Health care again!

[DrJ]

I know this topic was beaten to death and wishfully left for dead, but I found an interesting article on Canada's health care system. No opinion on it... just interesting.

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles...2509335931

[Kelena]

Say what you will, but they have a healthcare system.

When someone faces a catastrophic illness here, we have a pancake breakfast.

[janeadams]

Oh yes, Glen... but I would never wish the topic were left for dead. We are long-time supporters of a true single-payor universal care system. Hate the term "Socialized Medicine" as it's a scare tactic, but there sure is a need for its equivalent here. Access to health care is eroding every day as its costs go up. The overhead of the insurance companies is what stands in the way of making care affordable for all. I'd go along with heavy prioritization of care, wellness programs, and those sorts of choice points. It's probably my one disappointment in Obama's plan -- it doesn't go far enough along that path. The only candidate that spoke adequately to it was Kucinch. It would be inspirational to see Hawai'i take a leading role in this, particularly in light of its lack of medical providers.

I could go on and on, but will make this brief...

Jane

[Jon]

Yes... let try something that has failed or is failing every place its been tried. []



Texan Moving to Puna on July 3rd 2008.

[punafish]

Does anyone believe that our current health care system is not failing?

What is the definition of "success"?

Tim

Other people can talk about how to expand the destiny of mankind. I just want to talk about how to fix a motorcycle. I think that what I have to say has more lasting value.”
Robert Pirsig

[Kelena]

When you have to have spaghetti dinners so a kid can receive cancer treatment, that's the approach to healthcare -- I hesitate to call it a system-- that has failed. Canada, France, Germany, and Britain and so many other nations protect the health of their citizens better, and less expensively. No one holds a pancake breakfast there so someone can get medical treatment. The very notion would be puzzling to them. Aloha.

[Johnnycake]

Without question, I feel is the number 1 proirty issue that hopelly our new president "Obama" will change. Our system is terribly broken and so many millions of americans suffer every day. It's truly shameful to me.

[EightFingers]

Glen, How is Germany's (or UK's) system better than that of the US? When I visited these countries (and quite a few others in Europe) most people we asked felt the quality of health care they received was not as good as the US. Maybe it's the "greener grass" thing
Is Hawaii's health care really THAT bad? Has someone who moved from the mainland to Hawaii been able to make a comparison?

[macuu222]

It's not so much the "quality" of care here as the "quantity". My wife and I retired here 3 years ago (State employees with double coverage) ...and we still can't get a doctors appointment here unless we go to the emergency room.

[Kelena]

It's very simple, fingers. Everyone is covered. Every single living person. There is universal coverage and the quality is excellent. In the United States fewer and fewer people have health care coverage, and availability is determined entirely by market forces. It was nice and very polite of a few Germans to indulge your belief that the United States has a working health care system.

The reason that the Big Island has deficient health care is because market forces, rather than the needs of citizens, drives the provision of medical care. Public schools are never profitable. Neither is public transport, or public health. But when the burden is shared, we can have all three.