canadian vs American Healthcare: Myth vs. Fact

[cryofan]

MYTH: would have trouble getting in to see a doctor. FACT: Canadians, who live in a single-payer system, see their primary care physicians more often than Americans do now. There are more doctors per capita in Canada than there are in the United States. Yet the cost of physician services in Canada is one-third less than it is in the United States. About half the cost savings in Canada comes not from offering less care but by reducing insurance overhead and paperwork. The rest of the savings comes from allocating money to pay for expensive equipment so there is less excess capacity and duplication. Ninety-six percent of Canadians prefer their health-care system to the U.S. model.

MYTH: Patients wouldn't be able to choose their own physician. FACT: According to experts, a single-payer plan would give patients more choice than they currently have in most cases. The United States is the only developed country heading in the direction of less choice. Other countries are building more choice into their systems.

MYTH: The United States has the best health care in the world. FACT: The United States has higher infant mortality, higher surgical mortality and lower life expectancy than Canada. The United States has a much lower rate of access to primary care doctors than Canada. Canada has the same acute care bed-to-population ratio as the United States. Patient satisfaction, quality of care and outcome of care in Canada equal or exceed that in the United States, according to the U.S. General Accounting Office. For this lower quality, Americans pay 40 percent per capita more than Canadians do on health care.

MYTH: There would be waiting lists for surgeries and high-tech procedures, which is why Canadians come to the United States to get health services. FACT: The United States has waiting lists for specialty care, too. Canadians rarely come to the United States for health care. Less than 1 percent of Canada's health budget goes to paying for care Canadians get in the United States. Canada's waiting-list problem stems largely from underfunding, which is being corrected now. Waiting times would likely be no longer in the United States than they are now, because we would still spend much more than other countries do on health care and still have many more specialists and capacity.


More here:
http://www.amsa.org/hp/myths.cfm

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The freepers, libertarians and Republicans really gnash their teeth when you compare the two systems. I love to see the smoke come out of their ears when I do that....

[Democritus AChE]

1. Good thread!

Good thread!

[FloridaPat]

2. I was in Russia several years ago with some Canadians.

We got to talking about how much it costs to have a baby in our respective countries. Russia - no cost. Canada - $20. USA - $3,000 +.

Yes, we have the best healthcare don't we.

[GOPFighter]

3. It Don't Matter!

Canadians have - (gasp, splutter) - SOCIALIZED MEDICINE!! No red-blooded, God-fearin', 'Murican gonna go for that.

[Wapsie B]

14. Let me see.........

we have plans that cover kids from poor families and we cover the elderly through Medicare/Medicaid. But oh my god we dare not cover those working-class stiffs.

If we don't like socialized medicine, do away with Medicare. Let Grampa find his own coverage. /sarcasm

[uberotto]

4. Best Health care in the world, is sort of true...

"MYTH: The United States has the best health care in the world."

FACT: The United States has the best surgical care in the world.

The US has the majority of high cost, state of the art surgical centers which attract the best surgeons from around the world to come and work here.

So if you are a conjoined twin looking to be separated from your sibling which requires you to undergo very difficult surgery with only a 50% or less chance of survival and you can find enough people willing to help cover the $500,000 or greater cost, you want to come to the U.S.

But if you are someone who is suffering from chest pains, pneumonia, a bad cold, need stitches, have an ear infection or a temperature of 104, if you are in the U.S. you are probably wishing you were Canadian.

[GreyV]

5. Fact?

"FACT: The United States has the best surgical care in the world."

That is if you can afford that "best surgical care in the world". Sure you could undergo same surgery at a local county hospital or medical facility, but with current rate of "surgical accidents", good luck.

[info being]

6. Right...and why not allow pay-for-service for elites even WITH

a single-payor system. In other words, this wouldn't go away.

[Democritus AChE]

7. More people die of fevers than they do of being surgical twins I'm sure...

More people die of fevers than they do of being surgical twins I'm sure...

[mac2]

10. If you're rich....

You can wait three months in many parts of the country for surgery. That's America folks.

My husband was in extreme back pain..his foot going numb. He couldn't work..it took three months to get permission..have the doctor set up, etc. Same thing happened to a friend of mine in Buffalo, NY who needed back surgery. They both had good employers with supposed good health care..and were in great pain.

Two days...after surgery I had to drive him home laying in the back seat of the car (he's 6'4" tall). I was so afraid that if I came to a sudden stop, I could damage him forever. What lunacy. You can bet the rich aren't thrown out right after surgery. Good thing, I had a medical background to take care of him at home.

Women were having outpatient breast surgery in my area.

My mother-in-law had a thing on her brain...she was paralyzed and out. They said, she had cancer..no hope. My father-in-law transferred her to another hospital with a Brain Center. They found it was a cyst. She is almost recovered. It was HMO coverage. They would rather have her die than operate.

That's good care? No way!! It's all propaganda. If you've never needed surgery you wouldn't know.

[mac2]

8. We rank 13th in Health Care

According to the American Medical Assoication in Public Citizen newsletter we aren't the best. We're 13th.

I had to go to a local emergency room for a bug bite. The doctor told me we have the best health care in the world. I asked him where he had been...the news is we aren't.

[camero]

9. 37th according to the WHO n/t

[mac2]

11. 37th in the world?

Could be..we were 13th a few years ago. With Bush in power everything has gone down. I'm feeling third world.

[camero]

16. Here's one link

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2000/08/28/gvsa0828.htm

Health care in the United States is second to none. Right? Well, not according to the World Health Organization. A recent WHO survey ranked the United States 37th in overall health system performance -- sandwiched between Costa Rica and Slovenia. This dismal showing occurred despite the fact that the United States spends more on health care -- 13.7% of its gross domestic product -- than any other of the 191 WHO nations.

[onebigbadwulf]

12. Great find!

I was just arguing this in another forum. I will 0wn now

[TrogL]

13. Hidden benefits

With a pay system, you avoid going to the doctor. This causes a number of problems:

• a little problem can become a big one
  
• the doctor never sees you when you're "normal" so has no baseline
  
• you miss routine vaccinations (esp. kids)
  
• your doctor is a stranger (esp. kids)
  

[cryofan]

15. CorpGovMedia likes us being tied to our job for healthcare

Kinda like slaves

[camero]

17. One more plug for send Congress the bills

Send your medical bills to Congress to protest for a single-payer system. LiberalHistorian and Loftycity are working on it.

Link here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=106&topic_id=5166#5668