- and then there's this, from New Zealand

[Luddly Neddite]

I watch the debate among Americans about healthcare in gobsmacked amazement. I live in a little one bedroom apartment owned and run by the healthcare system here in New Zealand, I get dialysis three times a week, take a bucketload of medications, have a nurse call on me every second day, a doctors appointment twice a month and have ended up in hospital pretty regularly when things go wrong.

I get a meal brought in every day ( they call it meals on wheels, prepared in the hospital kitchens and delivered by volunteer workers) , a social worker takes me to the supermarket once a week, my laundry is done at the hospital when I'm not doing so well, so by and large I am doing ok.

How much do I pay? Not a bean, not a cracker. No insurance, thats not how our system works.

I'd like to say to those in America who doubt, the sky wont fall on your heads if you have taxpayer funded healthcare, there wont be "death committees", the system wont collapse, the doctors will still do their jobs, ( the guy who sees me drives a Maserati so they are obviously still doing ok ) and the nurses smile a lot when they see me ( probably laughing at me) .

I count myself extremely lucky to be here.
Americans, in your country I'd be dead.

This is pretty much what we've been hearing about from other countries for a long time now. I don't have a source and I'm hoping our friends from Down Under will weigh in.

 

[dblack]

I watch the debate among Americans about healthcare in gobsmacked amazement. I live in a little one bedroom apartment owned and run by the healthcare system here in New Zealand, I get dialysis three times a week, take a bucketload of medications, have a nurse call on me every second day, a doctors appointment twice a month and have ended up in hospital pretty regularly when things go wrong.

I get a meal brought in every day ( they call it meals on wheels, prepared in the hospital kitchens and delivered by volunteer workers) , a social worker takes me to the supermarket once a week, my laundry is done at the hospital when I'm not doing so well, so by and large I am doing ok.

How much do I pay? Not a bean, not a cracker. No insurance, thats not how our system works.

I'd like to say to those in America who doubt, the sky wont fall on your heads if you have taxpayer funded healthcare, there wont be "death committees", the system wont collapse, the doctors will still do their jobs, ( the guy who sees me drives a Maserati so they are obviously still doing ok ) and the nurses smile a lot when they see me ( probably laughing at me) .

I count myself extremely lucky to be here.
Americans, in your country I'd be dead.

This is pretty much what we've been hearing about from other countries for a long time now. I don't have a source and I'm hoping our friends from Down Under will weigh in.

ACA sure as fuck ain't that.

 

[emilynghiem]

I watch the debate among Americans about healthcare in gobsmacked amazement. I live in a little one bedroom apartment owned and run by the healthcare system here in New Zealand, I get dialysis three times a week, take a bucketload of medications, have a nurse call on me every second day, a doctors appointment twice a month and have ended up in hospital pretty regularly when things go wrong.

I get a meal brought in every day ( they call it meals on wheels, prepared in the hospital kitchens and delivered by volunteer workers) , a social worker takes me to the supermarket once a week, my laundry is done at the hospital when I'm not doing so well, so by and large I am doing ok.

How much do I pay? Not a bean, not a cracker. No insurance, thats not how our system works.

I'd like to say to those in America who doubt, the sky wont fall on your heads if you have taxpayer funded healthcare, there wont be "death committees", the system wont collapse, the doctors will still do their jobs, ( the guy who sees me drives a Maserati so they are obviously still doing ok ) and the nurses smile a lot when they see me ( probably laughing at me) .

I count myself extremely lucky to be here.
Americans, in your country I'd be dead.

This is pretty much what we've been hearing about from other countries for a long time now. I don't have a source and I'm hoping our friends from Down Under will weigh in.

And how many countries have immigration and border trafficking issues to resolve?

Am I the only one who believes that solving the crime problem, and stopping the waste of resources on a failed criminal justice and mental health system,
would FREE UP resources to invest directly in medical schools and programs
to cover health care in more sustainable ways?

This is why people say I must be from some other planet!
(Some planet that doesn't worry about these problems, but cures physical, mental and social ills perfectly naturally by prevention.
And doesn't waste a dime or any time fighting about using govt to cover costs of problems that can easily by reduced or prevented.)

 

[Stephanie]

New Zeland lol


and what are their taxes? 80% of their pay?

this guy acts like his gUberment is doing that all FOR FREE

sorry the guy is sick but to me he would be what Nancy Pelosi called, a freeloader

ludnuts you want that you should move there

 

[norwegen]

I watch the debate among Americans about healthcare in gobsmacked amazement. I live in a little one bedroom apartment owned and run by the healthcare system here in New Zealand, I get dialysis three times a week, take a bucketload of medications, have a nurse call on me every second day, a doctors appointment twice a month and have ended up in hospital pretty regularly when things go wrong.

I get a meal brought in every day ( they call it meals on wheels, prepared in the hospital kitchens and delivered by volunteer workers) , a social worker takes me to the supermarket once a week, my laundry is done at the hospital when I'm not doing so well, so by and large I am doing ok.

How much do I pay? Not a bean, not a cracker. No insurance, thats not how our system works.

I'd like to say to those in America who doubt, the sky wont fall on your heads if you have taxpayer funded healthcare, there wont be "death committees", the system wont collapse, the doctors will still do their jobs, ( the guy who sees me drives a Maserati so they are obviously still doing ok ) and the nurses smile a lot when they see me ( probably laughing at me) .

I count myself extremely lucky to be here.
Americans, in your country I'd be dead.

This is pretty much what we've been hearing about from other countries for a long time now. I don't have a source and I'm hoping our friends from Down Under will weigh in.

Americans on dialysis and medications, who get "free" meals, and who have regular nurse and doctor visits don't exist. These would-be people are all dead.

Interesting. Must be these meals-on-wheels vans I see around town are hauling these corpses to the landfill.

 

[westwall]

I watch the debate among Americans about healthcare in gobsmacked amazement. I live in a little one bedroom apartment owned and run by the healthcare system here in New Zealand, I get dialysis three times a week, take a bucketload of medications, have a nurse call on me every second day, a doctors appointment twice a month and have ended up in hospital pretty regularly when things go wrong.

I get a meal brought in every day ( they call it meals on wheels, prepared in the hospital kitchens and delivered by volunteer workers) , a social worker takes me to the supermarket once a week, my laundry is done at the hospital when I'm not doing so well, so by and large I am doing ok.

How much do I pay? Not a bean, not a cracker. No insurance, thats not how our system works.

I'd like to say to those in America who doubt, the sky wont fall on your heads if you have taxpayer funded healthcare, there wont be "death committees", the system wont collapse, the doctors will still do their jobs, ( the guy who sees me drives a Maserati so they are obviously still doing ok ) and the nurses smile a lot when they see me ( probably laughing at me) .

I count myself extremely lucky to be here.
Americans, in your country I'd be dead.

This is pretty much what we've been hearing about from other countries for a long time now. I don't have a source and I'm hoping our friends from Down Under will weigh in.

You should visit a hospital in New Zealand sometime.....I have, Christchurch, the X-ray machine was as big as semi. It wasn't capable of detecting soft tissue damage (which I had) so they couldn't do anything but give me ACE bandages to wrap my knee up with. I went to a ski resort and used their facility (which was paid for by the tourists...so was MUCH better) and they were able to diagnose the damage. Of course I had to pay them for their services, but the knee brace was new, as opposed to the knee braces in Christchurch which were inoperable.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I watch the debate among Americans about healthcare in gobsmacked amazement. I live in a little one bedroom apartment owned and run by the healthcare system here in New Zealand, I get dialysis three times a week, take a bucketload of medications, have a nurse call on me every second day, a doctors appointment twice a month and have ended up in hospital pretty regularly when things go wrong.

I get a meal brought in every day ( they call it meals on wheels, prepared in the hospital kitchens and delivered by volunteer workers) , a social worker takes me to the supermarket once a week, my laundry is done at the hospital when I'm not doing so well, so by and large I am doing ok.

How much do I pay? Not a bean, not a cracker. No insurance, thats not how our system works.

I'd like to say to those in America who doubt, the sky wont fall on your heads if you have taxpayer funded healthcare, there wont be "death committees", the system wont collapse, the doctors will still do their jobs, ( the guy who sees me drives a Maserati so they are obviously still doing ok ) and the nurses smile a lot when they see me ( probably laughing at me) .

I count myself extremely lucky to be here.
Americans, in your country I'd be dead.

This is pretty much what we've been hearing about from other countries for a long time now. I don't have a source and I'm hoping our friends from Down Under will weigh in.

And how many countries have immigration and border trafficking issues to resolve?

Am I the only one who believes that solving the crime problem, and stopping the waste of resources on a failed criminal justice and mental health system,
would FREE UP resources to invest directly in medical schools and programs
to cover health care in more sustainable ways?

This is why people say I must be from some other planet!
(Some planet that doesn't worry about these problems, but cures physical, mental and social ills perfectly naturally by prevention.
And doesn't waste a dime or any time fighting about using govt to cover costs of problems that can easily by reduced or prevented.)

I usually skip your mini-novels but I agree with you about waste.

When we made prisons for-profit and mainstreamed the mentally ill, we set in motion an unstoppable juggernaut.

 

[dblack]

This is pretty much what we've been hearing about from other countries for a long time now. I don't have a source and I'm hoping our friends from Down Under will weigh in.

And how many countries have immigration and border trafficking issues to resolve?

Am I the only one who believes that solving the crime problem, and stopping the waste of resources on a failed criminal justice and mental health system,
would FREE UP resources to invest directly in medical schools and programs
to cover health care in more sustainable ways?

This is why people say I must be from some other planet!
(Some planet that doesn't worry about these problems, but cures physical, mental and social ills perfectly naturally by prevention.
And doesn't waste a dime or any time fighting about using govt to cover costs of problems that can easily by reduced or prevented.)

I usually skip your mini-novels but I agree with you about waste.

When we made prisons for-profit and mainstreamed the mentally ill, we set in motion an unstoppable juggernaut.

Privatizing prisons is among the worst ideas in our history.

 

[emilynghiem]

Am I the only one who believes that solving the crime problem, and stopping the waste of resources on a failed criminal justice and mental health system,
would FREE UP resources to invest directly in medical schools and programs
to cover health care in more sustainable ways?

I usually skip your mini-novels but I agree with you about waste.

When we made prisons for-profit and mainstreamed the mentally ill, we set in motion an unstoppable juggernaut.

Thanks, Luddly. yes, now that we have the impetus and attention to push for reform,
why not make these issues part of the solution?

Especially in Texas, the Republican leaders and candidates pushing this issue for election DO NOT WANT the ACA and federal mandates.

I was trying to find Libertarians pushing for drug policy reform who might collaborate on a proposal to the States opposed to ACA -- that in place of the contested mandates, why not push for reforms to save resources in the criminal justice and mental health system?

What if the focus of corrections could shift toward a "medical model" for addressing crime with earlier diagnosis, intervention and treatment? Couldn't we invest directly in converting prison facilities or expanding medical programs to serve more people with the same resources? What about combining medical education and internships with public health care. Wouldn't that be a more agreeable cost-effective focus than fighting over mandates?

 

[CrusaderFrank]

New Zealand has half the population of NYC.

Yeah, it's comparable

 

[MeBelle]

New Zeland lol


and what are their taxes? 80% of their pay?

this guy acts like his gUberment is doing that all FOR FREE

sorry the guy is sick but to me he would be what Nancy Pelosi called, a freeloader

ludnuts you want that you should move there

Tax rates
The standard New Zealand tax year runs from 1 April to 31 March. The IRD is explicit in terms of how much tax income earners will owe. For every $1 earned, you will pay:

• 10.5 cents of every dollar for income up to $14,000
• 17.5 cents of every dollar for income from $14,001 and $48,000
• 30 cents of every dollar for income from $48,001 to $70,000
• 33 cents of every dollar for income of $70,001 and over
~~~~
Goods & services tax (GST)
Goods and services tax (GST) is a tax on most goods and services in New Zealand, most imported goods and certain imported services. GST is added to the price of taxable goods and services at a rate of 12.5%
~~~
New Zealand tax guide | Working In New Zealand

 

[Harry Dresden]

New Zealand has half the population of NYC.

Yeah, it's comparable

the County i live in has almost as many people as the whole Country

 

[emilynghiem]

Privatizing prisons is among the worst ideas in our history.

Yes, when it's done through illicit contracts, similar to "charter schools" abused to co-opt funds, commit fraud and warehouse students or worse, without any accountability.

But look at private or religious schools that provide higher quality education for less cost than public schools. Why can't prisons or "correctional schools" do something similar?

What if we took the BEST of "private schools and effective charitable rehab programs"
that run more cost effectively than public programs. And kept the security managed by the govt or military (in order to consolidate resources there as well), couldn't we clean up the corruption and waste by following models of programs already proven to work better?

There are many model programs that operate more cost-effectively in rehab and recovery for criminal offenders: Prison Fellowship and Justice Fellowship, Alternatives to Violence Project, No More Victims, Inc., and many more that use Restorative Justice approaches.

What if we built more military facilities along the border for security and economic development (including prisons, treatment centers, teaching hospitals, etc.). Couldn't that structure house effective rehab, recovery and restitution programs within a govt secured network of campuses? How much money could be saved if we consolidated resources and invested in more cost effective programs, especially rehab that enabled convicts to WORK to cover costs and pay back restitution instead of taxpayers paying all the costs of crime?

Why couldn't we revamp the system to provide sustainable medical education, training and health care to serve more of the public with the same resources spent on inmates alone?