[HM2Viking]

I recently read this book for a med surg class. The very short version is that Cathy Crimmins husband suffered a severe TBI in a boating accident. Anyway she refers to HMO's benefit representatives as Benefit Denial Specialists. The accident happened in Canada. If they had remained in Canada her husband would have been promptly transferred to a Rehab hospital AND allowed to stay for the amount of Rehab he needed. In the US his HMO denied further inpatient treatment for his injury after about 21 days. While her husband did have a reasonably good outcome from his injury it is still unconscionable that under our system only 1 of 5 TBI patients are given the rehablitation services they need.

After reading her book I just don't buy the criticisms leveled against the Canadian system.

[Jelli_Belli]

I did my thesis paper on universal healthcare. When I started it, I was actually against socialized medicine. Lets just say after about a month of non stop research I changed my mind. Third party insurance is the largest waste of money and resources in the nation. Did you know that it takes the same amount of employees and LESS administrative overhead to provide health care to ALL of Canada than Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA. It blew my mind when I read that. As a nation we spend 50x more money on administrative BS than all of Canada, and that doesn't even include Medicare\Medicaid.
Insurance companies are rich and powerful, but not more than the people. Our health care system is broken and sooner or later it will collapse unless something is done.