4 ms·

>Health should not be for-profit. Yeah, it should be public like Canada, where I've been on a waiting list for 2 years just to get a family doctor... I think

>Health should not be for-profit. Yeah, it should be public like Canada, where I've been on a waiting list for 2 years just to get a family doctor... I think there's some middle ground there. The market does solve certain problems.

brandon272 10y ago
I am a Canadian and don't have a family doctor and am unclear on the benefits of having one. When I had one years ago I didn't feel like I was getting any extra special attention beyond what I get now by walking into a walk-in clinic and seeing any random doctor. Perhaps the benefits are clearer if you have ongoing medical issues? Or perhaps my old family doctor wasn't doing things a family doctor is supposed to do in terms of ongoing care?
- nameless912 10y ago
  I'm an American with kickass insurance who doesn't have a "family doctor". I go to a local practice that has 5 or so doctors and a couple of CNP's. I don't always see the same person, but I see someone within 2 or 3 days for routine stuff and same day for urgent stuff. I think that the moderate trade off between "personalization" and availability is totally worth it, especially since it saves me money (my insurance is apparently billed less for an appointment at a group practice, which means eventually my premiums are lower).
  - ehnto 10y ago
    For another data point, I live in Australia and can see a doctor, same day or night, for around 20 USD. It is very convenient and I am glad that part of the system runs well enough. There can be waiting lists for public surgeons however, and private health insurance can help solve that to an extent. I think we have a good balance here but I am not familiar enough with the nuances of health care to know.
Broken_Hippo 10y ago
I live in Norway and am covered by the state insurance. I lived my first 30+ years in the states. I have a family doctor that I can change twice a year: Some doctors are busy and can't get you in for minor stuff the same day, but I had that in the states as well. Folks here can go to a private doctor if they choose, and they pay a bit more - but that isn't common. The wait times are sometimes an issue that needs improvement, but overall the quality of care one has access to is greatly improved. I'll no longer have to be faced with putting off surgery because I can't afford the co-payment, nor afraid of being injured and not affording physical therapy. And this is with insurance. Here there are ways to get things quicker if the situation is urgent, but there it really was dependent on money. The yearly payments top out at an amount that is less than the deductible I had in the states... and my insurance wasn't bad there. I'll take the universal care and wait times any day.

brandon272 10y ago

I am a Canadian and don't have a family doctor and am unclear on the benefits of having one. When I had one years ago I didn't feel like I was getting any extra special attention beyond what I get now by walking into a walk-in clinic and seeing any random doctor. Perhaps the benefits are clearer if you have ongoing medical issues? Or perhaps my old family doctor wasn't doing things a family doctor is supposed to do in terms of ongoing care?

nameless912 10y ago
I'm an American with kickass insurance who doesn't have a "family doctor". I go to a local practice that has 5 or so doctors and a couple of CNP's. I don't always see the same person, but I see someone within 2 or 3 days for routine stuff and same day for urgent stuff. I think that the moderate trade off between "personalization" and availability is totally worth it, especially since it saves me money (my insurance is apparently billed less for an appointment at a group practice, which means eventually my premiums are lower).
- ehnto 10y ago
  For another data point, I live in Australia and can see a doctor, same day or night, for around 20 USD. It is very convenient and I am glad that part of the system runs well enough. There can be waiting lists for public surgeons however, and private health insurance can help solve that to an extent. I think we have a good balance here but I am not familiar enough with the nuances of health care to know.

Broken_Hippo 10y ago

I live in Norway and am covered by the state insurance. I lived my first 30+ years in the states. I have a family doctor that I can change twice a year: Some doctors are busy and can't get you in for minor stuff the same day, but I had that in the states as well. Folks here can go to a private doctor if they choose, and they pay a bit more - but that isn't common. The wait times are sometimes an issue that needs improvement, but overall the quality of care one has access to is greatly improved. I'll no longer have to be faced with putting off surgery because I can't afford the co-payment, nor afraid of being injured and not affording physical therapy. And this is with insurance. Here there are ways to get things quicker if the situation is urgent, but there it really was dependent on money. The yearly payments top out at an amount that is less than the deductible I had in the states... and my insurance wasn't bad there. I'll take the universal care and wait times any day.