From: Some@Guy.com   
      
   "Caesar J. B. Squitti" wrote:   
      
   > Well first of all, it is not a true public system,   
      
   And the US health care system is 2/3 gov't funded because of Medicare   
   and Medicade.   
      
   > Most all doctors are private corporations,   
      
   As they are in the US.   
      
   In the US, there are several million extra people employed in two   
   camps:   
      
   Camp 1:  Health care providers (admin and office people)   
      
   Camp 2:  Insurance companies (admin and office people)   
      
   Camp 1 people are employed to fight to get payments out of Camp 2   
   people, who are employed to drag their heels and resist making those   
   payments by finding loop holes and witholding authorization for   
   services.  Admin costs in Canada (Ontario at least) are less because   
   we dont' have all the salaries of those people fighting over   
   reimbursments.   
      
   The bigger problem with healthcare is this:   
      
   There are too many women entering med school.  The problem with women,   
   particularly in medicine, is that by the time they've gone to med   
   school and are ready to practice, they don't have long before they   
   want to screw off, become pregnant,  and then become a stay-at-home   
   mom.  If they go to a Canadian med school, they haven't racked up the   
   huge tuition debt compared with US med school, so they aren't as   
   motivated (financially) to make a career out of medicine to pay back   
   their relatively small tuition debt.  And men are more likely to make   
   a career (out of anything) vs women, so males that go through med   
   school are more likely to become, and remain, doctors up into their   
   60's.   
      
   > The system rewards repeat visits, treating symptoms that   
   > reoccur, referrals, more testings, referrals, testing,   
      
   Another problem with both the US and Canadian health care system is   
   that practically everything is covered by insurance.   
      
   A comparison other types of insurance is like this:  Routine stuff   
   like a brake job, or changing your wiper blades or refilling your   
   windshield-wiper fluid, is not covered by your car insurance plan.   
   When a kitchen appliance breaks and you need a new one, you don't call   
   your home insurance provider and get them to buy you a new one.   
      
   Insurance is designed to provide for situations that are normally   
   beyond your financial means but are also rare and may never occurr.   
   You have fire insurance for your house because most people don't have   
   the financial resources to replace a burned out house - but they do   
   have the money to pay for a new kitchen appliance, or for new wiper   
   blades for their car.   
      
   You should have to pay for a visit to the GP.  That can be 100% tax   
   deductible.  If the doctor wants you to have a test, or see a   
   specialist, or admit you to hospital, all that can be covered by OHIP   
   then.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)