If national health care is such a bad idea, why does it workbetter than the US system?

Question

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070811/ap_on_he_me/life_expectancy

The United States is now down to 42nd in life expectancy worldwide--and many of the nations ahead of us have socialized medicine.

I DON'T favor socialized medicine--but I'd like to see the right-wing's explanation for why a national health care system (not the same thing as socializeed medicine) wouldn't be as good as what we have--when the evidence says otherwise.

Any takers?

Answer 1

The exceedingly poor diet of american's (myself included) and complete lack of excercise are likely the entire problem with that. The US is the best at treating disease I think, the fact that virtually all medical advances in the past 100 years have occurred here is proof enough of that. But people's life style here is not exactly healthy. This coming from someone who drinks soda instead of water (and it isn't diet) and lives off fast food. I don't really consider myself right wing though, I'm more of a moderate libertarian.

Answer 2

I am for a change in the health care system, but like you, not socialized medicine.

The article itself mentions the causes for the change, a big one is how African Americans tend to live 5 years less then whites. This is due largely to crime factors and drugs. That has nothing to do with healthcare. It is more of a social, legal issue. That also affects the birth rate differences the article mentions. (In no way am I saying all african americans are criminals or drug addicts, but its enough to show in these stats.)

Also the article did not say what the variance is of the countries ahead of us. Most of those numbers are only decimal points away from us that can be factored out when you take out unnatural deaths. A lot of those 41 countries may only be a tenth of year longer then us since we are talking about averages.

So I really dont think health care is the real issue here. Another example, health care isnt going to do much about Americans eating at McDonalds either. Another problem mentioned in the article.

Answer 3

The life expectancy rates and whether a country has socialized medicine/national health care system or not are not necessarily related. Life expectancy has a lot to do with lifestyle, eating habits, location, etc. that the health care system can do little or anything to solve. If you eat too much, live in a high-crime area, smoke or drink heavily, the medical system can do little to help you. Infant mortality rates also depend on this, as the chances that the child of a young, suburban mother who eats well, takes care of herself, and doesn't drink, smoke, or take drugs will die before age 1 are a lot lower than the child of an inner-city mother who doesn't take care of herself, eats poorly, and drinks, smokes, and/or takes drugs. Many of those who end up not living to or beyond the average life expectancy are already in a national system, being on either Medicaid or some form of state health care, while the odds are better for those with private health insurance to make it to age 80 and beyond.

Where the American health care system lacks is in preventitive care, which we don't need a national health system to solve. There's more than enough evidence out there of how to eat right, get some regular exercise, reduce stress, etc. that can make the average person live longer. But, you can lead a horse to water...

Answer 4

on each occasion the gov't gets in contact, the full gadget will cave in. The Canadian gadget won't artwork here in the states through fact maximum folk won't stand for a 2 year watch for a non-obligatory surgical treatment. Salaries {which contain Md's} will pass down, so which you're able to have a mass exodus of nicely knowledgeable specialists. opposition will go through, new study will shrink. the wealthy who could have adequate money inner maximum well being care will accomplish that, and then there will be whining with reference to the wealthy get extra effective well being care...and so on ....and so on... it is been shown that social well being care isn't the respond here in the states. we could discover out the place the waste is and pass from there. supply up frivolous regulation suits, so malpractice coverage can come down, strengthen nurses salaries {purely kidding}, purely some techniques.

Answer 5

Canadian here cbg, the canadian system works on the principle that everyone who is sick is entitled to health care and that the government (federal and provincial) takes responsibility for providing it.

The problem occurs when private business and private health care clinics come into it and see a profit margain, thereby separating those who can " afford" treatment so go to the front of the queue so speak using the tired explanation that it will free up the system for the rest of us. What it is really is financial discrimination, them that has, gets the good care, the better life expectancy, the better drugs and the rest of us just get the leftovers, because too many of the doctors are now moving into the business side rather than the human healing side. They've taken the hypocrites oath instead of the hypocratic one.

If you actually have anything really wrong with you, they don't want you because God forbid you take more time than alloted 10 minutes.

That's the US way and it's creeping into Canada as we speak. Tommy Douglas the father of healthcare in Canada and Donald Sutherland's father in law , and Keefer's granddaddy , is probably doing cartwheels in his grave with the most recent developments.

The only reason the rich don't want to be with the rest of us in health care has nothing to do with waiting , it's a rankist thing, they're somebodies and we're not.

Answer 6

It is much harder to see a specialist, it is a longer wait to have specialized treatments and services (CAT scans, MRIs).
You also have lower quality health care workers, due to the reduced pay that the government offers. Fewer citizens of the country will choose to spend years in school and hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to get a lower pay job.
The government can only afford to spend a certain amount per patient without raising taxes astronomically. There is only so much money to be had.
Great Brittan has to import doctors from other countries (some of the guys who blew up the van at Glasglow were doctors who came there from the middle east) in order to have enough physicians, because they dont have enough people from their own country to fill the need.
Why would we look at the welfare system, (easy to cheat, falling in on itself due to overuse),the social security system, the tax system, (again, rampant with fraud and government abuse), the way the government of Louisianna, the city of New Orleans, and the federal government mismanaged the hurricane relief, and the fraud that was perpetrated by some people on that system, and think it would be a good idea to let the government run our health care system too?
The evidence does not say otherwise. Countries like France and Great Brittan are beginning to try to move AWAY from socialized medicine.
Socialism didnt work in the Soviet Union so well either. What would make you think it would work here, in any form?

Just out of curiousity, where does it say in the Hippocratic Oath does it say you cant make as much money as you could as a doctor? If you were a construction worker, and the government said you could only charge so much for building a house no matter how good you were, or how much time and how much money you invested in your careerand buissiness, would that be fair? It would, after all, be to help all the poor people get affordable housing.......Who cares how much time, money, and effort you have invested?........right?

Answer 7

I am for a universal health care insurance program. One that covers everyone, that way there is health care for everyone. When everyone says I do not want it cause it has long wait times, consider this, for the people that do not have insurance now, and have no real health care, they would rather have a wait time then no heath care at all, that is whay we must fix the health care crisis.

Answer 8

In my opinion national health care is going better because your question say this and even if it is bad. It is not as bad as other poor countries where people are completely deprived from national health care.

Answer 9

A right wing take on government health care:
1. Look at medicare: do you want all health care to be like that?
2. Look at medicaid: do you want all health care to be like that?
3. Look at medical: do you want all health care to be like that?
4. Look at tax code: do you want all health care "explanation of benefits" to be like that?
5. Look at social security: do you want all health care to be like that?
6. Look at politicians: do you want all health care to be run by them?
Example: California is supposed to have health care available to every resident and visitor in the state. We do. The service sucks. It exists, but in such a poor condition that I personally would only use it in cases of life-or-death.

A bureaucracy that grows it's budget by demanding more employees and oversight will demand more employees and oversight. Our health care needs will not be the top priority realized in any governmental health care system.

The history of governmental intervention in this country is that when the government intervenes, the government grows and consumes more resources while the service it's to provide runs progressively worse. Is it the ideal that motivates health care? No. Is it factually the way any such scheme will end up? Yes. We're imperfect individually, and groups of imperfect individuals just tend to gather like unto themselves.

And the thought of Nanci Pelosi having anything to do with my health care... [shudders]

Answer 10

i guess national health care is better because you say so?i can go get an EKG in the morning if i want too.go too canada and try it.you will get too wait 9 months.check it out .try doing some investigating instead of blaming right wing for all your problems.this is a country that allows us too be as successfull as we all want.are you a welfare case full time or part time?