Just watched the movie by Roger Moore... its amazing, and sad at the same time. I pray that the way people get taken care of in america changes to one of love... than one of burden.

I like how the french system worked though... when the people get healthier, the doctors got more money. Everyone profits in this system... I like that, when everyone wins.

Yeah, our system is totally screwed up...

In other wealthy countries everybody is taken care of... in the US, middle class and working poor get raped in the ass daily. Well, my ass is getting sore I tell you SOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRE!

I havent seen the movie,but I know the premise.
The best thing we can do is eat raw,stay healthy,and stay out of mainstream medicine.
Brian

Quote

In other wealthy countries everybody is taken care of...

....by the Government -- Nanny State, Socialist, Liberal State....

... and they pay 50% taxes (although we do here, too).

No, thank you. I want less Government, not more. I'm sick of Big Brother owning me. I want Freedom.....liberty... and I don't want to be forced to do anything with my body I don't want to do.... and I want Health Freedom. I don't want the Government to own my body, thank you.

And there's another side to the story of how great their 'socialized medicine' is -- I've read just a bit about how a lot of people in those countries who can afford it get regular insurance plans because the socialized part is a nightmare -- waiting for hours in ambulances, etc.

Five Myths of Socialized Medicine

[www.cato.org]

Do we want socialized medicine?
By Walter E. Williams

[www.townhall.com]

>>>I want Health Freedom

Do you consider going bankrupt because of a broken leg to be health freedom?

What do people do who can't get insurance due to pre-existing conditions and who can't get employment with group coverage.

There's gotta be a way to hybridize choice and freedom with a safety net.

er. . . it's by Michael Moore.

I just had this vision of 007 making a documentary.

Sorry, I just had to type it.

socialized medicine is the best!

unfortunately big pharma and insurance has gotten thier dirty little hands in the system. I personally think that no one should profit from a persons health. Make a living... yes, but billion dollar profits... hell no

I mean take out the middle man, which is the insurance company. Get rid of big pharma... because we all know thier stuff is crap. Tell the gov't to quit allowing the sale of poor quality foods. Stop the agriculture practices that are hurting everything. Also get rid of crap like fast food... candy... and such. All the above are degenerative... and make people sick. Do this and literally billions of dollars have been freed up. Not to mentions jobs created.

Then teach people the real ways to stay healthy... prevention through healthy diet, fasting, exercise, and such. And we have just cut food consumption by one third, saving people even more money, and increasing quality of life exponentially.

People now need to work less, are more productive, and are happier in life ... not to mention taken care of when they get hurt.

Then this is finally what happens, the only time you see a doctor is when something like a broken leg happens. Or you are having a baby. Or some weird thing happens... but society actually benefits by doctors researching it, so no one else gets sick/hurt in the same way, and the person gets better.

If you notice one thing through out healthcare... all parts affect the sum. Just like our bodies. If one thing is degenerative... if effects everyone.

Profits are driven by GREED. Greed doesnt care about people, only the bottom line. Now I am not saying that countries should be socialized... but I am saying that profits should only happen when the product helps everyone, and does no harm.
This is not the case in america.

But social conciousness is growing, and alot of the B.S. that happens is no longer considered acceptable. Its only a matter of time before the health care system falls under its weight of red tape, beaurocracy, and the fraud from big pharma.

canada piping in to say that our "free" health care system is frikkin awesome. doesn't end up taxing us to death either i'm glad to say.
don't knock it 'til you try it lois. we have WAY less "big brother" government than you too.

perhaps if you took away all the guns in the US and you'd need less money for law enforcement, less money for prisons, less money for the police, less money for politicians, and you'd have more money for health care. but that'll never happen right, 'cause y'all can't live without your own personal bang-bangs. too bad.

Oh, oh, don't get me started on 'gun control'

The problem for me with socialized medicine is that I would seek alternative medicine if I had a problem- which would not be covered. Therefore, I would have to pay twice.

Our system has been too corrupted by big pharma. We should allow alternative methods)like the rife machines and such. Let the consumer decide what they want. You would see prices get really competitive all around. It is our government that is at the root of the problem by giving a monopoly to the medical establishment.

If it cost $10 million to do studies to prove something works, then it becomes unprofitable to prove anything works that is not patentable. Why spend $10m to prove an herb works if it is impossible to recover that money? As a result, many highly effective methods are illegal.

lots of alternative therapies are in fact covered in british columbia with other provinces considering it. you can see a chiropractor, a massage therapist, and many others out there on the left coast.

my biggest hang up are freeways

every day, i risk my life to get from point A to point B

its sad, really

i don't think of healthcare much at all because i have a very healthy life style

my only phobia ( only if i think about it cuz i'm a pretty good driver)

is some person not looking at their blind spot and moving into my lane on the freeway

this i have no control over especially if the other lanes are blocked so i can't change lanes

the other hang up i have is someone totalling my car from behind

like a big mac truck

if it weren't for these two factors, i really don't pay attention to healthcare

perhaps i'm living in a fantasy island thinking that i will always be healthy forever

maybe its not a fantasy

i intend for it to always be true

whatever

freeways

those are strange infrastructures

they are the epitome of ... something or other

gone amok

i don't know

its hard to wrap my head around it

85 to 90 miles per hour lanes

and just ONE person can get in your lane DIRECTLY in front of you

and its all over

i actually don't harp or think about it a lot

i used to a lot more before

but i pride myself in having very quick reflexes which has saved me on numerous occasions

but i only have so much "control"

still... that would be the only reason why i would think about having insurance

i don't have insurance cuz i think i'm invincible LOL

but when i think about freeways, that illusion is slowly dissolving

hmmmm... what a world we live in, huh?

sheeessshh!

shell out more bucks for an impending tragedy?

gosh.. insurance is a weird business

no two ways about that

Breaking News on Canada's "Socialized Medicine" --

(Sorry, coco -- I'm glad your experience has been positive, but maybe others -- expecially old people and really sick people -- may have a different story to tell)

***********

[www.newswithviews.com]

"The government pays 70% of the cost, the patient pays 30%. The problem with the Canadian system is not centered on the exorbitant cost to the taxpayer—who not only pays a stiff tax for the coverage, but 30% of the cost for the treatment as well— "

**************

So if you read this article, it sounds like the same situation as Europe, UK, all those countries. It does cost taxpayers a lot of money, and there are big problems.

As usual -- the less government is involved in, the better.

it's a terrific system lois, those stories are always about extremes. the system here works and it works well, remember that i have an enormous (french canadian, we can't keep it in our pants apparently) family so i hear a ton of first hand health care stories and not one of them has been that bad. plus an extended "family" of local parents (online community), many of whom have special needs kids and other health issues. sure, it isn't perfect but i wouldn't trade it. we are very well cared for here, very. little girl's godfather is an MD too so i get info from that side as well. like i said, not perfect but darn good.




Ver, i don't have a car or a license. lately i have been thinking about aquiring both since we're living in a very small town with not much access to stuff but i don't want to do it. i've gone car free all my life and i love it. i bought a new bike from the thrift store yesterday for $40 and rode it around town for some errands and it felt GREAT! i can get a baby seat for small girl and then we're mobile. i think that's the way to go, i really do. i love biking. it's scary because of all the unaware drivers out there but not any more scary for me than driving a car along side them. you just gotta keep your level of focus very high either way i think.

I am a canadian aswell and think we have an awesome access to health care... its just that most health care isnt really all that helpful I mean if I get a broken bone... or a woman is having a baby... its great. But cancer treatment, though its free, is still highly ineffective.

lol Lois I never have seen anyone so paranoid about government. I am canadian also and no one "owns" my body despite the fact that we have a subsidised system. Actually we might have more freedom. School children could get out of being vaccinated just by having a note from their parents. This was not widely publicised though. Was it the same in the U.S.?

There are long waiting lists for some things, but as soon as they are reported on, something is done about them.

Lois,

It would be more useful to us if you shared your personal experiences rather than the stuff you find on the internet.

btw I never found the idea of "The less government the better" to be the case in any situation. Government is only as good as its intentions. If the intention is the well being of everyone, then everyone wins. But if the intention is to make thier buddies rich and control the populace... well then we have problems.

Hi Lois:

I am a Canadian and a cancer survivor.

My experience of our system here is that I received timely and professional treatment - surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. During the months of my treatments, much of my on-line research came from American web-sites, and I never got the impression that they were any further advanced in their approach than us. Any time I came across something "new or cutting edge", my oncologists were able to answer my questions intelligently, so they seemed to me to be doing their best to stay up to date on any new developments.

Yes, there have been times in my life I have had to wait a while for things, but never anything urgent. Sometimes I phone to see my doctor, and if it isn't important, I may have to wait two or three days to see him, but they always offer me the option to see one of his associates if I don't feel like waiting.

If I have any complaint at all about our system, it is that the universal health care here does not extend to prescription drugs like in some other countries. I would gladly pay slightly higher taxes for this. I suspect for most Canadians it would be an overall savings, eliminating private insurance for that, and would allow the elderly who are struggling to not have to worry about this.

I'm sure there are examples of the system not working perfectly for some, just as any system has exceptions, but overall, I think it is pretty great.

I have to deal with private insurance for other things (like our family dental coverage) and by comparison, I hate it! You never know when they are going to change something or decide that something should only be partially covered, or isn't deemed totally necessary, even though it was allowed previously. Very aggravating!

Sapphire