Conservative Type Healthcare

[Melanie_]

The voluntary giving scenario sounds good on paper, but I wonder how well it would work in practice. How many of us would just give of our own free will? Would it depend on the immediacy of the need, and our own connection to the patient? We hear sometimes of families going to great lengths to fundraise for treatments not covered by medicare, but these families at the same time are under tremendous stress that is only made worse by the worry of trying to raise enough money. And in the economy driven health care model, I wonder how many of us would be willing to donate, and how many would be fundraising? I can tell you, I am tired of buying chocolates from kids going door to door for hockey, baseball, etc (although I am partial to the mint Girl Guide Cookies). And I get enough calls from worthy charities asking for money, without having needy families thrown into the mix. Maybe there could be a defined model for how extraordinary circumstances would work?

[Renegade]

Choices are constantly made in determining funding for worthy causes. The main difference is we can abrogate responsibility for these choices to the government or we can make them ourselves.

I would advocate that the preferrable situation is to make the funding choices for charitable situations ourselves. Despite the overhead of making more decisions, at least we are in control of our funding choices.

I too have heard of situations of families going to great lengths to fundraise for medical situations, but this result is due to many of us (potential doners) making a funding choice (even if we don't explictly wish to acknowledge it).

[Melanie_]

It leaves people on pretty shaky ground, if no one chooses to support their particular cause. And it puts the rest of us in the position of being guilted into giving on a constant basis. I'd rather just give a set amount to a central agency (say, the government, through taxes) instead of being constantly bombarded with requests that are valid but beyond my means to support (especially if I am approaching my own health care limit).

A further thought - in your model, I can see large corporations offering health care grants to employees; how long would it take for those grants to turn into a private insurance program? We would soon have a single tier health care system with three categories of users: those who do not exceed their maximums, those who are fundraising, and those who are covered through their workplace. It would be the poorest among us that would have least access to health care in this case.

[I Miss Trudeau]

I'm still waiting for you to point me in the right direction to show me the evidence of this.  NAFTA will allow them in, but I don't recall where in NAFTA it says they can stop public funding for public healthcare.

Go read chapter 11.

[Renegade]

I'd rather just give a set amount to a central agency (say, the government, through taxes) instead of being constantly bombarded with requests

Yes, but that would be your choice. You may choose the government to donate to to handle hardship cases, I may choose my favourate hospital, someone else may choose their church, others may choose not to donate at all. But ultimately it shoud be a choice.

It would be the poorest among us that would have least access to health care in this case.

Yes, but that is one of the realities of life. If the poorest among us cannot afford food, they go hungry. If the poorest among us cannot afford shelter, they go homeless, and if they cannot afford healthcare they would do without.

I go back to my premis that the reason for a healthcare system is so we share risk of catastrophic illness or injury which to each one of us would be unaffordable.

[Renegade]

One other thought I had, was that another way for people to handle health care costs is for the government to institute a saving plan. This would be analagous to an RRSP but for healthcare, or alternatively expand the use of RRSP funds to pay for healthcare.

Obviously each of us don't need the govenment to tell us to have our own "rainy day" fund, but many people would only do it if the government initiated the system.

[BHS]

One other thought I had, was that another way for people to handle health care costs is for the government to institute a saving plan. This would be analagous to an RRSP but for healthcare, or alternatively expand the use of RRSP funds to pay for healthcare.

Obviously each of us don't need the govenment to tell us to have our own "rainy day" fund, but many people would only do it if the government initiated the system.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This sounds so much like George Bush's plan to save Social Security that there is no way, come hell or high water, that the Liberals would ever consider it. Liberal orthodoxy states that to imitate the Americans in any way is to admit defeat in the Great War of We Are Different And Therefore Better. To imitate George Bush in any way would be that defeat times a thousand, because he's, you know, stupid.

[mirror]

The main threat to Canada's health care system is all these doctors who want to gouge Canadians by opening up these private clinics. As soon as they are all closed up our health care system will be fine.

I read yesterday that Ontario is going to have nurses assisting doctors during operations instead of other doctors. Great idea that is long overdue. We can put into action lots of innovative ideas like this. Our health care system is basically fine just the way it is.

[Renegade]

...all these doctors who want to gouge Canadians by opening up these private clinics

Doctors who open private clinics are no different then the rest of us who seek the best possible compensation for their efforts. If they stand to earn more in a private clinic, why shouldn't they be entitled to do so. I fail to see how that is "gouging" any more than a union who strikes the best possible deal with an employer.

[crazymf]

This sounds so much like George Bush's plan to save Social Security that there is no way, come hell or high water, that the Liberals would ever consider it. Liberal orthodoxy states that to imitate the Americans in any way is to admit defeat in the Great War of We Are Different And Therefore Better. To imitate George Bush in any way would be that defeat times a thousand, because he's, you know, stupid.

Funny stuff, I gotta use that somewhere, can I have it??

[BHS]

This sounds so much like George Bush's plan to save Social Security that there is no way, come hell or high water, that the Liberals would ever consider it. Liberal orthodoxy states that to imitate the Americans in any way is to admit defeat in the Great War of We Are Different And Therefore Better. To imitate George Bush in any way would be that defeat times a thousand, because he's, you know, stupid.

Funny stuff, I gotta use that somewhere, can I have it??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Go for it.