"How I Lost My Fear of Universal Health Care"

[BDBoop]

How I Lost My Fear of Universal Health Care | RH Reality Check

When I moved to Canada in 2008, I was a die-hard conservative Republican. So when I found out that we were going to be covered by Canada's Universal Health Care, I was somewhat disgusted. This meant we couldn't choose our own health coverage, or even opt out if we wanted too. It also meant that abortion was covered by our taxes, something I had always believed was horrible. I believed based on my politics that government mandated health care was a violation of my freedom.

/snip

I found out that religious rights were still respected. The Catholic hospital in the area did not provide abortions, and they were not required too. I had an amazing medically safe birth, and excellent post-natal care with midwives who had to be trained, certified and approved by the medical system.

I started to feel differently about Universal government mandated and regulated Health care. I realized how many times my family had avoided hospital care because of our lack of coverage. When I mentioned to Canadians that I had been in a car accident as a teen and hadn't gone into the hospital, they were shocked! Here, you always went to the hospital, just in case. And the back issue I had since the accident would have been helped by prescribed chiropractic care which would have been at no cost to me. When I asked for prayers for my little brother who had been burned in a camping accident, they were all puzzled why the story did not include immediately rushing him to the hospital. When they asked me to clarify and I explained that many people in the States are not insured and they try to put off medical care unless absolutely needed, they literally could not comprehend such a thing.

/snip

I started to wonder why I had been so opposed to government mandated Universal Health care. Here in Canada, everyone was covered. If they worked full-time, if they worked part-time, or if they were homeless and lived on the street, they were all entitled to the same level of care if they had a medical need. People actually went in for routine check-ups and caught many of their illnesses early, before they were too advanced to treat. People were free to quit a job they hated, or even start their own business without fear of losing their medical coverage. In fact, the only real complaint I heard about the universal health care from the Canadians themselves, was that sometimes there could be a wait time before a particular medical service could be provided. But even that didn't seem to be that bad to me, in the States most people had to wait for medical care, or even be denied based on their coverage. The only people guaranteed immediate and full service in the USA, were those with the best (and most expensive) health coverage or wads of cash they could blow. In Canada, the wait times were usually short, and applied to everyone regardless of wealth. If you were discontent with the wait time (and had the money to cover it) you could always travel out of the country to someplace where you could demand a particular service for a price. Personally, I never experienced excessive wait times, I was accepted for maternity care within a few days or weeks, I was able to find a family care provider nearby easily and quickly, and when a child needed to be brought in for a health concern I was always able to get an appointment within that week.

Excellent article.

 

[rightwinger]

Its what an irrational fear of government gets you

 

[BDBoop]

Agreed. Thanks to the internet, I have friends around the world and know we would be lucky to have a health care system that cares for us without regard to expense. To not have to make decisions based on what you can afford, with no fear of being bankrupted, is a huge blessing.

 

[Oddball]

Move to Canada...Problem solved.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Same gov't that said there were WMD's in Iraq is gonna' provide yer health care.

Same gov't that supports Al Qaida in Libya and guards opium fields in Afghanistan is gonna' provide yer health care.

Same gov't that provided weapons to Mexican drug cartels is gonna' provide yer health care.

Same gov't that's going broke is gonna' provide yer health care.

They're gonna' take yer money and the only thing yer gonna' get in return is a Death Panel.

That's not an irrational fear, that's a fact.

 

[Mad Scientist]

American Liberals are the dumbest f*ckers on the planet.

 

[Katzndogz]

Everyone in Canada IS covered. Whether you get care is different. You may have to wait 3 months for an MRI, but it's covered when you get it.

I really question whether this article is indeed written by an American. My British friends are shocked that I would take an aspirin for a headache when I could do as they do, go to the doctor and get the aspirin free.

This is how those on medicaid and other forms of government provided health care feel. When my husband was alive we spent many evenings at the emergency room of our local hospital waiting to be seen while those with headaches, or a sneeze hung out not wanting to pay for aspirin or kleenex.

 

[BDBoop]

I don't have to move to Canada. We have the ACA.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

"Medical Imaging in Canada, 2007 reports that in 2007, there were 419 CT scanners and 222 MRI machines installed and operational in Canada, up from 325 and 149, respectively, in 2003."

CANADIAN INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH INFORMATION | More MRI and CT machines, more exams performed

There are American states with more machines. How long a wait to access the system in Canada?

 

[BDBoop]

American Liberals are the dumbest f*ckers on the planet.

See, during the election, it only takes one shiteous post like this for me to hit the ignore button. Unfortunately Squallball cannot be ignored (the why of it is beyond me) so I'll just have to go manual.

 

[Oddball]

American Liberals are the dumbest f*ckers on the planet.

See, during the election, it only takes one shiteous post like this for me to hit the ignore button. Unfortunately Squallball cannot be ignored (the why of it is beyond me) so I'll just have to go manual.

If we're such a burden, why don't you just ignore us all and go post at DU?

 

[Katzndogz]

The ACA will work like state health care works in California! Where people die on an emergency room floor screaming in agony while they wait for a physician's assistant. But, a state paid janitor will come by and mop up the blood.

 

[BDBoop]

American Liberals are the dumbest f*ckers on the planet.

See, during the election, it only takes one shiteous post like this for me to hit the ignore button. Unfortunately Squallball cannot be ignored (the why of it is beyond me) so I'll just have to go manual.

If we're such a burden, why don't you just ignore us all and go post at DU?

Well, since you did it first, why don't you go to conservative cave? Or are only the members not supposed to mention other boards.

 

[Greenbeard]

Excellent article.

There's a reason the wingnuts are so desperate this cycle, openly admitting this is their "last chance" to go back to the broken system we had. They're right. This is their last chance.

Fear of our American brand of (near-) universal health care will melt away in 15 months or so when the first exchanges open and Armageddon doesn't happen.

Their reliance on massive hyperbole completely overshadowed legitimate concerns that the minority party ought to be voicing and exploring policy responses for. And so when the sky doesn't fall, Chicken Little's going to be discredited and the damage to that party will be far worse than it needed to be. Hence the sinking feeling in their stomaches.

 

[BDBoop]

Excellent article.

There's a reason the wingnuts are so desperate this cycle, openly admitting this is their "last chance" to go back to the broken system we had. They're right. This is their last chance.

Fear of our American brand of (near-) universal health care will melt away in 15 months or so when the first exchanges open and Armageddon doesn't happen.

Their reliance on massive hyperbole completely overshadowed legitimate concerns that the minority party ought to be voicing and exploring policy responses for. And so when the sky doesn't fall, Chicken Little's going to be discredited and the damage to that party will be far worse than it needed to be. Hence the sinking feeling in their stomaches.

The desperation - I hadn't factored in that particular piece of the puzzle. But it does make sense.

 

[Mad Scientist]

American Liberals are the dumbest f*ckers on the planet.

See, during the election, it only takes one shiteous post like this for me to hit the ignore button. Unfortunately Squallball cannot be ignored (the why of it is beyond me) so I'll just have to go manual.

Your only response:

"Run Away!"

Again, American Liberals are the dumbest f*ckers on the planet!

By the way, you can't put Mods on ignore. Dimwit.