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Socialized Canadian Medicine


Americans often (some Canadians too by the way) complain about Canada’s “socialized” medical system – in fact in Quebec it is one of the most restrictive systems in the world.  The bitching is that you may have to wait for essential car, whereas in the U.S., you pay your money and you get your service.

Of course never mentioned in these comments are what if you don’t have the money, or more to the point you don’t have enough.  How about if the choice is about feeding your family or getting cancer screening/treatment?  What do you do?  Well it appears that the answer is you feed your family.

In "More Adults Foregoing Medical Care, Health Insurance Due to Cost," Becker's Hospital Review highlights one of the tough choices the "recovery" is forcing many Americans to make.
More adults are foregoing medical care or health insurance because they can't afford it, according to studies by the New York-based Commonwealth Fund and D.C.-based Families USA.
The studies, reported in American Medical News, found that the economic recession has driven patients out of physician offices. The Commonwealth Fund study found the number of uninsured adults rose over the last decade from 38 million to an estimated 52 million, representing 28 percent of the working-age population.
The good news, of course, is that it leaves them with more money to squander spend on dollar store trinkets, junk food, lottery tickets -- and stocks.
More fodder for the bulls?

About half of America’s personal bankruptcies are caused by medical bills – wait for it, for people who have medical insurance.  Of late, I am unable to watch even the Daily Show (on Comedy Central) because the Republicans are big fat liars, and the Democrats are clueless.  

Right now America’ congress is debating a budget cutting measure that would reduce expenditure by a whole $60 billion (or about 4% of total deficit how impressive is that?).  At the same time the GOP is pushing for more tax cuts, and the Democrats are saying nothing useful, starting with the President himself.  Every morning I wake up glad that I don’t live in that country, now I try to avoid most news about that country.  I just cannot take it anymore

End of Rant

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