I just found this article comparing health care in Canada vs. the U.S. system. Some interesting facts and numbers.

Article: Let them have the cake (and eat it too)

Some choice quotations:

"In the United States, where for-profit health care is well developed, the market for health care is very "efficient" by the economists' definition. Health care corporations regularly generate profits of 20 to 30 percent. They do this not by running their businesses more productively, but by limiting access to care and insulating themselves from risky patients."

"Despite having the lowest public share of total health spending, America still manages to have the highest health expenditures as a share of government spending, accounting for 23.1 percent of the total government budget. In Canada, government spending accounts for 15.9 percent of the total government budget, a little bit higher than the OECD average of 14.2 percent."

"So, to summarize: America spends more overall on health care than any other country in the world, and has the highest government spending per capita in the world despite the lowest government share of total spending in the OECD. (Globally, the U.S. government covers the same portion of total health spending as El Salvador, Ethiopia, Gambia, Mexico, and Somalia.)"

"Yet for all this lavish spending, both public and private, America has the dubious distinction of providing no coverage at all to 45 million citizens, and only partial coverage to another 50 million."

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1. Look up a few other articles written by Ryan McGreal, a pro-Canadian anti-American writer. Then tell me he has the journalistic ability to write a non-biased piece when comparing American and Canadian society.

2. Look up the "facts" he has given, and realize that he has both used outdated "facts" as well as those that are either out of context, or do not compare well across socialized and private medicine.

3. Every healthcare system has its disadvantages and advantages, he is merely (and not very well in my opinion) pointing out those differences.


Said it before, but here's the bottom line with healthcare. Healthcare can be affordible, high quality and easily accessible, but any one healthcare system can only have two of the three properties at one time. America has chosen quality and accessibility at the cost of high prices. Canada has chosen quality and affordibility at the cost of accessibility and China/Russia has chosen accessibility and affordibility at the cost of quality. You decide which two you want.

quote:

Originally posted by NeoPhono America has chosen quality and accessibility at the cost of high prices. Canada has chosen quality and affordibility at the cost of accessibility and China/Russia has chosen accessibility and affordibility at the cost of quality. You decide which two you want.

How exactly is the American system accessible when such a huge portion of the population has no access whatsoever?

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quote:

Originally posted by NeoPhono 2. Look up the "facts" he has given, and realize that he has both used outdated "facts" as well as those that are either out of context, or do not compare well across socialized and private medicine.

The numbers were taken from the World Health Report 2005 edition -- the most recent available. And which facts do you think were taken out of context?

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quote:

Originally posted by preylude How exactly is the American system accessible when such a huge portion of the population has no access whatsoever?

Yeah, show me a single American turned away from a hospital or clinic if they are in need of medical attention. Show me a single American that does not recieve a medical proceedure needed to live, regardless of cost.

Besides accessibility in this case means medical attention in a timely manner. However, I'll go both ways with the definition.

quote:

Originally posted by preylude The numbers were taken from the World Health Report 2005 edition -- the most recent available. And which facts do you think were taken out of context?

This article is all you need. Contrast and compare.

http://www.ncpa.org/edo/uninsured082604.htm

Here's the reality of our healthcare system...
(don't be so envious...)

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The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all change to silver glass...and then you see it...
...white shores...and beyond...the far green country under a swift sunrise."