many real patients they actually see on a daily basis.
3. Graduating from medical school and then getting an MPH does not convey patient experience.
4. The human condition always seeks and demands more. Promising everything to everyone requires rationing and – defacto – thanatology by limiting care.
5. Be suspicious of altruists. They are always altruistic on your nickel.

Sorry to sound like a curmudgeon, but human nature does not change, only the ability techologically to manipulate and control larger groups of people.

Dr. Tony