"One should doubtless keep an open mind...though open at both ends, like the food pipe, and have a capacity for excretion as well as intake." -- Northrop Frye, 'The Great Code'
It will cost more for travel and accommodation, but India has a thriving medicine for hire system. My friend was seriously considering going to India for a kidney transplant. He ended up with a relative providing a live donation. They would have moved heaven and earth for that surgery. There are brokers who will look after all the details - you just supply cash. Cheers.
Interesting. Now maybe we'll have to look into a 2nd tier in our healthcare system. Would Canada not benefit greatly from the tax revenue this would create? All the money Canadians spend on US healthcare has been going to the US. Why not have it stay here? I know, I know - that's a big topic to debate. I'm not even sure how I feel about it. Just an idea...
There is no doubt that Canada should and will HAVE to increase options for health care in the near future. Our present health care system is inefficient and expensive. We need user fees, with waivers for the poor for starters. People need to know how much their self-requested free service costs! Nurses should be given more responsibilities. We can deal with 2-tier for educational choices (good public schools + private schools), so what is the problem???
It hasn't passed yet - a version of the bill still has to be approved by the Senate & it's not clear that a filibuster-proof majority there will pass it. Then it has to go to a committee to hammer out a compromise between the House & Senate versions. This bill is still a long way from becoming law.
A few years ago when Alberta panicked and started closing hospitals because there was "too much capacity in the system" (as if having a hospital makes you want to use it!) the writing was on the wall.
Smart societies build more capacity for essential services than is needed by their own population, then sell the rest to foreigners. Take Niagara Falls or Banff, for example. Tourists come from all over the world, and we eagerly encourage it because it gives us both money and pride.
We could have had both money and pride from our vaunted medical system if we had had any vision. But instead we turned it into something to be rationed out by the government rather than built up to serve paying customers, and then were surprised at the outcomes.
The US is stumbling towards the same mediocrity. Why not copy Japan or France? What they have works, at least for their own citizens. It's a start.
Exactly, Halfwise. Here in BC the Ministry for Healthcare Rationing announced not long ago that the number of “elective” surgeries is to be cut by 35% (Something to do with the Olympics.) And then they told us our "excess capacity" would be used to do knee and hip surgeries for patients from Saskatchewan. They said (bragged) that BC would be making big bucks from Sask on this deal. Cutting back on surgeries to relieve pain and suffering for BC residents and then doing the same surgeries for Saskatchewanites? Good deal for the Sask patients maybe. Anyway that “deal” may go south when/if Sask balks at paying BC a premium.
What a bloody shell game these government clowns play. Rationing locals to control deficits. Rationing locals to accommodate Olympic Games. Selling treatment they won't provide to locals, even if they wanted to pay for it, to outsiders. Their very last consideration is for their own citizens’ health.
Any monopoly is bad enough. Government monopolies are far worse. That's what Americans have to look forward to when/if Obamacare passes.
Why so worried about the Americans? Our system is the one that needs fixing, we can't rely on theirs all the time. They're taking a big step towards the new system and a good one I think, the current one would fail them sooner or later. Now if the bill gets passed, they will at least have a working system that is doesn't have to rely no the insurance companies.
It will cost more for travel and accommodation, but India has a thriving medicine for hire system. My friend was seriously considering going to India for a kidney transplant. He ended up with a relative providing a live donation. They would have moved heaven and earth for that surgery. There are brokers who will look after all the details - you just supply cash. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Now maybe we'll have to look into a 2nd tier in our healthcare system. Would Canada not benefit greatly from the tax revenue this would create? All the money Canadians spend on US healthcare has been going to the US. Why not have it stay here?
ReplyDeleteI know, I know - that's a big topic to debate. I'm not even sure how I feel about it. Just an idea...
There is no doubt that Canada should and will HAVE to increase options for health care in the near future. Our present health care system is inefficient and expensive. We need user fees, with waivers for the poor for starters. People need to know how much their self-requested free service costs! Nurses should be given more responsibilities. We can deal with 2-tier for educational choices (good public schools + private schools), so what is the problem???
ReplyDeleteIt hasn't passed yet - a version of the bill still has to be approved by the Senate & it's not clear that a filibuster-proof majority there will pass it. Then it has to go to a committee to hammer out a compromise between the House & Senate versions. This bill is still a long way from becoming law.
ReplyDeleteAll good points and let's hope that Eric's optimism pans out.
ReplyDeleteA few years ago when Alberta panicked and started closing hospitals because there was "too much capacity in the system" (as if having a hospital makes you want to use it!) the writing was on the wall.
ReplyDeleteSmart societies build more capacity for essential services than is needed by their own population, then sell the rest to foreigners. Take Niagara Falls or Banff, for example. Tourists come from all over the world, and we eagerly encourage it because it gives us both money and pride.
We could have had both money and pride from our vaunted medical system if we had had any vision. But instead we turned it into something to be rationed out by the government rather than built up to serve paying customers, and then were surprised at the outcomes.
The US is stumbling towards the same mediocrity. Why not copy Japan or France? What they have works, at least for their own citizens. It's a start.
Exactly, Halfwise. Here in BC the Ministry for Healthcare Rationing announced not long ago that the number of “elective” surgeries is to be cut by 35% (Something to do with the Olympics.) And then they told us our "excess capacity" would be used to do knee and hip surgeries for patients from Saskatchewan. They said (bragged) that BC would be making big bucks from Sask on this deal. Cutting back on surgeries to relieve pain and suffering for BC residents and then doing the same surgeries for Saskatchewanites? Good deal for the Sask patients maybe. Anyway that “deal” may go south when/if Sask balks at paying BC a premium.
ReplyDeleteWhat a bloody shell game these government clowns play. Rationing locals to control deficits. Rationing locals to accommodate Olympic Games. Selling treatment they won't provide to locals, even if they wanted to pay for it, to outsiders. Their very last consideration is for their own citizens’ health.
Any monopoly is bad enough. Government monopolies are far worse. That's what Americans have to look forward to when/if Obamacare passes.
Why so worried about the Americans? Our system is the one that needs fixing, we can't rely on theirs all the time. They're taking a big step towards the new system and a good one I think, the current one would fail them sooner or later. Now if the bill gets passed, they will at least have a working system that is doesn't have to rely no the insurance companies.
ReplyDeleteTake care, Lorne
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ReplyDelete