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| Originally Posted by Skell Elliot,
I know you're one for claiming that you don't make statements without providing cold hard facts as evidence to support your claims.
Well would you do us the favour of it here with this statement? |
What kind of evidence are you looking for? I have previously provided statistical data on cancer mortality rates which prove that quality of care in the USA is better than in systems with so-called "universal health care". I have also previously provided data regarding wait-times in the universal healthcare systems compared to those in the USA. What additional proof of quality of care would you like?
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Have you ever lived in or had access to healthcare in a country with Universal Healthcare? What basis is their to your claims that healthcare in the US is much better than that of countries with Universal Healthcare??
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Yes, I did. Or to be more precise, I lived in Israel where there is a "universal healthcare system" in which people DO NOT have access to healthcare. Which is my point. I also have relatives who lived in the UK for several years until one of them got sick... and they came home to get him medical treatment here. I have relatives in Canada who have absolutely NOTHING good to say about accessibility and quality of care in Canada. So yes, my family and I have quite a bit of experiene in "universal health care systems" and our opinion is that they universally SUCK.
On the other hand, I have a brother who is a doctor here in the USA, and I used to work in hospital administration at Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY before going into finance. I was also an EMT for many years, and have spent quite a bit of time in hospital emergency rooms. I and my family have quite a bit of experience in the USA's medical system. So we have experience in both systems, and know the strengths and weaknesses of both private and socialized healthcare.
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How do you know the quality of care is higher?
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Mortality and survival rates of patients within the two systems, for one thing. Accessibility of care and wait-time statistics for another. Comparisons of in-hospital infection and disease statistics for a third. Cleanliness of the hospitals. Inspection reports of hospitals and clinics within both systems. Comparative training and expereince of practitioners. Satisfaction poll statistics. Development of new technologies, medicines and techniques. I could go on, but you get the picture. All these statistics are available from various sources.
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I live in Australia and we are constantly coming close to finding cures for cancer and numerous other ailments. We have some of the greatest medical professors in the world in many fields of health research. We also have a Universal Healthcare system?
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Yes, you do. And just think how much better it would be if it was a market-driven system rather than a government-run system. You might already have already found those cancer cures.
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Your broad and sweeping comments on the US healthcare system are simply that. Baseless claims really.
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I disagree. The basis of the claims are all statistical. You just choose to ignore those statistics.
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Or is it that you are just like so many others who see no fault whatsoever in your Governments policies and the direction they lead you. If its done in the US it must be right. Its the rest of the world who are wrong!!!!
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Not at all. There is pleanty that the government has done with our healthcare system that is terrible. The fact that flu-vaccines can only be purchased by the US government (at prices the govenment sets and under the government's regulations) and are then distributed to various clinicians based on "need" (as determined by the government) has driven the majority of vaccine manufacturers out of the industry over the past decade, leaving us with a shortage of flu vaccine. The government-run VA Medical system is a shambles, with low-quality care, lowest-bidder equipment and supplies, mismanagement, waste, and terrible malpractice. And there are other obvious examples of terrible mistakes the government has made with regard to healthcare in the country.
Which is exactly why I argue that
government should stay out of the health care industry. It is the very fact that I do NOT believe that the government makes good decisions with regard to healthcare that I believe they should stop making those decisions and leave them up to the individuals and providers. That has been my point the whole time.
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Im not saying the US healthcare system isnt good. Hell it may be the best in the world. But what point are you trying to make by starting a thread making baseless claims??
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Again, there is nothing baseless about it. It is all based on statistical data.
By the way, have you read any of Australian Health Association's or the Doctors Reform Society's reports regarding accessibility of health care in remote areas of Australia and accessibility, quality of care and mortality rates among Aboriginal citizens and Torres Strait Islanders? The Australian "universal health care system" isn't quite as universal as you might think. You should read the reports.
Elliot
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