I want to know what nurses think about socialized medicine.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Apr 10, 2009

When I read fergus51's posts just now, I didn't look at the date they were posted until I'd read them to the end. I was stunned to see that they were almost 5 years old... that's how current her information is. The biggest changes are in nurses' pay scales. I work in Alberta at the top of the scale and make $42.45 Cdn an hour which at today's exchange rate amounts to $34.65 US. Another change is that Alberta has eliminated the health regions and now we're all "one big happy family" with 90,000 members. My hospital is the North American training facility for the Berlin heart VAD and we've done 7 pediatric heart transplants and 2 pediatric livers already this year. Our health care system is NOT a second-class arrangement at all.

rjmkelly · May 26, 2009

Inevitably, longevity of any program determines its success. All over the world, nations that have depended on socialized medicine are going broke fast, and they're scrambling for a better way. Unfortunately, we've also seen in America that government programs never end and are rarely successful. Government run healthcare, (nothing more than a government run healthcare program), called many things simply to change its meaning and make it more palatable to its citizenry, falls right into the same category as all other government programs that have failed miserably over the last 50 years in America. Before $90 Billion dollars has been spent on the war on poverty, 8.8% of America was said to be living in poverty. Today, the rate is said to be 9.6%. Similarly with public education, we spend over 9 times more per student today (adjusted for inflation) educating them only to find out our students are dumber than they've ever been after graduation. The answer: Spend more money. The logic in this escapes me.

Today, national healthcare is fizzing out as countrys all over the world are bankrupting themselves because its healthcare budget is growing faster than its economy and there's just no more capital to tax. And yes, they are trying to introduce competition into their systems. Imagine that! The United States, ironically, is trying to adopt a system similar to all the ones that are failing across the globe. America is in a similar quagmire because it abandoned its free market principles during the great depression, as government became a guarantor of coverage and drove the cost of healthcare through the roof. Anything government has ever done, they've done it poorly and inneffeciently.

I would submit that canadians pay such an exorbitant income tax rate because its government is ineffecient with everything it does. Why? Because its not their money. They do nothing to create it. They are in the business of taking it from private citizens and spending it, many times with good intentions. In Canada, do the Elites in government have the exact same coverage as the private citizens? Or just maybe it's just a little bit better? Maybe a lot better? That covers the quality of national healthcare in a nutshell. If government doesn't have to use it, then it's not very good.

loriangel14, RN · May 26, 2009

In Canada, do the Elites in government have the exact same coverage as the private citizens? Or just maybe it's just a little bit better? Maybe a lot better? That covers the quality of national healthcare in a nutshell. If government doesn't have to use it, then it's not very good.

Our Universal Health Care is uniform and the same for everyone across the board. The only thing that " elites " would have that is better is private insurance to cover what UHC doesn't. Private insurance cannot duplicate what UHC covers so there is no getting to the front of the line of you are richer.

Fiona59 · May 26, 2009

Lori-- I thinkwhat rjkelly is on about is how the RCMP, military, and WCB injuries go to the head of the line. Let's face it injuries incurred by the forces should be treated quickly. Out here WCB will go through private surgical sites in order to get people back to work faster.

loriangel14, RN · May 26, 2009

Really? I didn't know that. A friend of mine is married to an RCMP officer and I know he had to wait at emerg like anyone else when he was sick recently.

Fiona59 · May 26, 2009

Emergency is different. For stuff like ACL repairs and some types of Physio they go to "selected" agencies. I know that's how it works out west.

rjmkelly · May 27, 2009

Common sense dictates that because the private citizens and private businesses have more of a vested interest in spending their money wisely, they will always be able to do things more effeciently. Government, on the other hand, owns nothing. It's not their money. They don't create it and they vote themselves payraises regardless of how much waste in which they are directly responsible. I don't trust people in poer. Not that they are all bad people, most of them are not. Power just has a way of corrupting the most honest people. World history is replete with examples of countries crumbling under the weight of its own rulers, in fact I'd be hard pressed to name one country in the history of civilization that was not crushed by its own government or another one from abroad. Because of the clear and obvious lessons that history teaches us, I think its safe to say that our governments central power should be our primary concern. For this reason, I don't want them running healthcare in America.

c_beshore_rn · Jun 14, 2009

:yeah:I'm really getting tired of seeing the corporate giant aka the healthcare industry getting richer at the top while our jobs and our patients suffer the consequences. What do you all think about socialized medicine? Does anyone know a nurse that works in Europe, Canada, Japan, etc where socialized medicine is in place and seems to work??

What are fears, concerns, etc. I know it will knock our salaries down but with free healthcare for all I feel it would be worth it.

Let me know... :smokin:

oslogirl · Jun 14, 2009

A common misconception of socialised medicine is that it's free. The healthcare would not be free. We will be paying for it through higher taxes.

c_beshore_rn · Jun 14, 2009

Yes, I do understand that concept also....But if u deduct your insurance premiums, copays, medication copay, blah blah blah. It would even out for most. I have 4 boys and we are constantly at the Dr for one reason or another. It breaks my heart to see people moving to Canada to get cancer tx because they can't afford it here. Ive had 3 patients resort to this and we live in freakin MISSOURI

oslogirl · Jun 14, 2009

I understand your point, but I think we are looking at this wrong. We live in a sick-care society, not healthcare. I think the feds and states should be spending alot more on primary care, i.e. prevention.Think about it. Those high ins. premiums are in a large part, covering the health care costs of those with preventable chronic diseases. The results of this would bring health care costs down.

2BSure · Jun 14, 2009

. Those high ins. premiums are in a large part, covering the health care costs of those with preventable chronic diseases. The results of this would bring health care costs down.

Really? What is your source of this information?