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editors at Cornell University Press write:

“In its early years, Israel’s dominant ideology led to public provision of health care for all Jewish citizens-regardless of their age, income, or ability to pay. However, the system has shifted in recent decades, becoming increasingly privatized and market-based. In a familiar paradox, the wealthy, the young, and the healthy have relatively easy access to health care, and the poor, the old, and the very sick confront increasing obstacles to medical treatment.

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New book examines Israeli health care system - PNHP's Official Blog

Hmmm. Since we're humming, here's something else that should make you go hmmm...

Soaring costs force Canada to reassess health model

Just a reminder or two...

Health overhaul may mean longer ER waits, crowding

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CHICAGO – Emergency rooms, the only choice for patients who can't find care elsewhere, may grow even more crowded with longer wait times under the nation's new health law.

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Really? I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.

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That might come as a surprise to those who thought getting 32 million more people covered by health insurance would ease ER crowding. It would seem these patients would be able to get routine health care by visiting a doctor's office, as most of the insured do.

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Who's surprised? Raise your hand!

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But it's not that simple. Consider:

_There's already a shortage of front-line family physicians in some places and experts think that will get worse.

_People without insurance aren't the ones filling up the nation's emergency rooms. Far from it. The uninsured are no more likely to use ERs than people with private insurance, perhaps because they're wary of huge bills.

_The biggest users of emergency rooms by far are Medicaid recipients. And the new health insurance law will increase their ranks by about 16 million. Medicaid is the state and federal program for low-income families and the disabled. And many family doctors limit the number of Medicaid patients they take because of low government reimbursements.

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More crowded ER's, longer waits, a shortage of doctors, doctors opting out of treating Medicaid patients... gee, haven't you heard that warning before?

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Originally Posted by speechlesstx

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More crowded ER's, longer waits, a shortage of doctors, doctors opting out of treating Medicaid patients ... gee, haven't you heard that warning before?

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Welcome to the real world, or is that the third world?

Hello again, Steve:

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"People without insurance aren't the ones filling up the nation's emergency rooms. Far from it. The uninsured are no more likely to use ERs than people with private insurance, perhaps because they're wary of huge bills.

_The biggest users of emergency rooms by far are Medicaid recipients. And the new health insurance law will increase their ranks by about 16 million."

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Sounds like rank speculation to me. I'm surprised he didn't predict a death panel. The law isn't fully in effect yet. The guy you quoted (whomever he is) doesn't know what's going to happen. He sounds like Sarah Palin. Actually, he sounds SMARTER than Sarah Palin.

excon

Quote:

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Originally Posted by excon

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"People without insurance aren't the ones filling up the nation's emergency rooms. Far from it. The uninsured are no more likely to use ERs than people with private insurance, perhaps because they're wary of huge bills.

_The biggest users of emergency rooms by far are Medicaid recipients. And the new health insurance law will increase their ranks by about 16 million."

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Sounds like rank speculation to me. I'm surprised he didn't predict a death panel. The law isn't fully in effect yet. The guy you quoted (whomever he is) doesn't know what's going to happen. He sounds like Sarah Palin. Actually, he sounds SMARTER than Sarah Palin.

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"The guy" is CARLA K. JOHNSON, AP Medical Writer. "The guy" cited plenty of evidence that I welcome you to disprove. Have at it.

Hello again, Steve:

I didn't see ANY evidence - just talk. When the law is fully implemented, I'll disprove anything you like. But, let's start with this. End of life counseling is NOT a death panel, and I don't care what CARLA says about it.

excon

Um, you cited some of it. Here's an easy to read list:

• There's already a shortage of front-line family physicians in some places and experts think that will get worse.
  
• People without insurance aren't the ones filling up the nation's emergency rooms.
  
• The biggest users of emergency rooms by far are Medicaid recipients.
  
• the new health insurance law will increase their ranks by about 16 million.
  
• many family doctors limit the number of Medicaid patients they take because of low government reimbursements.
  
• ERs are already crowded
  
• Kellermann and other experts point to Massachusetts, the model for federal health overhaul...Reports from the state find ER visits continuing to rise since the law passed — contrary to hopes of its backers who reasoned that expanding coverage would give many people access to doctors offices.
  
• Massachusetts reported a 7 percent increase in ER visits between 2005 and 2007. A more recent estimate drawn from Boston area hospitals showed an ER visit increase of 4 percent from 2006 to 2008
  
• "They're coming to the emergency department because they don't have access to alternatives."
  
• Crowding and long waits have plagued U.S. emergency departments for years. A 2009 report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress' investigative arm, found ER patients who should have been seen immediately waited nearly a half-hour.

That's what you call evidence, and it wasn't from some conservative blog. I welcome you to disprove it... with facts, not rhetoric.