Public or Private health care?

[Ultima]

Which is better? I'm pretty undecided. Public healthcare lets everyone have important operations and the like performed for free, although we still pay for dental stuff, eye stuff, and pay for prescriptions.

Private on the other hand has shorter waiting lists, but then hospitals and doctors get greedy with the money and bankrupt familes for major operations; I've heard that even giving birth can cost 10's of thousands of dollars. Since not everyone can afford this or insurance, many people go without.

On one hand you have health care for everyone, and everyone pays through tax.
On the other hand you have health care for some, and they pay through insurance companies or directly.

So who do you trust more? Insurance companies or the government? Who rips you off more? It'd be interesting to see who pays more (total, tax + dollars paid) for health-related costs between Canada and the US.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Private is always better. Private doctors get paid more....therefore, the service tends to be better.

 

[shiner]

Think about it....do you really want the same people that run the Postal Service to be responsible for your health?

 

[squirrel dog]

Thats why people from Canada come to the US for health related issues.

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: Ultima
Which is better? I'm pretty undecided. Public healthcare lets everyone have important operations and the like performed for free, although we still pay for dental stuff, eye stuff, and pay for prescriptions.

Private on the other hand has shorter waiting lists, but then hospitals and doctors get greedy with the money and bankrupt familes for major operations; I've heard that even giving birth can cost 10's of thousands of dollars. Since not everyone can afford this or insurance, many people go without.

On one hand you have health care for everyone, and everyone pays through tax.
On the other hand you have health care for some, and they pay through insurance companies or directly.

So who do you trust more? Insurance companies or the government? Who rips you off more? It'd be interesting to see who pays more (total, tax + dollars paid) for health-related costs between Canada and the US.

Nothing in life is free. Compare tax rates in the US and Canada and figure out how much you would pay in taxes and then weigh that cost against the costs of private insurance. The only ones better off financially under this situation is the poor, everyone else gets the shaft and it's a might big shaft.