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ps - and one more thing, mike... without socialized medicine, i would not be here (alive) today to have this discussion with you. thankfully, i am reasonably healthy and able to lead a somewhat normal life, considering the circumstances, which as you know, are often quite overwhelming for PHAs. BUT, if i had to PAY out of pocket for medications and/or fight with some private insurer to cover medical treatments... then without a doubt, i would be dead by now. socialized medicine works.
mike, cherry picking (isolated) problems in Canada's healthcare system does nothing to diminish the fact that America's healthcare system is falling apart and failing its people, and miserably so. incidentally, our healthcare system in canada has been under attack for years by profit-motivated scam artists (like those in America) who'd love to destroy our universal healthcare system, and to some degree, those 'enterprising' scumbags are succeeding in eroding what Canadians have worked so hard to build. and let's face it, there are massive profits to be gained (stolen) by exploiting something that people need, access to health care. btw, you also conveniently ignored the fact that, according to the world health organization, the United States has a significantly HIGHER RATE OF MORBIDITY & MORTALITY than Canada does, including all of the other industrialized nations that have adopted a system of socialized medicine. in other words, a publicly-funded health care system has been statistically proven to provide better care, for MORE people (per capita), than America's Corporate Healthcare / Insurance Industry is able to do. so please, do yourself a favour, look this information up... before you go bashing the Canadian health system. it also might help if you didn't get your 'facts' from Faux News. just sayin... btw, even if/when there might be a wait time for some non-life threatening condition (like hip replacement), in Canada, the patient will actually GET the (elective) treatment they need... whereas in the US, those who cannot afford it (40+ million american citizens now and growing), will NEVER receive the treatment they need, hip surgery or otherwise; thanks to the generous 'compassion' of Corporate Healthcare - brought to you by America's health insurance *industry*. and think about that word, 'industry', because that is precisely what it is. the corporate mandate of these health insurance companies (greed-motivated organizations) is primarily to maximize profit, even when it is to the obvious detriment of their clients' health, and to the nation itself. the 'bottom line' is essentially what motivates the insurance industry in general, thus it is more profitable for these health insurance companies to deny claims for medical procedures AND even allow their clients DIE, rather than provide the care people need and deserve. a DEAD client is worth a helluva a lot more (to the insurance company) than a patient who needs expensive medical treatment. it's simple, yet entirely short-sighted, corporate economics. now, the 'underlings' who WORK for the health insurance industry need jobs, we all understand that; but even some of those, employees in the health insurance industry, former & present, have come forward to expose the obscene neglect & abuse that the private-for-profit health insurance has wreaked on the american public. to put it bluntly, America's health insurance industry is a SCAM; and the WHO indices for world health clearly reveal that to be the ugly truth. furthermore, there is no rational reason for one of THE wealthiest countries in the world to allow a very large percentage of its population, tens of millions and growing by the day, to go *without* access to medical treatments & procedures, just so insurance executives can 'earn' themselves bigger bonuses, buy bigger yachts, mansions and what have you (quite literally), while at the same time, denying coverage to their sick & dieing clients - all in the name of almighty profit. well, to my way of thinking, sacrificing public health, for the sake of financial profit, seems like a terrible idea to me, and ultimately, compromises the health of the entire nation... as we are now witnessing in America. back to Canada... while it is true that some of us canadians may have to wait a bit longer than our wealthy american counterparts for certain elective procedures, like 'hip replacement' and so on... that is the price we are willing to pay, because in the end, we know that ALL canadians are provided fair/equal access to world-class health care; unlike in America, where $some people$ are more equal than others. and if you were being fair, you would have mentioned that Canadian doctors & nurses are working hard to refine our healthcare system to provide more timely access to elective / non-emergency health services. our population is aging, after all, so there are many more senior citizens coming into the system. but that doesn't mean our current standard of socialized medicine cannot handle the burden - it CAN, providing we don't hand it over to private interests (like in the US), losing sight of Tommy Douglas' dream, of providing universal access to the best health care for every single Canadian citizen, regardless of their status in life, or ability to pay. now that is CIVILIZED. imo, a nation without universal access to health care services, is a nation in DECLINE, as increasing numbers of its citizens become sick and unable to WORK, contribute to their communities and so on. but don't take my word for it... just take a look around you, mike. when more than half of Americans are screaming FOR publicly-funded healthcare (according to recent polls), then i'd say that has got to account for something. your fellow americans are fed up, mike; they've had *enough* of 'corporate healthcare', which is utterly corrupt and rotten to the core, because that is the *nature* of the health insurance 'business'. profit BEFORE health. private insurance is just not compatible, nor concerned whatsoever, with the health of Americans, even when the nation overall is suffering because of the obscene cruelty and neglect of these insurance robber barons. anyway, enough said on that. getting back to the horny 15 year old... i still say that Mr Jennings did the right thing, by advising the teen to practice safer sex (knowing full well that there was little, if anything, he could practically do to prevent the teen from pursuing his sexual desires). as Lou said, teens have sex, that is just a fact of life, we all did it, yourself included i imagine. lecturing the young man about 'the law' isn't going to do anything to protect him from STIs. in fact, Jennings may have even saved this young man from the ugly fate that has befallen you and i. but as you say, mike... we'll agree to disagree. anyway, thank you for wishing me good health... same to you, my friend and i think that's gotta be it for me on this one... i need a nap after all this friggin typing! cheers / f
Now that Canada’s system has matured (or decayed), severe problems have developed. Costs for the national and provincial governments are exploding and some cancer patients are waiting months for diagnostic tests and treatment. Some of the telltale statistics are frightening; · The time it tales to be referred by a family doctor to an appointment with a specialist has increased from 3.7 to 8.3 weeks · The time between the appointment and actual treatment has increased from 5.6 to 9.4 weeks, ranging from 5.5 weeks for oncology to 40 weeks for orthopedic surgery One for-profit practice, The Cambie Surgery Center, run by Dr. Brian Day, has 120 doctors working there. His practice is growing because public hospitals are sending him many patients who would normally wait for months before receiving treatment. Since the Quebec Supreme Court ruling, private clinics are opening at a rate of one per week. Dr. Day plans on opening private hospitals in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary and Edmonton. Dr. Day, although continually threatened by the government, stated, “We’ve taken the position that the law is illegal. This is a country in which dogs can get a hip replacement in under a week and in which humans can wait two to three years.” Over the last 18 months, Dr. Day’s hospital has been under contract to perform knee, spine and gynecological operations on more than 1,000 patients. Care to guess how many Candians cross the border into the U.S for treatment? I've seen several different numbers but it amounts to about 15 thousand. Want to see a primary care doctor in the U.S.? Pick up the phone and call one. In Canada, get in line behind the five percent of the population waiting to get a primary care physician (about 17 million Canadians). As anyone who has ever run a business has learned, competition is the lifeblood of efficiency. What liberals never seem to understand is without that competition, complacency and waste become commonplace. One visit to a Veteran’s Administration (VA) hospital in the U. S. might challenge any positive thoughts you may have When I got my hip done the doc said when you want to do it, next week maybe? I chose to wait for a month. And if a man can work hard go to school work his way up the ladder of success I dont hold it against him if he makes 30 grand or 10 million. As far as a 15yr kid goes we are a Nation of laws. In stead of suggesting a condom he should have said thats statutory rape and I'll have to report it. Trust me kids know, my nephew knew about condoms and safe sex waaaay before I thought he should but he knows and hes just turned 14. I think we'll have to agree to disagree most likely. Stay Healthy!
mike, the issue isn't whether or not someone's nephew has sex with an older man... this IS going to happen, as it has been since we climbed down from the trees. thing is, teenagers are jacked-up on hormones and WILL seek to satisfy their sexual urges, and that is NORMAL. so instead of creating needless hysteria, which is ultimately more harmful for everyone, why not counsel the teen on practising safer sex... since they're gonna do it anyway?
mike, i believe you are overlooking something... the 'national plan' does NOT intend to deny coverage to ANYONE, because that is the *essence* of the plan itself - EVERYONE is covered - NO american is turned down for medical treatment, under single-payer (public) health care. other industrialized nations, and not just Canada, have adopted similar publicly-funded health systems; and the health index for those countries is considerably better than that of the US. so, if nationalized healthcare can care work for other countries, including your neighbours to the north, then why would a similar system not work for American people? you seem to have this irrational fear that 'socialized' medicine is somehow going to transform America into a third world banana republic or something. at least, that's the kind of thing i hear most often from the ill-informed, who've been propagandized into believing such nonsense. look, the insurance companies have a vested interest in promoting that kind of bullshit & FUD (scare tactics) around the healthcare issue... their well-paid lobbyists 'working' the politicos on capital hill, pushing back hard on healthcare reform, doing their best (worst) to make damn sure that the status quo stays just as it is, as they and their bosses continue to ride the gravy train of exploit & greed. it's odd to hear you say stuff like, "I dont want to pay for your health care, and I dont want you to pay for mine." we canadians don't think like that... we think every life has value, and worthy of medical treatment, even if he/she can't afford it on their own. people should not be punished - denied health care - just because they didn't 'plan' on getting sick (already have private insurance, and no pre-existing conditions, etc). i'd like to think that we are less cruel, up here in canada... and i think many Americans are now coming to that realization, finally. the health of a nation is only as strong as the health of its people. the number of uninsured Americans without proper healthcare has become ridiculous embarrassing for a rich country like yours, and America does itself a disservice by allowing so many of its people to go without access quality medical care, that would otherise, help ensure that they stay in good health and remain productive citizens. what's wrong with the government (our elected representatives) trying to keep the nation healthy? and it's sound economics too. a national plan would, in the end, cost LESS than the BILLIONS that are being wasted right NOW on 'corporate healthcare' - in which heartless insurance executives and their shareholders get to decide whether - or not - you are allowed to receive medical treatment. meanwhile, they continue to enrich themselves, and i do mean get RICH, at the expense of the nation's health. mike, i urge you to re-think your position on the public health plan. it's not intended to exclude anybody from getting the care they need. also, from what i've read, the public 'option' is just that, it's YOUR choice to either opt-in, or continue with your private insurer instead. it's a stupid compromise, but so goes politics in America. btw, did you know that in 2007 the CEO of Humana 'earned' more than $10 million in salary alone (not including millions in bonuses, plus all the other corporate perks)... but sadly for him, the economy took a downturn in 2008, so he had to settle for only $4.5 million (base salary). and this 'nice guy' is one of the *lowest paid* CEOs in the health insurance industry/scam. here, see for yourself: http://www.healthreformwatch.com/2009/05/20/health-insurance-ceos-total-compensation-in-2008/
so lou its really ok to you if your nephew or son or daughter for that matter has sex with a 40yr old? Well it's not ok with me and I'd guess most of America as well. Whats wrong with Obama talking to rick warren or have him give a prayer? So what who cares, Obama sat through Rev wright for years and I didnt go nuts. I take it your only open minded as long as we all agree with you. Some talk about diversity then name call those who disagree. Thats called intolerance.
I'm sure we can both go on an on about our medical needs/stories about when we got something and when we didnt. I'm lucky I've got great insurance. But I'll give you one of my stories and then my take on the whole health insurance game. my tcells were below 100 with a sky high viral load, I needed a hip replacement, my doc ask me if it was even worth the surgery! Guess what at the end of the day it was MY Decision no one else's! It wasnt some bureaucrat in DC or a state house running the numbers to see if it was truly worth it or not. Like it would be if DC ran things. Health Insurance: I'm sure your a Fine gentleman Franics. I dont hate you, I dont hate sick people or poor people for that matter, I just dont want to pay for your health care, an I dont want you to pay for mine. I dont want to die and someday I'm sure that great health ins plan I have will be gone. But for you to pay for my health is not right and I wouldnt ask you too. I have family, theres groups and org's out there that help. Keep it out of washingtons hands! But, In a sense we do pay for health care now to a degree and what we pay now, I'm not saying to get rid of, just NO to a national plan.
francis gerard
Michelle Obama on Health Care: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/23/michelle-obama-makes-heal_n_331683.html
October 23, 2009