As I’ve noted before, there are clear differences between the GOP and Democratic Presidential candidates on health care.
And it looks like the Dems’ approach is a heckuva lot closer to what regular voters want than that espoused by the Republican candidates.
Once we’re done with the endless primary season, the bareknuckle phase begins. Expect the Democratic candidate to make much of his/her opponent’s feeble approach to health care reform.
On the GOP side, the “S word” (socialized medicine) may well become the most popular term of the campaign. It will resonate with a minority of voters, the ones who fear government-run health care.
Expect most voters to get past the epithet quickly – after all seniors like Medicare, the VA system was well on the way to best in class before being overloaded with injured vets (and underfunded to boot), and the Democratic candidate’s reform proposals is certain to rely largely on private insurance.
While Mitt, Rudy, or Fred may win the nomination on a health care reform platform based on tax breaks and strident condemnations of socialized medicine, that plank is a sure loser in the general election.
And with health care the top issue among likely voters, that may well be enough to ensure that Hillary or Barack are calling the movers next November.
I do hope and pray we are able to get something done about health care delivery. The hodge podge system we have now is collapsing.
Onehealthpro
I had the following forwarded to me from a friend in email. I think it is something that is making the internet rounds so I am not sure it has credibility. Would love to hear your thoughts.
This was sent from Canada to a friend in the States.
I saw on the news up here in Canada where Hillary Clinton
introduced her new health care plan. Something similar to
what we have in Canada. I also heard that Michael Moore
was raving about the health care up here in Canada in his
latest movie. As your friend and someone who lives with the
Canada health care plan I thought I would give you some
facts about this great medical plan that we have in Canada .
First of all:
1) The health care plan in Canada is not free. We pay a
premium every month of $96. for Shirley and I to be covered.
Sounds great eh. What they don’t tell you is how much
we pay in taxes to keep the health care system afloat.
I am personally in the 55% tax bracket. Yes 55% of my
earnings go to taxes. A large portion of that and I am not
sure of the exact amount goes directly to health care our
#1 expense.
2) I would not classify what we have as health care plan,
it is more like a health diagnosis system. You can get into
to see a doctor quick enough so he can tell you ‘yes indeed
you are sick or you need an operation’ but now the challenge
becomes getting treated or operated on. We have waiting
lists out the ying yang some as much as 2 years down the road.
3) Rather than fix what is wrong with you the usual tactic in
Canada is to prescribe drugs. Have a pain here is a drug to
take not what is causing the pain and why. No time for
checking you out because it is more important to move as
many patients thru as possible each hour for Government
re-imbursement
4) Many Canadians do not have a family Doctor.
5) Don’t require emergency treatment as you may wait for hours
in the emergency room waiting for treatment.
6) Shirley’s dad cut his hand on a power saw a few weeks
back and it required that his hand be put in a splint – to our
surprise we had to pay $125. for a splint because it is not
covered under health care plus we have to pay $60.
for each visit for him to check it out each week.
7) Shirley’s cousin was diagnosed with a heart blockage.
Put on a waiting list . Died before he could get treatment.
8) Government allots so many operations per year. When
that is done no more operations, unless you go to your
local newspaper and plead your case and embarrass the
government then money suddenly appears.
9) The Government takes great pride in telling us how
much more they are increasing the funding for health
care but waiting lists never get shorter. Government
just keeps throwing money at the problem but it never
goes away. But they are good at finding new ways to tax us,
but they don’t call it a tax anymore it is now a user fee.
10) A friend needs an operation for a blockage in her leg but
because she is a smoker they will not do it. Despite paying
into the health care system all these years. My friend is 65
years old. Now there is talk that maybe we should not treat
fat and obese people either because they are a drain on the
health care system. Let me see now, what we want in Canada
is a health care system for healthy people only.
That should reduce our health care costs.
11) Forget getting a second opinion, what you see is what you get.
12) I can spend what money I have left after taxes on booze,
cigarettes, junk food and anything else that could kill me but
I am not allowed by law to spend my money on getting an
operation I need because that would be jumping the queue.
I must wait my turn except if I am a hockey player or athlete
then I can get looked at right away. Go figger. Where
else in the world can you spend money to kill yourself
but not allowed to spend money to get healthy.
13) Oh did I mention that immigrants are covered automatically
at tax payer expense having never contributed a dollar to the
system and pay no premiums.
14) Oh yeah, we now give free needles to drug users to try
and keep them healthy. Wouldn’t want a sickly druggie
breaking into your house and stealing your things.
But people with diabetes who pay into the health care
system have to pay for their needles because it is not
covered but the health care system.
I send this out not looking for sympathy but as the election
looms in the states you will be hearing more and more
about universal health care down there and the advocates
will be pointing to Canada . I just want to make sure that
you hear the truth about health care up here and
have some food for thought and informed questions to
ask when broached with this subject.
Step wisely and don’t make the same mistakes we have.
Cliff – this ’email’ has indeed been making the rounds, and each invalid point has been debunked. It is clearly ideologically based – note the comment on drug needles – the comment reflects a complete lack of understanding of the purpose for and economics of needle exchange programs.
Facts – each province has slightly different plans, with different funding mechanisms. These may or MAY NOT require payment of premiums or copays. Illegal immigrants are NOT covered by most provinces. Waiting lists have been declining for most services in most areas for the last several years. Most provincial plans cover drugs, with some exceptions.
There are so many errors of fact in the ’email’ above that it cannot have been authored by a ‘real’ Canadian.