Hey to anyone interested, DOF has a open thread on how to help the poor, but comments have ranged from how to help the poor, to health care and such.

Here is a little oddity.  The Right in the UK is always moaning about the National Health Service (NHS).  Now, no politician in his right mind is going to propose dismantling it- the political equivalent of saying to Hitler “I’m a gay communist Jew

Zilch: About health care:

Our health care system in Oz sounds similar to the one in Canada/Austria.
If it’s life-threatening you’re in – if it’s not (or if it’s elective) the line can get long.

As rob says- health care should be considered part of civil rights, and it’s obscene that America doesn’t have universal health care.

Yep. It’s obscene but not surprising.
When the greater part of the population is Xian/Capitalist and programmed to be petrified of anything sounding like Socialism/Communism it’s always gonna be more concerned about Drugs, Abortion, Euthanasia and especially Gays and Gay Marriage, than something as obvious as health care or helping the less privileged in society … after all, we all deserve to be where we are, even if we don’t believe in Karma.

…But I’ve still got another six dictionaries to check…

Hell, nowiser, you haven’t even started on my dictionaries.  I’m up until 11 if you want to drop by…

But the plural of ‘anecdote’ is not ‘data’.

You’re right, DoF- the plural of ‘anecdote’ is ‘religion’.

About health care: I’d been heard to grumble about paying my share here in Austria, until I had appendicitis.  Everyone know where their appendix is, if present?  I was home alone in the summer; all my family and friends were away, and suddenly I had this pain in my lower right abdomen.  At first I thought that it couldn’t be my appendix, because I was too old (45 at the time).  But it can happen to any one, at any age.  Finally I called a cab and went to the hospital.  They managed to get it out just before it burst, they told me afterwards.  I was lucky- I spent only five days in the hospital.  I did get a bill for services not covered- the food.  About $24 if I remember correctly.

As rob says- health care should be considered part of civil rights, and it’s obscene that America doesn’t have universal health care.

Nowiser, your aching leg could be due to either a pinched sciatic nerve or EPDI.

Speaking of words and dictionaries:  did you guys know that they took the word “gullible

What LK said. 

One of the functions (as opposed to purposes) of every large system is to produce a steady stream of anecdotes for politicians to use in speeches.  When railing against the evils of socialized medicine, they can pick the ones who fell through the cracks, instead of the majority who were well-served.

But the plural of ‘anecdote’ is not ‘data’.  When you look at longevity, infant mortality, and total cost, the American system fails badly. 

Even where money gushes through like a severed artery, US emergency rooms don’t do so well, in part because – you guessed it – they are burdened by large numbers of the uninsured.

Psychromorbidus I have news for you.  The people in Canada who go on and on about how bad our health care system is need a reality check. Badly.

Twenty years ago my mom was sick and we went to the hospitol and spent 4 hrs waiting in emergency becasue it was not life threatening and she saw a doctor same day.  This spring we went to emergency for the kids and waited 4 hours for our turn becasue iot wasn’t life threatening.

I live in Alberta and my daughter was diagnosed with Cancer 8 weeks ago.  When you ACUALLY have something life threatening you move to the front of the health care bus so fast it makes your head spin.

Sure, every provice has it’s issues and make no mistake people fall through the cracks and mistakes are made, but do not fool yourself, if you think the health care system here is so bad try any third world nation or most second world.

The real problem is people here have had it so good for so long their expectations of the system may not be realistic (generally speaking).

Isn’t it obvious that when something is “free

This is really about civil-rights.
No human being should be denied life-saving means when available. No human being should be denied a cure or management of any pathology when reasonably available. It’s a fairly simple concept and workable law.

One eventful day, probably in the close future, all RN’s and MD’s will be nationalized as federal employees along with their respective healthcare facilities and equipment and corporations, along with such all the respective legal protections.

Sure, it might take place within the context of some sudden national disaster/need where tens of millions of American residents are suddenly in dire need of healthcare, but it *will* push America in the right direction: making healthcare a civil-right.  Without such we’d most assuredly start hearing things like “Arrest the rich!”  (not that that is a bad thing, but…)

America’s healthcare infrastructure is a tragedy just waiting to emerge, like a diseased boil suddenly popping. America can make national healthcare work and work well, like any system, when we’re sufficiently motivated.

rob@egoz.org