I’d dispute your assertion that “Bernie won” (replace private health insurance providers with higher taxes? sounds like a great idea that’ll resonate with voters *blarf*), but one has to give a lot of credit to Bernie for taking tough questions on a hostile network. Wouldn’t it be nice if all the Democratic candidates could get to debate on Fox?
For the most part, it’s employers that are already paying for health care. It’s part of the cost of employing someone. So the cost of health care can keep being paid by employers in the form of a tax. They’d just be swapping one line item for another. Why is there an assumption that health care will cost more if government does it? We elect our government so if it costs too much, we’ll tell them to regulate what providers can charge. Like they do in all those weird industrialized nations that aren’t the US, with all their terrible lower infant mortality rates and longer life spans.
You obviously have never used socialized healthcare. Living in Canada I can attest that it is terrible, costs a lot (something like 55% of tax revenue in Ontario for example), and you have to wait for everything. Need a ENT because you can’t smell, that’s a 6-12 month waiting list. Need an MRI, that’s up to two years… That’s the dark side they never tell you about other countries…
I didn’t make my comment up above to start a debate about health care, I was just really happy Bernie Sanders stuck his neck out somewhat and even though I support almost nothing that Bernie is for, I really respect candidates that put themselves on the line to defend what they believe (as opposed to candidates that only deal with softball questions or puff pieces). I’ve been hearing rumors that parts of the DNC are terrified Ol’ (white guy) Bernie is going to end up being the nominee: www.nytimes.com/2019/04/16/us/politics/bernie-sanders-democratic-party.html
YEah, gonna have to call bullshit on that one. In spite of every conservative government trying to starve healthcare in Canada (just so they can say “see, public healthcare doesn’t work”) it’s still orders of magnitude better than what they have in the States. My brother had a massive heart attack at 50 and is living healthy and well years later thanks to Canadian healthcare. My mom survived a life threatening condition and surgery a few years ago thanks to Canadian healthcare. You know what DIDN’T happen though? Neither of them were brought to bankruptcy or worse – died because they couldn’t afford treatment. Fuck you and your dark side.
Wait times for non urgent things are not great here, but all other care is world class, fast, and most importantly free to the user (no one is checking your insurance papers when you arrive at the hospital with chest pains). A head injury will get you an MRI the next day, although you may have to wait 6 months for a scan on your knee.
TLDR It’s far from perfect but it’s pretty good. Privatizing insurance will not make it better.
I’d dispute your assertion that “Bernie won” (replace private health insurance providers with higher taxes? sounds like a great idea that’ll resonate with voters *blarf*), but one has to give a lot of credit to Bernie for taking tough questions on a hostile network. Wouldn’t it be nice if all the Democratic candidates could get to debate on Fox?
For the most part, it’s employers that are already paying for health care. It’s part of the cost of employing someone. So the cost of health care can keep being paid by employers in the form of a tax. They’d just be swapping one line item for another. Why is there an assumption that health care will cost more if government does it? We elect our government so if it costs too much, we’ll tell them to regulate what providers can charge. Like they do in all those weird industrialized nations that aren’t the US, with all their terrible lower infant mortality rates and longer life spans.
You obviously have never used socialized healthcare. Living in Canada I can attest that it is terrible, costs a lot (something like 55% of tax revenue in Ontario for example), and you have to wait for everything. Need a ENT because you can’t smell, that’s a 6-12 month waiting list. Need an MRI, that’s up to two years… That’s the dark side they never tell you about other countries…
Yep, and then there’s people going blind in the UK because of NHS delays.
I didn’t make my comment up above to start a debate about health care, I was just really happy Bernie Sanders stuck his neck out somewhat and even though I support almost nothing that Bernie is for, I really respect candidates that put themselves on the line to defend what they believe (as opposed to candidates that only deal with softball questions or puff pieces). I’ve been hearing rumors that parts of the DNC are terrified Ol’ (white guy) Bernie is going to end up being the nominee: www.nytimes.com/2019/04/16/us/politics/bernie-sanders-democratic-party.html
YEah, gonna have to call bullshit on that one. In spite of every conservative government trying to starve healthcare in Canada (just so they can say “see, public healthcare doesn’t work”) it’s still orders of magnitude better than what they have in the States. My brother had a massive heart attack at 50 and is living healthy and well years later thanks to Canadian healthcare. My mom survived a life threatening condition and surgery a few years ago thanks to Canadian healthcare. You know what DIDN’T happen though? Neither of them were brought to bankruptcy or worse – died because they couldn’t afford treatment. Fuck you and your dark side.
Wait times for non urgent things are not great here, but all other care is world class, fast, and most importantly free to the user (no one is checking your insurance papers when you arrive at the hospital with chest pains). A head injury will get you an MRI the next day, although you may have to wait 6 months for a scan on your knee.
TLDR It’s far from perfect but it’s pretty good. Privatizing insurance will not make it better.