It sounds kinda sad. The U.S. must be the only country left that hasn’t socialized it medical care. Makes me wonder what might’ve happened if I had a heart attack there, I probably woulda died after they designated me as a poor dude without insurance. I also wonder how poor people, or people who work jobs without health benefits in the States, get their emergency, life threatening health problems taken care of….I mean, what do they do? Do they make them sign something that makes them the doctor’s person slave to pay the medical bills or do they just let them die in the emergency room?
They treat ‘em, turn ‘em loose, then sic the collection agencies on ‘em when they can’t pay. Then comes the harassment, court and bankruptcy. If the stress doesn’t kill ‘em, they may commit suicide. Either way, they cease to be a problem.
Some people here object to universal health care by asking the rhetorical question, “Do you want a government bureaucrat making your medical decisions?” Well, a corporate bureaucrat making a medical decision based on sucking up to shareholders caused a death that irrevocably changed my life for the worse. At least the government guy would have had more incentive to think of the good of the patient instead of the bottom line.
I’m sorry for your loss, but why does a government employee have greater incentive to pay for things?
The people in those bureaucracies don’t run for election. They’ll have budgets they need to meet too.
I used to work in the government. There’s very little accountability and no customer service. You want better service? Tough. Government decides when you’ll be dealt with and to what extent.
My experience of my fellow gov. employees was do the least asked of me and get to the weekend.
Fix the health system for the poor and the costs for the middle class, but don’t turn it over to socialized medicine. The government doesn’t do much right.
Yes, but a government employee doesn’t have to worry about being fired because he shaved a tenth of a cent off the quarterly dividend. He is not charged with making a profit off suffering. The corporate bureaucrat is there to tell a patient that the HMO can’t justify the cost of testing whether or not a patient is epileptic, then duck out of any liability when that patient has a seizure while driving, kills someone, can’t prove he’s epileptic because the HMO refused diagnosis or treatment and lets the patient get charged with vehicular homcide and face ten years in prison. A government administrator wouldn’t have had his hands tied like that, would have approved the tests and somebody who was a total stranger to me would not have been killed. Is that good enough for you?
Ah, but Runar, once the epileptic is in prison, his medical care WILL be provided by the government. Many have joked that their retirement plan is to become criminals in old age in order to have decent medical care, housing and meals provided. (Preferably white-collar criminals, so they’ll get to live in those nice cushy Martha Stewart Country-Club prisons)
runar almost 16 years ago
I know the feeling.
Hugh B. Hayve almost 16 years ago
It sounds kinda sad. The U.S. must be the only country left that hasn’t socialized it medical care. Makes me wonder what might’ve happened if I had a heart attack there, I probably woulda died after they designated me as a poor dude without insurance. I also wonder how poor people, or people who work jobs without health benefits in the States, get their emergency, life threatening health problems taken care of….I mean, what do they do? Do they make them sign something that makes them the doctor’s person slave to pay the medical bills or do they just let them die in the emergency room?
terrencestamp90346 almost 16 years ago
Sorry Hugh, by law, emergency rooms in the US cannot turn away a person with a life-threatening condition/ illness/ injury.
runar almost 16 years ago
They treat ‘em, turn ‘em loose, then sic the collection agencies on ‘em when they can’t pay. Then comes the harassment, court and bankruptcy. If the stress doesn’t kill ‘em, they may commit suicide. Either way, they cease to be a problem.
Some people here object to universal health care by asking the rhetorical question, “Do you want a government bureaucrat making your medical decisions?” Well, a corporate bureaucrat making a medical decision based on sucking up to shareholders caused a death that irrevocably changed my life for the worse. At least the government guy would have had more incentive to think of the good of the patient instead of the bottom line.
terrencestamp90346 almost 16 years ago
I’m sorry for your loss, but why does a government employee have greater incentive to pay for things?
The people in those bureaucracies don’t run for election. They’ll have budgets they need to meet too.
I used to work in the government. There’s very little accountability and no customer service. You want better service? Tough. Government decides when you’ll be dealt with and to what extent.
My experience of my fellow gov. employees was do the least asked of me and get to the weekend.
Fix the health system for the poor and the costs for the middle class, but don’t turn it over to socialized medicine. The government doesn’t do much right.
runar almost 16 years ago
Yes, but a government employee doesn’t have to worry about being fired because he shaved a tenth of a cent off the quarterly dividend. He is not charged with making a profit off suffering. The corporate bureaucrat is there to tell a patient that the HMO can’t justify the cost of testing whether or not a patient is epileptic, then duck out of any liability when that patient has a seizure while driving, kills someone, can’t prove he’s epileptic because the HMO refused diagnosis or treatment and lets the patient get charged with vehicular homcide and face ten years in prison. A government administrator wouldn’t have had his hands tied like that, would have approved the tests and somebody who was a total stranger to me would not have been killed. Is that good enough for you?
joylederman almost 16 years ago
Ah, but Runar, once the epileptic is in prison, his medical care WILL be provided by the government. Many have joked that their retirement plan is to become criminals in old age in order to have decent medical care, housing and meals provided. (Preferably white-collar criminals, so they’ll get to live in those nice cushy Martha Stewart Country-Club prisons)
iamsandeep over 14 years ago
Boy it seems we’r in a better shape here in India with the health insurance and all ..