I have a question. How do you all deal with hypochondriacs? People who go to the doctor or ER for every trivial thing? I mean real trivial stuff constantly. For example I used to work with a guy who went to the doctor for one afternoon of loose poop and another visit for a painful hang nail on his thumb and another visit for his nose smelling strange smells with no reason. I'm sure there were many other simple odd issues.
Some things may not be life threatening urgent but still urgent enough that you can't wait 3+ weeks for an appointment with my family doctor.
They probably give them free mental health care.
Holy crap! In those cases my doctor will fit me in no later than next business day but almost always same day.
Well visits are a different story though. About 6 weeks out.
I have a question. How do you all deal with hypochondriacs? People who go to the doctor or ER for every trivial thing?
The problem with the current American system is that Healthcare is a product. You are the buyer, the doctor/facility is the seller. In such transactions we have expectations- the customer is always right, there has to be some sort of value for money, etc. Even in the ER where people are given service before they pay (and some never pay) there is an expectation that the person helping you is providing a for-profit service.
In a single payer system that is no longer the model. The doctor isn't someone you are buying something from, your doctor is someone who you are lucky enough to get access to. This different mentality gets rid of a lot of hypochondriacs because they aren't coddled like they are when they are buyers. The entitlement that an American hypochondriac has is never given the oxygen to grow, because there is no way to make extra money off of them.
Honestly I think that is the biggest argument AGAINST Single Payer in America- we have been Healthcare consumers for too long. We don't want the surgery when mama government determines we need it by prior experience, we want it NOW dammit because we deserve it. We want the hospital to do everything they can (at a cost of hundreds of thousands) to give grandma that extra day or two because we don't want to say bye dammit. And then we want the same for ourselves when we hit our end.
I think the solution personally is a two tier system. I think the government should buy hospitals, hire doctors, and provide free clinics all over the place. I think they should also allow private insurance and private hospitals to exist as well (without the unfunded mandate that they treat everyone) . In such a system people who cannot afford the private system can always go to the (lets be honest shitty) free hospitals, while if grandma Joe is loaded the private hospital can clean our her estate trying to give her an extra day or two.
Single payer is just anti-America, we can't stand being treated like we are average even if by definition half the people are below average.
While it is a problem, it's not a HUGE problem. Nobody enjoys waiting in the ER, so they only tend to go if they really feel they have to. I'll admit, I've gone many times to non emergency stuff, but often it's the only way to see a doctor on the same day. Some things may not be life threatening urgent but still urgent enough that you can't wait 3+ weeks for an appointment with my family doctor. They treat people by urgency priority and not first come first serve, as well, so people with real emergencies still get in faster.
Personally I think the best way to deal with that is if hospitals had walk in clinics with stable hours that you could go to for non emergencies. Even if it was a short time, like say, 5pm to 10pm. As long as it's consistent. There are clinics around town, but they have all sorts of weird hours, and sometimes they arn't even open, for just no reason at all.
Our system is not perfect by any means and does have it's issues, but it beats having to take a second mortgage just to get a basic thing done, or having to pay what is practically a mortgage payment per month on medical insurance.
One thing I really do think that should be fixed is the service should not be based on where you live. We all pay taxes. Everytime I hear about a service that is offered, it's only available in the big cities. For example, you can actually call a number and a doctor will come to your house! But of course it's only a few select cities in the GTA. We all pay taxes, if they're going to make a service like that it should be available everywhere.
You guys don't have any Urgent Care Centers up there?
TBH I wasn't aware they existed either, and they may not be a common type of facility, but I have one really close to home. I haven't been there, haven't needed that kind of treatment in a long while, but if you get a nasty illness or get something stuck in your ear or something else that isn't truly worthy of the ER but you obviously still want to see someone because it is rather urgent... than this type of place is where you go. A family doctor is always preferable but not all doctors have the ability to squeeze in patients on short notice.
It'd be nice for more of these Urgent Care Centers to pop up, because that is where most people would go, especially because ER fees tend to suck terribly. And if you simply have a high fever, without Urgent Care, ERs are usually our only hope of getting in fast. Most times I'd even be cool with next day in that kind of case but I've never even bothered calling for a doctor appointment. Then again, last time I went to the ER I was in college, so we had the student clinic or the ER, so when I had a nasty fever only getting higher, I broke down and went to the ER, and that walk was a miserable one. If I could have scheduled even next day at the student health center, I would have but knew I couldn't.
Perhaps my family doctor could work that in... never had to try, and I'd like to not find out.
Taxes, but its evened out by the people who hardly if ever go to the Dr.
I'm tired of paying $700/week in taxes, of which I would say 90% goes towards healthcare, when I've been to the doctor once in the last two years.
So yes. That's exactly how it's balanced.
I believe Germany has that model if memory serves me right. I agree it seems the best system.
I think this sort of thing would be better than we have in the US. One tier of government-run, "free" healthcare and the other an expense-based system. Both public and private aspects to the system.This is how it works in central europe (with monor differences between each country):
- Everyone gets same standart of treatment "for free" (paid for by our healthcare tax)
- you can pay extra for non-standart treatments
- you can go to private dotors and hospitals - but it is likely to be expensive
- if you come to ER / hospital without being scheduled by your doctor and without any signs of a real problem, they will likely tell you to get lost and visit your doctor
- you still pay something (fraction of cost) for most medications (for example Czechia has limit of 200 per year for such copayments)
I think this sort of thing would be better than we have in the US. One tier of government-run, "free" healthcare and the other an expense-based system. Both public and private aspects to the system.
While I'm generally to the right on most things, it's a shame something like this would be impossible, or just about, because it involves government "running" part of it. People shouldn't be so damn stuck in their rigid ideology.
The kicker is it would be cheaper and better than what you guys are doing now. I thought the right wing is always looking after its own pockets
The problem with the current American system is that Healthcare is a product. You are the buyer, the doctor/facility is the seller. In such transactions we have expectations- the customer is always right, there has to be some sort of value for money, etc. Even in the ER where people are given service before they pay (and some never pay) there is an expectation that the person helping you is providing a for-profit service.
In a single payer system that is no longer the model. The doctor isn't someone you are buying something from, your doctor is someone who you are lucky enough to get access to. This different mentality gets rid of a lot of hypochondriacs because they aren't coddled like they are when they are buyers. The entitlement that an American hypochondriac has is never given the oxygen to grow, because there is no way to make extra money off of them.
Honestly I think that is the biggest argument AGAINST Single Payer in America- we have been Healthcare consumers for too long. We don't want the surgery when mama government determines we need it by prior experience, we want it NOW dammit because we deserve it. We want the hospital to do everything they can (at a cost of hundreds of thousands) to give grandma that extra day or two because we don't want to say bye dammit. And then we want the same for ourselves when we hit our end.
I think the solution personally is a two tier system. I think the government should buy hospitals, hire doctors, and provide free clinics all over the place. I think they should also allow private insurance and private hospitals to exist as well (without the unfunded mandate that they treat everyone) . In such a system people who cannot afford the private system can always go to the (lets be honest shitty) free hospitals, while if grandma Joe is loaded the private hospital can clean our her estate trying to give her an extra day or two.
Single payer is just anti-America, we can't stand being treated like we are average even if by definition half the people are below average.
This is pretty much what I was telling my dad a couple weeks ago. The idea of a single payer system is a good one. But it would never work in the United States right now because nobody is going to have their healthcare rationed. If grandma who turned 84 last week wants a hip replacement she is going to get one. If a stage 4 cancer patient wants hundreds of thousands of dollars in treatment to extend their lives by 6 days they get it instead of pain management.
Our costs wouldnt go down. Our costs would be shifted.
I am personally in favor of a high deductible single payer system. But also am willing to admit it most likely wont reduce costs until people are willing to have their healthcare rationed and maybe even have death panels.