THIS is what Healthcare is all about ...

[NanceGreggs]

135. Why I posted this OP ...

I am trying to channel my personal grief into something positive – and getting the word out there about how universal healthcare can and does work is part of that effort.

It’s not true that all Americans want this type of healthcare system. Many don’t – and that’s because they have been spoon-fed myths, misinformation, and out-and-out lies for decades by interested parties who profit from the illnesses of their fellow citizens.

Those myths include:

Canadian doctors are gov’t employees. Canadian doctors work in hospitals, have private practices or walk-in clinics, etc. They have no more connection to the gov’t than American doctors.

Canadian doctors have to get permission from the gov’t before treating their patients. The gov’t doesn’t even know I’ve seen a doctor until he/she bills the gov’t for services rendered after-the-fact. The only involvement the gov’t has in my medical care is paying the bills generated by that care.

Canadian income taxes are sky-high as a result of providing healthcare to all. My taxes are on a par with, or lower than, my US counterparts in the same income bracket. My tax contribution to the healthcare system amounts to a few hundred dollars per year.

Under the Canadian system, the gov’t assigns you a doctor. I am free to see any family practitioner of my choosing. If I require a specialist, any GP can refer me to any specialist he/she thinks appropriate. There are no restrictions on who I can be referred to for specialized care.

Canadians regularly flock to the US for speedier treatment. This myth is downright laughable – and yet it persists.

Some of the obvious advantages to our healthcare system …

Doctors’ receivables are guaranteed; the gov’t covers their every bill. Doctors do not have to waste their time with complicated insurance forms, or figuring out what coverage is available via different insurance plans. They treat a patient, bill the gov’t, and receive payment. End of story. I recently read that up to one-third of a US doctor’s practice is devoted to (wasted on) paperwork, and many doctors have to write-off payments due as bad debt, because they refused to turn away patients who simply can’t afford to pay.

Available services (as I have outlined in my OP) are not a matter of seeking out help. ALL of the services Jeff and I were able to avail ourselves of were the result of those services contacting us. Jeff’s after-hospital homecare was arranged within days of his diagnosis. Necessary applications were already filled-out – all we had to do was sign them.

Since Jeff’s passing, I have been contacted by other gov’t healthcare-related agencies offering assistance to myself and my family – e.g. bereavement counseling via group or one-on-one sessions – all free of charge. Their opening line is always the same: “Are you okay? What do you need? How can we help?”

As Jeff and I often discussed from the outset, we were never alone. We were reminded every day that an entire community was with us, ready to help in any way they could.

This IS what healthcare is all about. And the fact that Republicans persist in using scare tactics and lies to turn Americans off the idea of its implementation is beyond despicable.

No one should have to think about the prospect of mounting bills when a family member is ill.

No one should be refused medical treatment on the basis that they cannot pay for it.

No one should have to defer potentially life-saving tests and/or treatment because they don't have the funds to cover the costs of same.

No one should have to choose between the best available medical care and bankruptcy.

Spread the word. If one person reading this tells ONE other person the truth, and THAT person tells another person, the truth will eventually prevail.