Friday, September 21, 2012
The Price to Pay
The universal health care system in Canada goes hand in hand on how we as Canadians look upon ourselves and our society as a whole. The idea that health care is too important for each of us (perhaps going so far as to say it’s a basic human right) that no one should ever fear losing their home to pay for medical bills. That basic principle is the reason why we have the health care system we do. And having that system in place means there are some tradeoffs we need to make to accommodate it.
Critics of this system, mostly in the United States, point to the wait times Canadians have to receive certain types of health care and sometimes follow through with the idea that we put our lives in jeopardy because we don’t have timely access to health care.
Because Canada, or any country for that matter, does not have an infinite number of resources or medical personnel to treat every patient that passes through their doors immediately, choices have to be made about when, where and who performs the necessary health care for the patient in question. In Canada’s situation, everyone gets seen, and then cases get prioritized. In simple terms, those who need immediate care get seen immediately. Those that require surgery, for example, that isn’t life threatening nor will waiting for a future surgery date cause the injury/illness/disease to worsen, will be treated on a future date.
And for that basic reason, opponents of universal health care launch their attacks and promote a private system for their constituents.
In a private system like the one used in the United States, patient lists are already cut around 20-25% because that percentage of the total population do not have insurance. This causes those with insurance to have lesser wait times and get the care they need faster.
And those without insurance won’t as likely take the time to check up with a doctor about an ache, pain, etc. fearing the end bill they’ll receive for having their condition looked upon, which also makes the insured have their wait time reduced. Indeed, I cannot argue privately insured persons may see a doctor or get the treatment they need faster than those in a universal system.
But the repercussions of having a private system are that people are left behind. Those who should receive care do not get it and those who may receive emergency care while lacking insurance might get a large bill afterwards they cannot afford, while sometimes even insured individuals who’ve paid their dues might go bankrupt paying deductibles and co-pays trying to get the health care need.
Canadians do not have to worry about the financial impacts when they receive health care, but that also means longer wait times in hospital waiting rooms before they see a doctor, and delays in receiving additional medical care if it’s not urgent. After all, no patient is turned away. The waiting list can be long.
I understand that when I go to my Canadian hospital, it’s more than likely I’ll have to wait to see someone, and that wait can sometimes last hours. But I also know that if I was in a car accident on life support and needed a doctor to see me right away, that doctor WILL see me right away. And I won’t have to file a claim with Blue Cross hoping the claim won’t be denied, nor do I have to look at a monthly deduction on my bank statement for health insurance for the rest of my life. That is the ultimate trade-off for all Canadians to receive health care, and that is a price that personally I am willing to pay to ensure no one is left behind.
Critics of this system, mostly in the United States, point to the wait times Canadians have to receive certain types of health care and sometimes follow through with the idea that we put our lives in jeopardy because we don’t have timely access to health care.
Because Canada, or any country for that matter, does not have an infinite number of resources or medical personnel to treat every patient that passes through their doors immediately, choices have to be made about when, where and who performs the necessary health care for the patient in question. In Canada’s situation, everyone gets seen, and then cases get prioritized. In simple terms, those who need immediate care get seen immediately. Those that require surgery, for example, that isn’t life threatening nor will waiting for a future surgery date cause the injury/illness/disease to worsen, will be treated on a future date.
And for that basic reason, opponents of universal health care launch their attacks and promote a private system for their constituents.
In a private system like the one used in the United States, patient lists are already cut around 20-25% because that percentage of the total population do not have insurance. This causes those with insurance to have lesser wait times and get the care they need faster.
And those without insurance won’t as likely take the time to check up with a doctor about an ache, pain, etc. fearing the end bill they’ll receive for having their condition looked upon, which also makes the insured have their wait time reduced. Indeed, I cannot argue privately insured persons may see a doctor or get the treatment they need faster than those in a universal system.
But the repercussions of having a private system are that people are left behind. Those who should receive care do not get it and those who may receive emergency care while lacking insurance might get a large bill afterwards they cannot afford, while sometimes even insured individuals who’ve paid their dues might go bankrupt paying deductibles and co-pays trying to get the health care need.
Canadians do not have to worry about the financial impacts when they receive health care, but that also means longer wait times in hospital waiting rooms before they see a doctor, and delays in receiving additional medical care if it’s not urgent. After all, no patient is turned away. The waiting list can be long.
I understand that when I go to my Canadian hospital, it’s more than likely I’ll have to wait to see someone, and that wait can sometimes last hours. But I also know that if I was in a car accident on life support and needed a doctor to see me right away, that doctor WILL see me right away. And I won’t have to file a claim with Blue Cross hoping the claim won’t be denied, nor do I have to look at a monthly deduction on my bank statement for health insurance for the rest of my life. That is the ultimate trade-off for all Canadians to receive health care, and that is a price that personally I am willing to pay to ensure no one is left behind.
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