I get really confused when americans, when talking about universal health care are like ‘yeh but it’s not free sweaty 🙂 🙂 you have to pay it through taxes 🙂 so gotcha!!’
and I’m like ….???? That’s the whole point??? Everyone pays their fair share so that no one has to be turned away because they don’t have insurance??? And no one has to set up a Fundraiser page just so that they DONT DIE???? So people don’t put off going to the doctor because they’re scared of going bankrupt?? Because healthcare is a RIGHT and should be free at the point of access?!?
“So no one has to be turned away” she says hahaha go to a universal health care country and get a necessary operation in less than a few years and come back and talk shit.
Look at the cure rates compared to mortality rates in universal health care countries and compare them to ours, then talk shit.
Tear your ACL in a universal health care country and see what the people say if you should go to their hospitals or go to an American hospital, then talk shit.
I do live in a universal health care country, actually. And I HAVE had a necessary operation here myself. I broke my arm years ago – the ambulance came within 5 minutes. I was seen in A&E by a doctor within 20 minutes. And I had the operation to put my arm back in place within hours – despite my condition not being life threatening. Hmm, don’t see what was so hard about that? And oh yeah, it was all free of charge.
You don’t seem to understand about how it works. Firstly, operations are prioritised. If someone comes in with an emergency, such as a ruptured aorta and bleeding out – of COURSE they will get an operation STRAIGHT AWAY. Like what do you think doctors do here, twiddle their thumbs while patients die?
And if someone has something that is not quite an emergency, but is serious, such as a bowel cancer, they will have their surgery within 1-2 weeks of seeing a specialist. And it’s free. The poor patient who is already stressed and worried sick about their cancer, will NOT also have to worry about insurance and bills and going bankrupt.
Sure, some operations that are not quite as urgent will have waiting lists. My gran just had her cataract operation – this is something that isn’t life-threatening, not causing her pain at all, but of course is still affecting her life because she couldn’t see very well. She had to wait a few months, which of course in an inconvenience, but she still got her operation, and she definitely didn’t have to wait years (and I have never heard of anyone waiting years for an operation, and as a med student I have talked to a LOT of patients) so I don’t know where you got that from (probably some right-wing american media, I assume). And like, I’m sure most people would rather wait a bit longer than have to pay, or not ever get their operation because they can’t afford it?
And I’m not sure what you mean by your last bit. Are you really implying that countries other than the US couldn’t repair an ACL tear? Like, really? Do you think countries with universal healthcare have no resources or money? Sorry to burst your deluded bubble, but other countries can handle an ACL tear, and many other operations (even neurosurgery – shock horror!), just fine thanks. I’ve never seen a patient shipped off to America.
“I’ve never seen a patient shipped off to America” daamn, i love this post
Not to mention that in countries like Australia, there are *also* private hospitals. If you *want* to spend tens of thousands of dollars to avoid waiting, you can?
As someone who would be dead, many times over, without universal health care, GET FUCKED.
And for the record: the only private hospital in my hometown (apart from taking quick non urgent NMR because the ones in the public hospital have quite a long queue) really sucks. For every important/urgent/non-basic procedure you have to go to the public one, which is considered btw a national reference in certain departments. Years for an operation? Nop. Months, one year and a few months tops for non-necessary surgeries. Urgent and necessary? Hours.
Oh and about the talking shit thing…
But sure, the US wins it over in one thing: healthcare spending!
So yeah, tell me again why should i pack my things and move right away to the US where i’d die unless i’m shitting gold like a freaking Lannister.
Reblogging because I love this reply
My favourite was that free health care would create death panels where people would judge if you were allowed to have the life saving operation that you needed.
Like
Dude
You guys have that there already, and it’s called fucking insurance companies.
minervamedicablog 