Saddam captured

[wolf]

Originally posted by russotto
On the US health care system: So what's the waiting period for non-life-critical surgery in those socialized systems? Several years?

Among the various specialties, the shortest total waits were for cancer surgery (6.1 weeks), cancer radiation (8.1 weeks) and general surgery (10.3 weeks), while patients waited longest for orthopedic surgery (32.2 weeks), eye treatment (30 weeks) and plastic surgery (28.6 weeks).

Getting diagnosed for a problem in the first place also proved to be more burdensome for Canadians, according to the survey.

The median wait for an ultrasound was 3.6 weeks; for computed tomography (a CT scan) it was 5.5 weeks; and for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) it was 12.7 weeks.

The above is from an article in cnews regarding the Canadian Healthcare system.

32 week wait for Orthopedic surgery? That's longer than it takes most broken bones to heal, people. See something wrong there? The waiting periods for diagnostic imaging are equally horrifying ... you can be dead before your appointment to have a head CT to determine if you are stroking out ... this is NOT progress. This is not adequate patient care by any stretch of the imagination.

You can get emergency treatment in the United States whether or not you have insurance coverage. You can have these diagnostic procedures performed. You do not have to wait three to six months for an appointment.

People with low/no incomes qualify for medical assistance, which is many cases is better coverage than a lot of paid iinsurance plans. (I know that the mental health coverage for PA Medical Assistance Subscribers offers more benefit days than equivalent private plans, and I'm told by more than a few patients that the medical coverage portion is good as well.)