4 ms·
It seems like most of the complaints about healthcare now relate to unpredictable costs and complexity though. I'm not sure the simplicity and stress-reduction
by tempestn 10y ago
It seems like most of the complaints about healthcare now relate to unpredictable costs and complexity though. I'm not sure the simplicity and stress-reduction of a single-payer system really are appreciated. I'm Canadian, and our system is fair from perfect. That said, it's hard for me to comprehend the stories I regularly read about people's experiences in the American system, trying to decide on plans, sacrificing care due to cost, even just having to figure out what hospital they can go to when they need one. All this hassle has an effect that's significant but difficult to quantify.
I even have one personal anecdote - on a recent trip to Disneyland with some friends, a friend of mine got sick and needed to see a doctor. He had purchased travel insurance, so called the insurance company to figure out where to go. It turned out that the only walk-in clinics covered were halfway across LA. There were other clinics within blocks of our hotel, but they weren't covered. So, he basically wasted an entire day. Now, compared to serious healthcare issues, obviously this isn't a big deal. But still, the experience was just alien to us. Here, if you need to see a doctor, you either book an appointment with your family doctor, or if you need to see someone sooner or it's more convenient or whatever, you just go to a clinic. Any clinic doctor will see you, and will bill MSP (the provincial health plan).
Again, our system isn't perfect. Compared to someone with good coverage in the US, our wait lists for major procedures are generally longer. It's occasionally debated whether private clinics should be allowed to perform these procedures, allowing people who can afford it to jump the queue. The theory is that this leaves more public resources for everyone else, so it's win-win. However, generally politicians steer clear of anything that sounds like private health care, because in general people fear any erosion of the public system. (For example by having good doctors go to private clinics.)
Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent. The point is, there are intangible benefits to single payer healthcare that I don't see often discussed in the US.
- refurb 10y agoAs a Canadian as well, I appreciate you being up front about the drawbacks of our system as well. I've heard so many American's say "oh, the Canadian system is so much better". Is it better in coverage? Obviously! However, when I ask if they'd be ok waiting over a year for joint replacement surgery, they get a weird look on their face. Or, if they have cancer, they aren't going to get to go to the best cancer center in Canada, you go to your local hospital. And if you want the latest and greatest cancer treatment? Well, you'll need to pay for that yourself since the gov't hasn't yet approved it for reimbursement. There are benefits to both systems, but it's disingenuous to say that a single payer system solves all problems.
- sdenton4 10y agoAnd yet. We have a system where the rich are OK and the poor can be destroyed by an encounter with the health care system. A system where almost everyone is OK and the rich can pay for the best care available is far, far preferable.
- hackuser 10y agoThese situations are common in the U.S., unless you are well-connected and can pull strings. > waiting over a year for joint replacement surgery 1) Remember that many Americans have no access to healthcare outside of emergency rooms; they wait forever. I know plenty, including connected people, who wait months for simple appointments. A year before surgery wouldn't surprise me at all. > if they have cancer, they aren't going to get to go to the best cancer center in Canada, you go to your local hospital. 2) Again, many Americans wait forever. Few others go to the best treatment centers in the nation - how much capacity do those places have, and who is filling up the local facilities? > if you want the latest and greatest cancer treatment? Well, you'll need to pay for that yourself since the gov't hasn't yet approved it for reimbursement. 3) Again, some Americans get no funding. Most others are limited to what their insurance companies cover and often have the same problems.
- refurb 10y agoI'm not arguing that many people would be better off. I'm arguing that many people would have to lower their expectations around healthcare. There is a very big chunk of the US that has very expensive (that they can afford) and very good healthcare.