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Phil21 · 07-01-2007, 09:43 PM

I think unversal healthcare is a great idea.. but in practice I truly have quite a few worries.

For example..

I was on a business trip in Miami, and came down with a horribly painful middle ear infection. Anyone who's had one of these knows the pain can be unbelievable - I know it was a shock to me!

I have insurance.

So I call around there, to see what wait times are at "urgent care" type clinics. I basically just needed a bottle of freaking penicillin.

Totally. Fucked. Beyond. Belief.

I actually had people laugh at me on the phone when I asked if I could be seen within a few hours. They said if I came in that day, I might be seen the next if I stayed all night. Same situation at the ER's (which I really would have hated clogging up with a simple ear infection!) - hugely long waits for non-critical stuff.

The reason? Tons of people without insurance. Largely immigrant populations, or whathaveyou. I asked around, and it seems this is a condition pretty common in all major US cities. Since I'm not from such a climate, I really had no idea. Where I'm from, you could walk into the ER needing 2 stitches and walk out an hour later (been there, done that) completely done. Or call 20 minutes before you wanted to see a doctor for a possible strep infection and be seen immediately. This is not the case there. The latter was even without insurance, at a cost of less than $150 prescription included!

So, I elected to simply wait until I flew home 2 days later and saw a new doctor I never saw before within 2 hours of getting off the plane.

If "free" healthcare is anything like how the Miami system is run I want absolutely no fucking part of it. It might work if you have a life threatening condition that requires urgent care - but what about shit that makes me totally useless to make a living? I might be *able* to live through the pain, but I can guarantee you I was not providing for my family during that time at the level I should have been.

Being able to pay for quality and prompt care is something I think many people are very wary of giving up. Right now the US system sucks in that the poor without insurance, and poor with not top-of-the-line insurance plans get totally screwed. However, those that can afford the care get it quite well.

How can a rare resource (health care) be provided "equally" to all without the tragedy of the commons happening to it? I work with a couple folks from Canada, and they say our system is far superior for "minor" issues in that they can get fixed up ASAP with no delay, but they far prefer the Canadian system for large (expensive) problems. Having the option of saying "You know, I could suffer through this infection for 2 weeks and be largely useless - or go see a doctor for $200" is a pretty powerful choice. It's not so much of a choice when you are on a 1 week waiting list to see the doctor for a condition that may be gone by then.

Something needs to get fixed, but holy crap it's a tough problem to solve if you ask me.

07-01-2007, 09:43 PM
Phil21 Confirmed User Join Date: May 2001 Location: ICQ: 25285313 Posts: 993	I think unversal healthcare is a great idea.. but in practice I truly have quite a few worries. For example.. I was on a business trip in Miami, and came down with a horribly painful middle ear infection. Anyone who's had one of these knows the pain can be unbelievable - I know it was a shock to me! I have insurance. So I call around there, to see what wait times are at "urgent care" type clinics. I basically just needed a bottle of freaking penicillin. Totally. Fucked. Beyond. Belief. I actually had people laugh at me on the phone when I asked if I could be seen within a few hours. They said if I came in that day, I might be seen the next if I stayed all night. Same situation at the ER's (which I really would have hated clogging up with a simple ear infection!) - hugely long waits for non-critical stuff. The reason? Tons of people without insurance. Largely immigrant populations, or whathaveyou. I asked around, and it seems this is a condition pretty common in all major US cities. Since I'm not from such a climate, I really had no idea. Where I'm from, you could walk into the ER needing 2 stitches and walk out an hour later (been there, done that) completely done. Or call 20 minutes before you wanted to see a doctor for a possible strep infection and be seen immediately. This is not the case there. The latter was even without insurance, at a cost of less than $150 prescription included! So, I elected to simply wait until I flew home 2 days later and saw a new doctor I never saw before within 2 hours of getting off the plane. If "free" healthcare is anything like how the Miami system is run I want absolutely no fucking part of it. It might work if you have a life threatening condition that requires urgent care - but what about shit that makes me totally useless to make a living? I might be able to live through the pain, but I can guarantee you I was not providing for my family during that time at the level I should have been. Being able to pay for quality and prompt care is something I think many people are very wary of giving up. Right now the US system sucks in that the poor without insurance, and poor with not top-of-the-line insurance plans get totally screwed. However, those that can afford the care get it quite well. How can a rare resource (health care) be provided "equally" to all without the tragedy of the commons happening to it? I work with a couple folks from Canada, and they say our system is far superior for "minor" issues in that they can get fixed up ASAP with no delay, but they far prefer the Canadian system for large (expensive) problems. Having the option of saying "You know, I could suffer through this infection for 2 weeks and be largely useless - or go see a doctor for $200" is a pretty powerful choice. It's not so much of a choice when you are on a 1 week waiting list to see the doctor for a condition that may be gone by then. Something needs to get fixed, but holy crap it's a tough problem to solve if you ask me. __________________ Quality affordable hosting.