Sicko

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Originally Posted by Fengzi

Why? Corruption and the fact that a good specialist was hard to find. The $30 wasn't exactly for his treatment. It was paid directly to the doctor for the priviledge of being his patient. My father-in-law had a tumor on his liver and the local docs pretty much just told him to get his affairs in order becasue his time was up. But someone who went to school with my bother-in-law knew somebody who knew one of the top liver guys in Asia (supposedly).The good doc said he'd operate but there would be a charge. Of course the $30 payment had a fancy name, can't remember it exactly, but a box of shit is still a box of shit even if you put a fancy ribbon on it. This has actually become a huge problem in China. Even with socialized medicine the problem is the same. The wealthy get treated and the poor don't.

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OK, now I'm confused. Here you wrote $30 but up above you wrote $30K, which was what I was responding to in asking about the disparity. Did they refer to it as a sort of "honorarium"? That's a fancy name for a fee, from what I've heard. Whatever it was, how'd your father-in-law do with his treatment?

I'm afraid that fact about the wealthy in China getting treatment and the poor not being able to is likely to still be the case here, too, even if we get a new health care system. I'm afraid that's one of the unfair bottom-line inequities, and my gut tells me it won't change here, either. At least not in a lot of cases.

Rebgirl you said socialized medicine is good in theory but....Well France has the best healthcare in the world rated number 1 by the world health organization and its socialized medicine.All of the industrialized countries in the world have socialized medicine.Yes its not perfect but it can be pretty dam close.Up here in Canada our health care could be better due to the long waiting lines for just about any kind of surgery,but if i ever get cancer or something serious like that ill get treatment ASAP and i wont have to worry about losing my house or going bankcrupt.Im not saying our system is better than yours but i wouldnt trade it for yours either.Socialized medicine does work and it has been working in many countries for generations.

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Originally Posted by fishman3811

Rebgirl you said socialized medicine is good in theory but....Well France has the best healthcare in the world rated number 1 by the world health organization and its socialized medicine.All of the industrialized countries in the world have socialized medicine.Yes its not perfect but it can be pretty dam close.Up here in Canada our health care could be better due to the long waiting lines for just about any kind of surgery,but if i ever get cancer or something serious like that ill get treatment ASAP and i wont have to worry about losing my house or going bankcrupt.Im not saying our system is better than yours but i wouldnt trade it for yours either.Socialized medicine does work and it has been working in many countries for generations.

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I don't know about cancer man, but I can't count how many news stories I've heard about people waiting forever for surgeries that their lives depend on, and often dying on the waiting list for because there's no paid-health option for them. My mom's friend had 2 herniated disks with terrible pain, and it took her 3 years just to get surgery for one of them. The other is still waiting.
I had to wait 2 years for an MRI on my spine, and 2 1/2 just to get a deviated septim in my nose fixed (simple day surgery).

You are right though, there are some major perks to our system (though damnit I wish they'd at least help pay for meds). I've taken countless trips to the doctor for my medical problems that I can't imagine how much would have cost me, but instead are 100% free. My nose surgery, MRI, 2 x-rays, trips to the rheumatologist, neurosurgeon, and neurologist, 100% free. Chiropractor, massage therapy, acupuncture, and physiotherapy, they'll subsidize about 2/3 for 10 visits a year (not each, collectively). I think it's a lame amount of subsidized visits, but it still saves me a few hundred (and I'm poor as is).
Also my brother was in childrens hospital to asess his mental conditions for 2 months, 100% free. My sister's had 10 surgeries for numerous reasons and that's all been free. LOL, you can also get your wisdom teeth removed for free at the hospital, but the asshole dentists will tell you to come and see them and pay through the nose for it.

I'd also like to point out that our medical system has been improving as we develope more innovations for the system, and in theory it could still be brought up to par on wait times. It's become fact recently (in politics) that we need many more doctors and nurses. IMO everybody's debating about how to get more when I think the answer is obvious; UP THEIR PAY. GP's here make an average salary of $95,000 a year here while they can make 3x as much more in America, where they're all running off too. People always give me this disgusted answer around the lines of "oh sure, give the rich doctors more money!", but realistically YES that's what we need to do to keep them!
Also the NDP (who invented our healthcare system under Tommy Douglas) wants to set up a national database accessable by whoever your doctor is wherever you go, to cut down wait times and make the system more efficient. I can't remember the details at the moment, but from the explanation I've heard it seems like it would save a good deal of money on administrative costs.
Other hospitals, especially in Alberta, have massively reduced surgery wait times by setting up rooms where doctors just do one type of surgery (knee-replacement was the first) all day (chaning doctors on shifts of course). This strategy has seen the most successful results of any that I've seen so far. I'm sure more will come.

True our system is not perfect but a friend of mine had lung cancer and she say the specialist within a week and was getting chemo the next.but in wpg we have a pretty good cancer care center.95 000 $ for a GP but isnt that just base salary because every patient they see they get an extra 25$ and every prescription they write they get an extra 15$ or so ive been told.In wpg here we have the countries best cosmetic surgeon he works out of the hospital and he deals with burn victims and others that have been disfigured and my wife who works at the hospital told me he gets paid 250 000$ a year plus he has a side cosmectic practice.My family doctor during the summer every weekend is a long weekend for him because he takes every friday off,so these doctors may scream for more money but they are not hurting.But it all depends on what part of the country your in also .Waiting times for surgery is way too long and it does need fixing but at least its free.

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Originally Posted by birdgirl73

OK, now I'm confused. Here you wrote $30 but up above you wrote $30K, which was what I was responding to in asking about the disparity. Did they refer to it as a sort of "honorarium"? That's a fancy name for a fee, from what I've heard. Whatever it was, how'd your father-in-law do with his treatment?

I'm afraid that fact about the wealthy in China getting treatment and the poor not being able to is likely to still be the case here, too, even if we get a new health care system. I'm afraid that's one of the unfair bottom-line inequities, and my gut tells me it won't change here, either. At least not in a lot of cases.

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Sorry, it was $30K. I think they refered to it as something like a facilitating charge. The doc claimed it was needed to get everything, and everybody, scheduled and ready quickly. probably a bit of truth to it but I'm sure a huge portion went into the doc's pocket.

The problem with health care is that it all boils down to economics (supply and demand). The supply of doctors who can do something like delicate liver surgury or open heart surgury is not that large. Medicine and medical talent are a limited resource, like oil or a new iPOD. So, if you have twenty people needing a triple bypass and enough docs/facilities/etc to do 10 of them, how do you choose? Typically it comes down to who has the most money. Even in a country with socialized medicine, this is often still the case. Maybe not from a strict affordability of the service point of view, but a nice donation ;) always goes a long way in moving your name up on the schedule.

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Originally Posted by rebgirl420

Yeah i'm schizo also, and bipolar w/ psychotic features. But after being sent away to JDC and the mental hospital I was court ordered to be on meds and Ive taken them since. I havent had a problem since.

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Reb,I had NO IDEA you were shizo or bipolar! Does the cannabis help you any? If not,of course follow the doc's recommendations! You seem like such a cool girl online,I wouldn't have guessed any of this! I'm sorry 'bout what's happened to you. I hope things improve! I agree on your views on socialized medicine! That should be left to the DOCTORS,not the Feds! Take care girl!

Yeah it helps and of course you cant tell, im on meds haha. And dont be sorry, I made my mistakes and I deserved the consequences. It's no biggie but thanks for your kind words!

Rebgirl i hope you have a very happy and long life....peace

Thanks hun

and 2 1/2 just to get a deviated septim in my nose fixed (simple day surgery).

I believe those injuries are 90% self inflicted and maybe should be self financed also!