What would you think of me if I made my argument in favor of a Canadian-style health care system like this?
I bet the American one who slipped across the border and pretended to be Canadian because he couldn't afford to see a doctor would rather be covered by Canadian health insurance.
And I'm pretty sure the other guy I know who put off going to the hospital because he couldn't afford it and then died would rather have had Canadian health insurance as well.
While American health care means you can have a $100,000 thermonuclear powered ass scan if you can afford it, these anecdotal examples that I haven't shown I didn't pull out of my ass show that American health care does, in fact suck.
If I said something like that you'd more than likely think I was an idiot, and you'd more than likely be right. Keep that in mind as you read this comment:
I'm pretty sure the Canadian one who's family remortgaged their home to keep him is a US ICU instead of a Canadian one would have preferred my $50 co-pay. I'm also pretty sure the guy I know who bought an insulin pump out of his own pocket would have preferred my $10 co-pay.
While Canadian health care means anyone who needs to be in a hospital gets to be in a hospital, it does in fact, suck.
Now I'm not saying the commenter is an idiot, just that they framed their argument the same way an idiot would. That's all.
Thing is, that was the best comment I got after I posted how a majority of American doctors now support a national health care system. I also got a smattering of worn-out right wing dittohead doctrine and someone who said they read a story once about a guy with a brain tumor. Not the actual story mind you, just a comment that a story was once read. Interestingly enough, no one who wrote me to trash the Canadian health care system was an actual Canadian. It would seem the only evidence Americans can come up with to defend our for-profit health care is anecdotal.
Would you like to see some real evidence instead?
Canadians live longer than Americans.
Canadians spend just over half of what Americans do for health care on a per person basis.
That means tomorrow we could cover everyone, throw in an extra $700 per person every year for mad money, and still spend 30% less on health care than we spend today. Thirty percent off the nation's health care bill would be like fighting the war in Iraq for free. Twice. And you'd still have that extra $700 per person every year to go towards things like thurmonuclear ass scans.
No wonder people who disagree with me sound like idiots. They don't have another alternative.
Wake up and realize you're getting ripped off.
