I have felt for a while that we should have universal health care here in the US, but I didn't know things were this bad. We really should be ashamed that GTMO Bay prisoners get free (and very good quality, from the looks of it) health care and 9/11 rescue workers are suffering from 9/11 related health conditions and have no coverage.
And hospitals removing their names from the pt bracelets of ill, unisured pts, and having cabs drop them on Skid Row?
And insurance company physicians admitting that they know they caused the death of pts by denying claims in order to save the ins company money?
What is the matter with us that our health care system is ranked #37 among industrialized nations?
To me, this is not about politics, not about personal responsibility, it's not about cost- it's just about what is right and what is wrong.
I know the Canadian and other universal health care systems have their problems, but they are not run on a foundation of greed and denial of care as ours is.
I am very fortunate that I have good health insurance, but this could change at any time. I am willing to pay more taxes so that all US citizens can get free or low-cost health care that is not connected with a job, and can move with the citizen and cover them wherever they are and whatever their circumstances are.
If the gov't holds the purse, they are running the system.
There's no other way to define it.
What I meant was they don't decide what care I get.That is up to me. I don't need to ask if something is covered or allowed.When my daughter was born at 24 weeks she got the best of care at one of the best hospitals.Nothing was spared and we never had to ask if somethiong was covered, the doctors just did whatever they had to and I didn't have to go bankrupt. I grateful for the care she got in our system.
I asked you several days ago what you would propose be done about the following situation. (Since you seem to have all the answers, care to enlighten the rest of us?)
Colorado is one state where illegal aliens cannot get outpt chronic dialysis paid for. So here's what these pts do- They clog up the ERs in Denver waiting for their K+ levels to become critically high so they can be admitted as inpts and receive "emergency" dialysis. Some of them even eat contraindicated high K+ foods on purpose so that their labs will sufficiently critical to allow them to be admitted and get dialysis.
If they could get outpt dialysis they could get their 3 x week tx, and be done with it. But- because of the way the system "works" they make themselves much sicker on purpose, and end up getting much more expensive inpt tx, and the ERs are filled w/ pts who are really there working the system so that they can get some semblence of their needed chronic tx.
Most of these pts play it so they do end up getting their dialysis twice a week- as inpts. In the meantime, all of their co-morbidies are getting worse due to the constant up and down of their labs, fluid overload, and lack of routine scheduled dialysis.
This is way more expensive and harmful than just giving them outpt dialysis in the first place.
Our gov't has said it has no intention of deporting the 12 million illegals in the US- so what do we do about illegal dialysis pts?
Deport them.
This is a situation where an illegal immigration problem get's dumped on the lap of the healthcare system.
The answer sucks, but that's the way it is. If I show up at a Mexican ED with renal failure, I am going to be put in a cab and dumped at the border...this I've been told firsthand by an RN/paramedic friend of mine who used to work a Texas border town/major crossing.
If you think we have some obligation to care for all the diseased kidneys of the world, then I don't know what to say to you.
Specializes in Flight Nurse, Pedi CICU, IR, Adult CTICU.
What I meant was they don't decide what care I get.That is up to me.
They most certainly do.
I don't need to ask if something is covered or allowed.
When my daughter was born at 24 weeks she got the best of care at one of the best hospitals.
Interesting you'd bring this up; Canada is big in the business of exporting their sickest neonates to the US. Not a couple. Not a few...but more than 100 just from two provinces alone.
Nothing was spared and we never had to ask if somethiong was covered, the doctors just did whatever they had to and I didn't have to go bankrupt. I grateful for the care she got in our system.
That's great. But really, is that evidence that the gov't doesn't run the system?
What's wrong with exporting, I believe Denmark does this well. When someone there gets a rare type of cancer the govt finances their trip & treatment to MD Anderson or Memorial Sloan Kettering. The recognize if there is somewhere else where a person has a higher incidence of surviving a disease, its more responsible to invest in their treatment there than to spend money and invest where there won't be a positive outcome.
There is no way I would have fought breast cancer with a no name general surgeon..no way. This seems ultra responsible to send the people where they need to go.
I really agree with that! I am from Costa Rica and we have a socialized medical system that we adopted from France, and illegal people from our neighbour countries come to milk the system and its just not fair! there's been reports on the news that medication that is obtained free in our country is being sold in other countries in Central America, now this is incredible to me!!! not to mention all the pregnant women that come into the country illegally and once they have a citizen born child in our country they can claim many services as well.... I sucks- Bottom line is the system in itself is very darn good!!!! but there's certainly alot of things that can be improved also- I am living in California now moved here about five years ago and it took almost 2 years to be aproved for insurance!!!!!! Thank God I am only in my 30's and am very healthy and now even with insurance here.... you can bet if something happened to me I'd be in the first flight to my country where I know all my limbs would be saved and not denied a healthy state just so my insurance company can save some pennies- sorry but it is the truth-
Honnete, my daughter was cared for in canada, not the US. They did not ship her anywhere.
Why do you think we do not choose our own care? This is a common msconception about our system.I know that there are stories out there about outrageous waiting times etc. but these are the rare exceptions, not the rule. I am not saying our system is perfect but I know if i need care it will not be denied because of what is in my wallet or what an insurance company decides. Peace.
This is a situation where an illegal immigration problem get's dumped on the lap of the healthcare system.
The answer sucks, but that's the way it is. If I show up at a Mexican ED with renal failure, I am going to be put in a cab and dumped at the border...this I've been told firsthand by an RN/paramedic friend of mine who used to work a Texas border town/major crossing.
If you think we have some obligation to care for all the diseased kidneys of the world, then I don't know what to say to you.
No, I do not think we should have to pay for illegals to have dialysis-
My point is that they are here, no one is making them leave. I wish our government would deport them, but they aren't- so what do we do?
I will say it again-
My point is that they are here, no one is making them leave. I wish our government would deport them, but they aren't- so what do we do?
Specializes in Flight Nurse, Pedi CICU, IR, Adult CTICU.
I really agree with that! I am from Costa Rica and we have a socialized medical system that we adopted from France, and illegal people from our neighbour countries come to milk the system and its just not fair! there's been reports on the news that medication that is obtained free in our country is being sold in other countries in Central America, now this is incredible to me!!! not to mention all the pregnant women that come into the country illegally and once they have a citizen born child in our country they can claim many services as well.... I sucks- Bottom line is the system in itself is very darn good!!!! but there's certainly alot of things that can be improved also- I am living in California now moved here about five years ago and it took almost 2 years to be aproved for insurance!!!!!! Thank God I am only in my 30's and am very healthy and now even with insurance here.... you can bet if something happened to me I'd be in the first flight to my country where I know all my limbs would be saved and not denied a healthy state just so my insurance company can save some pennies- sorry but it is the truth-
Don't tell the people from France that they have a socialized healthcare system; they will disagree with you. Besides, private insurance is held by the majority of the French. In their system, only two countries finance a larger portion of their healthcare privately. And Costa Rica operates their system to the loss of a standing army...not a good idea for the US.
Specializes in Flight Nurse, Pedi CICU, IR, Adult CTICU.
No, I do not think we should have to pay for illegals to have dialysis-
My point is that they are here, no one is making them leave. I wish our government would deport them, but they aren't- so what do we do?
I will say it again-
My point is that they are here, no one is making them leave. I wish our government would deport them, but they aren't- so what do we do?
We DON'T dump the responsibility onto the healthcare system or the American taxpayer.
We shouldn't pick the wrong answer just for the sake of picking an answer.
If the correct answer to a healthcare problem is to implement a social policy, then get it done. Don't implement a health-care solution to a gov't domestic policy failure.
Specializes in Flight Nurse, Pedi CICU, IR, Adult CTICU.
Honnete, my daughter was cared for in canada, not the US. They did not ship her anywhere.
The point was that your anectodal story only talks about one person. I more accurately pointed out the impact of your system on hundreds of Canadians...and the impact on the American healthcare system.
Why do you think we do not choose our own care?
If the Canadian gov't does not offer it or pay for it, then you can't rightly 'choose' it.
This is a common msconception about our system.I know that there are stories out there about outrageous waiting times etc. but these are the rare exceptions, not the rule.
If these were exceptions, then the gov't wouldn't have to implement policy and dump billions of extra dollars into the system to fix them.
I am not saying our system is perfect but I know if i need care it will not be denied because of what is in my wallet or what an insurance company decides. Peace.
It's erroneous to believe the gov't will pay for everything, and if you or the gov't won't pay the bill, then you can't really demand the care, right?
I don't understand why people don't see that the gov't doesn't just pay for every modality that comes down the pike.
Specializes in Flight Nurse, Pedi CICU, IR, Adult CTICU.
What's wrong with exporting, I believe Denmark does this well.
Well, that's interesting. Suddenly 'outsourcing' is OK?
There are several problems with Canada exporting their patients. Operationally, when people are sick, they are generally at their most vulnerable and in need of their familial and social support system. Forcing people across the border compromises the integrity of this system. Both operationally and ethically, it imposes on a system designed for someone else...a population that is not so easily able to find reciprocation. And just ethically, it is hypocritical to constantly access a system that they criticize at every turn.
When someone there gets a rare type of cancer the govt finances their trip & treatment to MD Anderson or Memorial Sloan Kettering. The recognize if there is somewhere else where a person has a higher incidence of surviving a disease, its more responsible to invest in their treatment there than to spend money and invest where there won't be a positive outcome.
Read my third point above. I'm not saying that Canadians shouldn't enjoy the benefits of the superior quality of the American healthcare system, but then it makes no sense to then pretend that their own system is better.
There is no way I would have fought breast cancer with a no name general surgeon..no way. This seems ultra responsible to send the people where they need to go.
And why can't Canada grow their own world-class cancer program if they are supposedly better than the US?
loriangel14, RN
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