So, as the old saying goes, "Let's cut to the chase." Do we or do we not offer medical care to those who can not afford it?
I checked out the link. The news always tells us about the person with the money who had to travel to a foreign country or had to get on a waiting list. Where are the people who received treatment who otherwise wouldn't have been able to afford it? Where are the testimonies from people who are thankful all they had to do was wait three months for treatment because they sure as hell wouldn't have been able to save the $5,000 or $10,000 in that amount of time to pay a private clinic.
Canada has had a medical plan since the late 60s. That's 40 years. 40 years of people getting medical care when needed. Now there is a funding problem and people jump up and say, "Dump it!"
Of course, people have been ranting about costs for decades and during all those decades people were getting the necessary medical care.
Government medical. Private medical. A combination of both. I really don't care. The point is there is no reason/excuse for a first world country not to look after it's ill and infirm. That's what it all boils down to.
In countries like Canada people are motivated to find a solution because a solution has to be found. The program is already in existence. The government is obliged to make whatever changes are necessary to keep the program running or they'll find themselves out of a job.
Is there a solution. Of course there is. How do I know? I know because there is no reason a first world country can not look after it's ill and infirm.
Subsidized tuition for doctors and nurses in exchange for them working a certain amount of time, after graduation, for the government? Similar to what the military offers. Serve your country and get money for an education.
There has to be a solution. The ill and infirm have to be looked after. It's simply silly to say a first world country can not do that.
We come back to the same argument. Dozens of countries have been doing it for decades. They bitch and complain but they're still doing it. If they could do it for 20 or 30 or 40 years what has changed?
If it requires adjustment, make adjustments. If people don't want a government plan set up a system like unemployment or welfare. It's not rocket science to determine if a person can afford a certain medical treatment. Those who can't....the government pays. That way the government is not involved in any medical decisions. They simply check the person's income filing, number of members in the family, etc and write a check.
Being able to afford a medical procedure is no different than being able to afford a new car. Either you can or you can't. If you can't, the government covers you. Simple, efficient......but that would never pass and we all know why, don't we?
So, what are we left with? We're left with a universal plan.