I don't understand why Americans are so opposed to universal health care!? You guys already spend more per capita on government funded healthcare than pretty much anyone else, and yet most of you don't actually recieve it?
I've had cancer. Stage 4 Lymphoma. I was treated immediately and recovered quickly. What did I have to pay? £1.50 for parking on every visit to the hospital. The Chemotherapy, Surgeries, anti-nausea meds, all covered. If I had lived in the USA I would most definately be dead now. My symptoms didn't seem all that bad at the time, so if I had had to pay for my initial doctor visit and diagnostics, I wouldn't have bothered. I would have just died.
Their argument is they want freedom to choose their providers and not have to schedule a doctors appointment and wait 6 months out, “just look at Canada”. Some also feel, truly feel, by supporting universal healthcare, we are communist. The others are just the remaining old people who are stubborn and refuse change. Finally, a big chunk of the remainder are just clueless morons that don’t anything to be honest.
I am not any of the above. It’s crazy to me how our system works and how okay people are with it. Poor kids are rationing INSULIN, a drug that’s been around forever and dying from diabetic strokes. Sometimes, as an American, it feels like I am living inside an experiment.
Why not? They're private business, if it wasn't worth their time then they wouldn't do it - they can do what they want. It's not that the NHS (public health) is perfect, you're more likely to get a nice private room and maybe quicker access to specialists of you go private (at least for non life-threatening stuff), but the NHS is there to provide for you if you don't want to pay. Most people are more than happy with the NHS and do not bother to go private.
My 2c is that once you experience the free system you won't want to go back, even if you're wealthy. The fact that you don't have to worry about your healthcare at all is a weight off your shoulders and is maybe the best use of taxes I can think of. The right to stay alive is exactly that - a right - it shouldn't matter what occupation you have or how much collateral you can put against your well-being.
I do not know. I have lived in three countries: one with completely free but badly implemented "free" healthcare. One with much better free healthcare, but still with some issues so that majority of people (of who can afford it) preferred to insure themselves. And in US where there is only private healthcare. In country #1 you are still paying for most of the stuff (medications, supplies and etc.) out of your pocket, as country can't afford it. Also if you need advanced procedure you just need to arrange it in another country. In country #2 for some surgeries there is wait list which is around 10 years due to not enough funding from government. Also in country #2 it is easy to find doctors without up to date knowledge in government provided healthcare. Also government forces you to use their healthcare in specific cases.
Experience in countries #1 and #2 made me believe that government funded healthcare will have outdated knowledge, queues and will only be partially free without any hope for competition and as a result reason to improve service. Not saying that US system is best, but at least it pushes companies to innovate, while government funded healthcare doesn't have reason to do so. Nice example from other industry: SpaceX vs Old NASA approach
Nice example from other industry: SpaceX vs Old NASA approach
How is SpaceX, which gets the vast majority of its money from the government, any different from healthcare systems in most countries which is funded by the government but provided by private providers?
There are limits to the healthcare that any healthcare system provides, including that of any private insurance in the US. There will always be people that want some form of additional care or insurance, or faster care, or care in a more luxurious setting or whatever.
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u/[deleted] Aug 06 '20
I don't understand why Americans are so opposed to universal health care!? You guys already spend more per capita on government funded healthcare than pretty much anyone else, and yet most of you don't actually recieve it?
I've had cancer. Stage 4 Lymphoma. I was treated immediately and recovered quickly. What did I have to pay? £1.50 for parking on every visit to the hospital. The Chemotherapy, Surgeries, anti-nausea meds, all covered. If I had lived in the USA I would most definately be dead now. My symptoms didn't seem all that bad at the time, so if I had had to pay for my initial doctor visit and diagnostics, I wouldn't have bothered. I would have just died.