I know that the audience here is not just US-ians like myself. We have regular contributors from Europe and from Canada. So please, help a poor, benighted US-ian out here.
How do you like your single-payer health care over there?
Specific questions below the flip.
OK, here are my questions:
1.) How much wait time do people have for ESSENTIAL health care services? Like treating acute diseases, and chronic diseases in an acute, uncontrolled stage? (I'm thinking of cancer here but diabetes and heart disease come to mind.) Is there a major bottleneck in emergency rooms? Is there such a thing as "urgent care" where sub-emergency but acute illness is dealt with on a walk-in basis?
2.) How much wait time do people have to see their Primary Care Physician?
3.) How good is your respective National Health Service (whatever it's called where you are) at treating chronic, controllable diseases?
4.) Do those who have life-threatening diseases get a crack at the latest and greatest treatments for their disease? How closely do teaching hospitals and research facilities mesh with your respective health care system?
5.) Are private practices and private insurance available for those people who can afford "gilt-edged" "boutique" medicine? Or are everyone in the same risk pool, with no augmentation allowed?
6.) What happens when foreign people (tourists, students, the "undocumented") seek health care? Do they seem to burden the system or are they just a minor part of the consumer pool? Do you have to be a legal resident/citizen to get health care in your country?
7.) How long is the wait time for elective but medically advisable surgery? How long is the wait time for medically necessary surgery? How long is the wait time for emergency surgery? Do people find themselves resorting to "medical tourism" to get certain elective but medically advisable procedures done ahead of the waiting list?
8.) How are procedures that are completely elective, like non-reconstructive plastic surgery, handled in your country?
9.) Are you satisfied with your health care in your country? What would you like to see changed? (note that this is the poll question.)
I just want to non-scientifically find out, from people from other parts of the world who have "civilized" health care, what their experiences are, and perhaps see if those first-person anecdotes could be usable to help reframe the debate on health care here. Thanks for your help!
Michelle, aka Snakes on a White House.