House to vote on health care reform Sunday.

[viper37]

I think the US should just have adopted the German system, lock, stock, and barrel.  Agree that the US current system is the worst of all worlds, and that the Hope! Change! doesn't make it much (if any) better overall.

I don't know if it's his achievement of a life-time or if he intends to go 'deeper' in a second mandate.

[viper37]

The real question is what would be base coverage and what would be privately insured. Access to privately paid medical care varies widely by province here in Canada.  Here in BC I can purchase, either through insurance or personally, a wide range of additional care in addition to my general medical care coverage.

Well, imho, there needs to be a minimum standard.
Plastic (non reconstructive) surgery should not be covered, but seeing a doctor once a year should be, albeit with a modest deductible to pay (maybe 25$-30$ to see a doctor for adults).

That was the biggest problem in the US, where the very sick would go to the hospital and be cured (they can't let people die in the streets after all) instead of going for regular 'maintenance' check to prevent bigger problems later on.

As I understand it, that was not possible or was highly restricted in Quebec until somone went to the SCC and obtained a judgment that preventing timely access to medical care - even if it was private - was contrary to the Charter.  I am not sure how that case has changed access to private care in Quebec.

I could go to any private clinic I wanted to before the judgement, the problem was that I could not buy an insurance to cover these expenses.

The case made by Chaouilli was that the government could not prevent me from buying a private insurance to get my own health care while it was not delivering the services I was paying for with my taxes.

So the SCC judged that it was illegal for Quebec to prevent me from buying private insurance coverage to get the treatment I need from the private sector.

Quebec asked for one year delay, after wich they made bogus promises and agreed to let people buy insurance for 3 types of problem.

The biggest problem right now is that a doctor either has to charge 100% to the public or 100% to the private.
And since there are quotas in the public sector, we have under-employed doctors & specialists in some places and over-employed ones in other sectors.  My own family doc has a quota on the number of patients he can see in a day at his office.  If he goes beyond that, he's not getting paid.

So they talk about all this shortage of nurses and doctor in the public system...

Imho, after completing his quota in the public sector, a doctor should be allowed to work for the private sector.  It would solve a lot of problems.

[Malthus]

The latest discussion point is to force the pharma companies to lower their prices for medications, and to create more incentives for doctors to prescribe generics.

This is a big topic in Canada.

Way Ontario does it, is by having a list of 'publicly funded' drugs that folks eligible for the public drug plan (everyone over 60 plus those on public assistance) gets for free - and then demanding hefty rebates from the manufacturers as a condition to get on the list.

There is also mandatory interchangable drug substitution legislation (pharmacists must dispense the generic version if it is labelled as officially "interchangeable" with a brand, and you are prescribed the brand, and the physician does not say "no substitution" - its a bit more complex than that, but that is basically the story).     

This is above and beyond the system of prescription drug price controls.

[Razgovory]

Interestingly the stock market doesn't appear to be bombing as hard as I would have thought. 

I thought the Black helicopters would be here by now.  I guess not.

[I Killed Kenny]

So tell me, is that other fellow really going to costa rica?

What is happening in the right? Is everyone getting crazy?

Tell me about the fallout, please.

[garbon]

So tell me, is that other fellow really going to costa rica?

What is happening in the right? Is everyone getting crazy?

Tell me about the fallout, please.

Cities are on fire.

[Caliga]

I'm getting ready to butcher my dog so I can eat the meat and burn his bones and fur for warmth. 

[garbon]

That said, SF is just one big party. Orgies are taking place in the streets and the smell of marijuana floods the air.  In other words, business as usual.

[Faeelin]

I have to say, I am becoming more persuaded to support the bill because of the histronics from the right. My facebook is being splattered with things like:

whenever the Legislators endeavour to take away, and destroy the Property of the People, or to reduce them to Slavery under Arbitrary Power, they put themselves into a state of War with the People, who are thereupon absolved from any farther Obedience, and are left to the common Refuge, which God hath provided for all... Men, against Force and Violence." Never have Locke's words had more relevance

I have a feeling I'm right, though, and I think the Dems will learn in November that most Americans feel the same way. We don't like to be slaves, we value individual autonomy and liberty, and the government has stepped too far this time. They will pay for their treason.

[Martinus]

Incidentally, there is now a big debate in Poland whether in vitro treatment should be covered by the Polish NHS insurance.

Right now the Civic Platform is doing damage control after their Presidential candidate blundered that "yes, as long as there are prospects of the children being healthy and raised as good citizens" which his opponents decried as eugenics. 

[Hansmeister]

Once the health care reform actually goes into effect in 2014 you will most likely see a spike in uninsured since one of the main reasons for obtaining health insurance as a hedge against catastrophic illness disappears.

Reason as follows:  It is cheaper to pay the fine than to buy health insurance (and of course it is unlikely that the fine will survive a Constitutional challenge anyway).  Since insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage due to preexisting conditions you can simply go without health insurance until you get sick, and once you're healed you can drop it again.  As the healthy exist the insurance market insurance rates will necessary skyrocket, creating further incentive for people to drop their health insurance, resulting in a decline of health insurance.

The problem of course is that what we call health insurance is in reality pre-paid health care, which is why the costs are so out of control.  image how expensive and inefficient the car insurance market would be if your insurance would be required to cover oil changes and gas.  Pure insanity.

[Ed Anger]

I have to say, I am becoming more persuaded to support the bill because of the histronics from the right. My facebook is being splattered with things like:

whenever the Legislators endeavour to take away, and destroy the Property of the People, or to reduce them to Slavery under Arbitrary Power, they put themselves into a state of War with the People, who are thereupon absolved from any farther Obedience, and are left to the common Refuge, which God hath provided for all... Men, against Force and Violence." Never have Locke's words had more relevance

I have a feeling I'm right, though, and I think the Dems will learn in November that most Americans feel the same way. We don't like to be slaves, we value individual autonomy and liberty, and the government has stepped too far this time. They will pay for their treason.

It is the 90's all over again. All we need now is Vince Foster come back to life and it'd be a fun party.

[DGuller]

Once the health care reform actually goes into effect in 2014 you will most likely see a spike in uninsured since one of the main reasons for obtaining health insurance as a hedge against catastrophic illness disappears.

Reason as follows:  It is cheaper to pay the fine than to buy health insurance (and of course it is unlikely that the fine will survive a Constitutional challenge anyway).  Since insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage due to preexisting conditions you can simply go without health insurance until you get sick, and once you're healed you can drop it again.  As the healthy exist the insurance market insurance rates will necessary skyrocket, creating further incentive for people to drop their health insurance, resulting in a decline of health insurance.

The problem of course is that what we call health insurance is in reality pre-paid health care, which is why the costs are so out of control.  image how expensive and inefficient the car insurance market would be if your insurance would be required to cover oil changes and gas.  Pure insanity.

It must be that one time in the year where you chose to parrot just the right posting from just the right blogger.  It is indeed a very real concern (we call it adverse selection death spiral).  It's unfortunate that you will probably discredit this very valid concern by posting it.

[Razgovory]

You know, it occurs to me.  Everyone jumped down Dguller's ass for going on about stuff he wasn't an expert on.  This is actually his area of expertise so I think we should all just defer to him on this.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Once the health care reform actually goes into effect in 2014 you will most likely see a spike in uninsured since one of the main reasons for obtaining health insurance as a hedge against catastrophic illness disappears.

Reason as follows:  It is cheaper to pay the fine than to buy health insurance (and of course it is unlikely that the fine will survive a Constitutional challenge anyway).  Since insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage due to preexisting conditions you can simply go without health insurance until you get sick, and once you're healed you can drop it again.  As the healthy exist the insurance market insurance rates will necessary skyrocket, creating further incentive for people to drop their health insurance, resulting in a decline of health insurance.

The problem of course is that what we call health insurance is in reality pre-paid health care, which is why the costs are so out of control.  image how expensive and inefficient the car insurance market would be if your insurance would be required to cover oil changes and gas.  Pure insanity.

Yes.