Medicare

[Hopalong]

As much as some of us might wish for it, do not see enough pressure being put on Canada or British or Australian governments to move significantly back to user pay systems.
Expect adjustments to tax system to extract more money from affluent elderly to mollify younger generation.
Obamacare was a move by United States toward more taxpayer funded health care but Trump is not getting anywhere fast in efforts to repeal it. Success or lack of it for Trump will likely indicate which way we go here.

[blackpowder]

I salute everyone on here whose entire family has perfect genetics and nun like lifestyles.
Glad that gods dont govern.

[farmaholic]

No such thing BP. An aging body no matter how well it was maintained will break down in time. I had/have way more bad "habits" than a single holier than thou "habit". lol

[hobbyfrmr]

Id say user fees would be a good thing, min $150 just to walk into the hosipital door. The problem is probably 5% of the population uses 80% of the medicare system. It is quite likely the government will continue to support these people and not charge them anything. As for the person who rarely uses the system, one who takes care of themself, and is fortunate enough to never of had a serious condition will pay more and more for all the drunks, smokers, druggiees , glue sniffers, obese, etc.

Most nurses talk with suggest a $5.00 admitting fee. Somebody always has $5.00 for a pop and bag of chips while waiting for medical service.

[sawfly1]

user fee would be fine. just swipe your health card, your dinged on your taxes or taken out of entitlements.

as far as clean living. i call bull, i think the sinners are the only ones paying their share .
smokers usually go pretty quick.
3600 a year in taxes pays for a lot of healthcare.

smokers 50 60 70 .. heart atttack , lung cancer ,
healthy people have those same problems just later,80- 90
1/2 the people die of cancer. in the end anyway.

but in the mean time they have had hip replacement , knee surgery ,
cataracts operations and been out of the work force for 30 years. collecting the smokers pension money.

DR.s and pharmacists have a great union. and control their own supply.
make their own rules.
no reason i should have to go to the doctor to get a gout prescription renewed.
not like i can peddle it on the street .

no reason to have so few pharmacists. restricted access and 7 years in university to count pills.

from what i have seen, hospital service has been great.
esp battleford
efficient fast smart

[WiltonRanch]

Been in emerg my fair share. What you sure notice lots of the same types use the medical system more than others. Poor and uneducated. Lifestyle is a determining factor of overall health.

[Klause]

3 weeks to get an ultrasound


Pay $129 have it done next day. Hmmm

[blackpowder]

Agree sawfly.

[farmaholic]

Here's an example of user pay....sometimes I have to go to a Chiropractor to get this old carcass bent back into shape. I know when I need to go and don't make unnecessary visits that can cost $50 per visit. And I don't have an insurance policy (Blue Cross or what ever) or "benefits package" to pick up any, or all, of the costs....so I don't go "for nothing". Dentist visits paid out of my pocket...every year whether I think I need to go or not (preventative maintenance). They'd have me back every six months if they had their way and I agreed to it.

It wouldn't be real pretty if people only got the health care they could afford! So universal health care is likely the way to go in a socially civilized population. But a small user fee to curb abuse certainly wouldn't hurt either. Under such a plan the "poorest" of the population probably would be excempt anyway.

Hard to complain about taxes when my kids were born basically free of charge in a hospital, myself needed some medical attention along the way and will probably only get more frequent and intense as time passes.