Mythbusters: Canadian Healthcare Edition

[oselle]

This is a must-read for those who are both pro- and con-national healthcare.

It includes two of my all-time favorite arguments against national healthcare: first, the completely wacked-out notion that access to good, affordable healthcare will somehow encourage people to be wildly reckless about their own health. There's never been one shred of evidence to support that claim and yet plenty of people believe it. Second, that national healthcare eliminates "choice," as in, choice of doctors and treatments. Um, I don't know about you, but I don't have any choice. My employer chose my insurance company, and the insurance company chooses what doctors I can see and what treatments I can get. Oh sure, I can "choose" to shop around for my own insurance company or go to doctors of my "choice," but oh wait...no I can't. Because I could never afford to do those things. Saying that corporate-controlled healthcare offers "choice" is like saying hey, we can all "choose" to drive a Ferrari or live in the Hamptons. If you can't afford it, you can't choose it. Period. I don't know what about that is so hard to understand.

A truly excellent read.

http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/mythbusting-canadian-health-care-part-i

Comments

[sistermagpie.livejournal.com]

That's great.

I remember in one of the many insurance meetings at my office, since we switch every year or so, we were told that they had upped the co-pay because they were trying discourage people from going to the doctor, but we just kept on going, so now we were going to have to be punished some more.

Because along with believing people will be reckless with your health if you have insurance, you will also start going to the doctor and taking medicine for fun. Yes, it's true!

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't know about YOU but I can think of nothing more enjoyable than sitting around the doctor's office reading ancient magazines while people hack germs all over me and then experiencing the SHEER JOY of getting to strip down to a paper gown and perching on a vinyl exam gurney. The only thing that might top all that is partying down with some elective invasive tests and high-dosage medication that I don't need. Good times indeed and if those taxpaying suckers were footing the bill, just think, it would be like Christmas every day!!

Discouraging people from going to the doctor only encourages them to ignore the small stuff until it mushrooms into big stuff. Of course, the insurance companies won't pay for the big stuff so everyone wins!! Except you. You'll be dead.

[mariole.livejournal.com]

What a great article! Thanks so much for posting that. I have passed it on. :)

[oselle.livejournal.com]

Please, share it with as many people as you can. This sort of thing needs to be shouted from the rooftops.

[alchemie.livejournal.com]

I'mma only going to disagree with one point....5, I think (my memory sucks). It is sometimes hard to get a GP - all the good ones don't take new patients (and I'm not living in a rural city but the fourth largest in Canada).