Millions thousands dozens one or two of you have been wondering what sort of medical system I’ll implement once President Obama makes me the official Grand Poobah in Charge of All Things Medical and Bunny Related (he did promise change, after all).
After my not-so-recent-but-still-dragging-me-down experiences with the American “system” of health care, I’ve been looking more favorably upon socialized medicine. If you’re like most Americans, you’ve been raised to automatically think “If we let the gubment operate our hospitals, the Communist Nazi Socialist heathen Mexican Mideast French illegal worker terrorists will win, and we’ll make the baby jebus cry.” But consider how many things in our society are already socialized*. Police coverage? Everybody deserves that. Protection from fires? Naturally. How about the right to a basic education? Roads? Military protection? Courts to moderate disputes? Living expenses for the elderly and infirmed? Health care? Woah – back up. That last one should be handled by the market, like with designer jeans and SUV’s the size of small land masses – only those who can afford it should have access.
I think most people would agree that health care
should be on the short list of things a civilized society provides for it’s citizens, but we’re unsure how to achieve it. The main problem with socialized medicine is that many people fear it would be an over-burdened bureaucracy, too large and unwieldy to care for sick people (studies show these are the hospitals' main customers). For once, the dumbass ignorant fundie rednecks may be right. So, I thought of a compromise that might work better, but I suddenly and unexpectedly got busy at work so I don’t have time to mention it today.
Tune in whenever it is that I write something else so you can see whatever else it is I write. Hint – there’s a good chance it will include a picture of an Asian hottie.
*For purposes of this blog, I’m labeling things as socialized if the service is provided by taxes and the government instead of the market.
13 comments:
I know that in France, their socialized medicine system works fairly well. That's why they consistently have one of the top health care systems in the world. I would love a system that was cheap to use and provided house calls in the middle of the night. HOUSE CALLS...my god...house calls. When's the last time we saw that in America? 1900?
No idea really about what would work. We here have to go a looooongggg way before we even have a part of what the US has. For the most part we pay for our health care out of pocket or work provided insurance. The poor go to the free govt. hospitals and get very shoddy care.
I definitely think a more socialized system is doable here in America but someone is afraid they will have shell out some $$$ and we all know the government believes "it is more blessed to receive than to give"......
You and your "answers". Pshaw.
I'm going to tell you right now, socialized medicine sounds lovely and in theory its an amazing system but like communism - it looks much different on paper than in practice, remember, text book communism is a divine society where everyone is equal and happy crappy, its never worked out that way though, human greed gets in the way.
Socialized medicine is much the same. In Canada, though they deny it, its still nothing more than a biased caste system and nobody seems to care to try and change it. I've been fighting these bastards since 2004 for a potentially life saving treatment that should have been my constitutional right under the Canadian socialized medical system, trust me, it has its flaws.
If I had access to the cash - I would have been at the mayo Clinic (the #1 clinic for Crohn's/IBD treatment and research in North America) and gladly paid out of pocket years ago.
I read the other day that healthcare spending consumes 16 percent of the nation's economic output.
I think I see the problem.
kira - mmm...J-nurse bunny housecalls.
sj - it sounds like a great system because it encourages you to stay well.
mq - plus people are automatically taught to fear a socialized system.
tracy - I see your pshaw and raise you a piffle.
jgrrl - it's not the Canadian health care system's fault that you weren't born a rich American.
joe - I've read similar reports that show we spend more on healthcare than any other nation, and yet we still have a shorter lifespan than many other developed nations. It's probably because we're fat diabetic pigs with ADHD.
You said, "I think most people would agree that health care should be on the short list of things a civilized society provides for it’s citizens, but we’re unsure how to achieve it."
Doesn't the "healthcare system" in the US kill 100,000 people per year already?
Oh, and how do you get that thing on the side that shows when the people you follow have new entries?
leesa - if they do, they're much more prolific serial killers than I thought.
leesa - go to the blogger dashboard, select Layout, Add a Gadget, and Blog List, then choose the settings for the blog list you like (including what related data to show).
Our Canadian 'socialist' medical system has its ups and downs for sure. Expensive and lengthy cancer treatments are all paid for, sure. But I've been a victim of its inherent flaws a few times.
Prime example: To get on the EMERGENCY waiting list for an MRI (IE, you will die VERY soon if you do not get an MRI) I had to wait NINE weeks. Regular waiting list was over a year. I quickly made an appointment at an MRI facility in New York state, and had it done 3 days later. Then again, I was out of pocket $800.
Does it include cucumbers?
martini - the Japanese system is similarly overburdened. A news story yesterday said a man died after being turned away from 14 hospitals who claimed to be unable to take him.
nwjr - you get your choice of cucumbers or fruit with every J-bunny purchase.
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