Healthcare Reform

RedDenver said:
I'm always amused when the solution is to keep doing what we're already doing - private sector industries. Has Romney actually looked at what those other nations are doing? Hint: it's not more private sector healthcare. It's almost like "health" is not a commodity that people can elect to wait for better prices like a cell phone or car.
Click to expand...
Yeah...that part made me roll my eyes.

That's why I only commented on the immigrant part.

Archy1221 said:
Or in many cases wait in line for their turn to get treated 
Click to expand...
Like me yesterday setting up a dermatology appointment and they can't get me in till April.

 
BigRedBuster said:
Yeah...that part made me roll my eyes.

That's why I only commented on the immigrant part.

Like me yesterday setting up a dermatology appointment and they can't get me in till April.
Click to expand...
not sure how long ago you made your appt or your wait time, but here is the universal care wait time for a specialist.  
 

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/waiting-your-turn-wait-times-for-health-care-in-canada-2020
 

This edition of Waiting Your Turn indicates that, overall, waiting times for medically necessary treatment have increased since last year. Specialist physicians surveyed report a median waiting time of 22.6 weeks between referral from a general practitioner and receipt of treatment—longer than the wait of 20.9 weeks reported in 2019. This year’s wait time is the longest wait time recorded in this survey’s history and is 143% longer than in 1993, when it was just 9.3 weeks.

 
I have a torn rotator cuff and a lot of pain. They got me into the MRI in less than two weeks, but it will another month and a half before the Orthopedic Surgeon's Assistant will be able to go over the results with me. The surgeon is only contracted for one day a week at the hospital allowed by my insurance, so it's a crap shoot when the actual surgery will take place, but it's definitely months away. 

Before the surgery I am also required to schedule a visit with a GP and insurance approved cardiologist. I would shake my fist in anger, but that hurts a lot. 

 
Archy1221 said:
not sure how long ago you made your appt or your wait time, but here is the universal care wait time for a specialist.  
 

https://www.fraserinstitute.org/studies/waiting-your-turn-wait-times-for-health-care-in-canada-2020
 

This edition of Waiting Your Turn indicates that, overall, waiting times for medically necessary treatment have increased since last year. Specialist physicians surveyed report a median waiting time of 22.6 weeks between referral from a general practitioner and receipt of treatment—longer than the wait of 20.9 weeks reported in 2019. This year’s wait time is the longest wait time recorded in this survey’s history and is 143% longer than in 1993, when it was just 9.3 weeks.
Click to expand...
That would stink.  But, let's not act like people are waiting that long for life saving treatments or surgeries.

LINK

SHANOOR SEERVAI: So one of the things that we hear about in the U.S. when our two health systems are compared is that Canada has really long waiting times for health services. How long do people really have to wait to get care?

CHRISTOPHER HAYES: So I guess it’s — it depends on what do you think you’re waiting for. So if you are in a hospital and you need surgery you don’t wait. It gets done in — if it needs to be done in 30 minutes it will be done in 30 minutes. If you need an MRI for care provided in a hospital you will get it whenever — depending on where you are because not every hospital has an MRI, but you will be prioritized and that will happen probably as quickly as it can be done anywhere. It is as the priority drops or is deemed less by whomever that the wait — so the waits are how long will you wait to see a specialist after seeing your family doctor.

I mean, the one that people will talk about is cataracts, hip surgeries, non — not cancer type surgeries, where there — things will get worse if you don’t get treated. And so you can wait months for those surgeries.
Click to expand...


So, I can get a hip replacement in 20-30 days and pay $40,000 plus.  Or, wait 3 months and not be overloaded with debt.

I guess that's a decision people would need to make.

I made my appointment yesterday.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Guy Chamberlin said:
I have a torn rotator cuff and a lot of pain. They got me into the MRI in less than two weeks, but it will another month and a half before the Orthopedic Surgeon's Assistant will be able to go over the results with me. The surgeon is only contracted for one day a week at the hospital allowed by my insurance, so it's a crap shoot when the actual surgery will take place, but it's definitely months away. 

Before the surgery I am also required to schedule a visit with a GP and insurance approved cardiologist. I would shake my fist in anger, but that hurts a lot. 
Click to expand...
Sounds like a Kaiser plan.  
 

good luck with post op.    Terribly sucks for that surgery. 

 
Archy1221 said:
Who pays that?  
Click to expand...
After I posted that, I researched it and corrected my post.  The average for a hip replacement for someone that doesn't have insurance is $40,000.  The sad thing is, typically, if you have insurance, the bill is a lot higher.

However, there is a wide range.

According to Healthcare Bluebook, hip replacement surgery can cost you anywhere between $23,203 and over $74,000.  Anecdotally, I know a woman whose hip replacement surgery bill came to $102,000, so the range is wide.
Click to expand...

 
Last edited by a moderator:
BigRedBuster said:
That would stink.  But, let's not act like people are waiting that long for life saving treatments or surgeries.

LINK

So, I can get a hip replacement in 20-30 days and pay $40,000 plus.  Or, wait 3 months and not be overloaded with debt.

I guess that's a decision people would need to make.

I made my appointment yesterday.
Click to expand...


People of a certain age are also living with pretty bad hip, shoulder and knee pain for a few years until they qualify for Medicare. 

 
Went to the ER this week with my wife (she's fine but had bad pain in her kidney, and has a history of kidney stones). Waited over 2.5 hours before we were seen and were there for a total of 7 hours. She was in tears when we checked in, I had to keep getting Kleenex for her nose and tears, and she told them it was a sharp pain but I guess it didn't matter for the triage.

When they finally took us back I was horrified. The halls were lined with patients on beds. It reminded me of being in O'Hare after all the nigh flights were cancelled. You could overhear some pretty private doctor-patient conversations since everyone was in the open.

My wife works at this hospital and told me this wasn't that uncommon for the ER to be this bad, and it can get worse. I said I don't care this is still f#&%ed up for a county like our. We need major changes!

Romney is also way off base on immigration, as immigrant nurses would likely lower the average pay for nurses. The whole problem of nursing shortages comes down to two things horrible working conditions and mediocre pay. These people are on their feet for 12 to 13 hours a day with minimal breaks, whipping asses, cleaning blood, and flipping morbidly obese patients. There are plenty of other jobs out there with similar pay and better hours/conditions. Or if you really are called to the profession you can get better pay as a travel or contingent nurse, instead of being on the regular payroll.

 
Pay them better, fix their hours, mandate that they have to take their lunches and breaks, and mandate a proper nurse to patient ratio. 

 
ZRod said:
Pay them better, fix their hours, mandate that they have to take their lunches and breaks, and mandate a proper nurse to patient ratio. 
Click to expand...
LOL...yeah...OK.  Shift is 4 nurses short, the ICU is full.  Patients are coming back from open heart surgery and need admitted into the unit and monitored, one codes.  Two are being dismissed to another floor because there are two in the ER that need admitted immediately.

Oh....sorry, the nurse and doctor are on break.  And, even if they were here, we don't have enough nurses, you will need to go home and come back tomorrow.....maybe.  We will let you know.

 
BigRedBuster said:
LOL...yeah...OK.  Shift is 4 nurses short, the ICU is full.  Patients are coming back from open heart surgery and need admitted into the unit and monitored, one codes.  Two are being dismissed to another floor because there are two in the ER that need admitted immediately.

Oh....sorry, the nurse and doctor are on break.  And, even if they were here, we don't have enough nurses, you will need to go home and come back tomorrow.....maybe.  We will let you know.
Click to expand...
That's called adequate staffing and is the hospital's responsibility to ensure. They have regular staff and float pools to prevent issues like this, but they choose to run under staffed to meet budgets and turn a profit. The end result is burnout and a nurse shortage.

You are never going to turn patients away but you can fine the hell out of the hospital for knowingly understaffing units prior to the shift starting.

It's pretty f#&%ed up when you work 12 to 13 hour days on your feet cleaning up literal s#!t, flipping 400 pound morbidly obese people, and giving them potentially lethal drugs while barely getting a piss break and having to skip your lunch break just to make sure they don't die because there's no one there to relieve you. I don't know about you but I'd rather make sure someone who is giving me dangerous drugs is well rested and not mentally and physically fatigued.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top