About those 'death panels.'
Excerpt:
"Over the Christmas holiday weekend, The New York Times revealed that the Obama administration's Medicare regulators have enacted new regulatory guidelines, in complete defiance of Congress, that will result in health care providers receiving payment to give annual “end-of-life counseling” to their patients.
As a physician, I can tell you that we doctors do routinely have end-of-life discussions with our patients. This is a necessary part of our job. But we do it when it is appropriate and indicated by the clinical situation. And we have never expected payment for this. It is part and parcel of the practice of medicine."
No wonder there seems to be so much confusion with Obamacare. 2 500 pages is bound to lead to some, erm, interpretations.
"You have to pass the bill in order to know what's in it." Nancy Pelosi.
Still one of the all-time quotes of, like, history.
It's all well and good that you live in a country with socialized medicine and enjoy a couple extra years extra life expectancy and then have the idea you can even begin to understand what's happening here in the US.
ReplyDeleteWe've had death panels for decades, they're called insurance companies. If you get sick here, you need a better lawyer than doctor.
I know for a fact most people here will accept having someone ask them about their end-of-life options in exchange for no longer being under constant threat of instant coverage loss at the first sign of health trouble.
Over half of our bankrupties are medically related. They're not upset about their doctor asking them about whether or not they want to fill out a living will or donate their organs, they're terrified of private insurers putting them in debt, dropping them, and leaving to die in the gutter.
I get the gist of it and have read the position you espouse.
ReplyDeleteBut don't sing the praises of our system. I think I've discussed that enough. It's a second rate system we have. We're basically one step removed from Cuba with the doctor, nurse and bed shortages we face. And for the 100th time I've repeated here, in the OECD, we perform the worst with the least amount of advanced equipment on a per capita basis.
The wait times are retarded. The only reason why Canadians haven'r rebelled is because: 1) many manage to get sevices in the U.S. paid for the province they come from depending on the condition, 2) the government has wisely allowed us to pay for private services in limited circumstances (heaven forbid they leave us make the choice and 3) enough Canadians remain romantically attached to this mismanaged monstrosity.
The 'at least everyone is covered' argument is dead.
As for the we're healthier part, I think I made a decent point about how misleading that is in a previous post.
I'm almost sure if we had 300 million with out system that edge we have would erode.
All that being said, I know I'm being hard but it's important we discuss these things.
And do you ever bother to read the links?
ReplyDeleteI read the whole thing, did you?
ReplyDeleteHere's the problem: I may or may not agree with this policy (I personally don't see what's the problem with paying doctors to do their jobs completely, which may include asking uncomfortable questions). If I agree with it, then great, but if I opposed it, I could work to change it. Why? It's a government policy. If it was a private insurer, I would have no power to affect any change.
Do you know how private insurance "works?" Most people get insurance through their job, which isn't a choice. We're in an economy where people take the first job that presents itself or they risk being called a worthless free-loading bum. There is no freedom in choosing our health insurance in most cases, we just get what the company we work for gets.
But suppose you can afford the 10-20k a year to insure yourself independently (that's the bargain rate, if you're in your 20's like I am). You still have no choice in the matter of them dropping you the moment you're diagnosed with a disease.
I think you're completely and utterly uninformed about how things are here, and I've told you before that I know public healthcare should be a baseline of care, where private hospitals and clinics can provide supplementary services for profit.
I'm not trying to make any claims that I want Canada's system, I just think it's incredibly foolish to claim you would prefer the American system over what Canada has. I would rather have Canada's current situation and work from there improving that, because I think it's a lot closer to what seems to be working best.
SO IF YOU READ IT WHY ARE YOU EFFEN HASSLING ME?
ReplyDeleteARRRRGHHHH!
I think you're completely and utterly uninformed about how things are here, and I've told you before that I know public healthcare should be a baseline of care, where private hospitals and clinics can provide supplementary services for profit.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to make any claims that I want Canada's system, I just think it's incredibly foolish to claim you would prefer the American system over what Canada has. I would rather have Canada's current situation and work from there improving that, because I think it's a lot closer to what seems to be working best."
Ok. So you have a better grasp on our system and I'm "utterly uninformed?" I see.
Lemme ask. What do YOU know about our system?
You're priceless in your arrogance.
Then there's this whole attacke me for another person's article disease you have developed in a couple of posts. You do a lot of inferring and where you do, there's specious logic.
Moreover, I'd like to know the specific statement to make you suggest I "utterly" don't understand the U.S. system - which by the way, sir, I get the gist of. I don't really care what you think.
As to the one I (allegedly) prefer: I HAVE NEVER EVER SAID I PREFER THE AMERICAN SYSTEM. I prefer parts of it, but NEVER said I want it. To say it means I speak from a position of ignorance.
PRODUCE ME IN ANY OF MY 4000 POSTS WHERE I SAID THAT.
Like the post on education (and it's childish reasoning), you just make things up so as to make the responses you want us to read.
So it seems.
I think I'll stop here.
Actually, you said something that caught my attention just now.
ReplyDeleteYou say you would work from our system? RIGHT THERE, it can be argued, you "show" your "utter uninformed" musings about the Canadian public health system.
Ours is, according to users and some studies, ONE OF THE MOST RIGID and inflexible systems in the OECD. And where we tried to "loosen" things, it didn't exactly go according to plan.
I don't even know if ours is a way to even build upon from.