[tri-med] Re: Public Health Care Alert in UK

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark & Jayne Wright"
> Just how does Australia pay for the healthcare if you don't have to pay 
> much out of pocket and have freedom of choice?  It seems too good to be 
> true. :)

I think I have answered this - if you can afford to have private you are 
encouraged to do so, but if you have a long or expensive illness you can 
always fall back on medicare. If you choose not to have private insurance 
but the government says you can afford it then you pay the medicare levy 
with your tax.

We still complain that the system is not good enough, waiting times are too 
long etc but from what I see of other systems I think its pretty good. The 
overall problem is that health care costs are rising and with that our 
expectations are rising too. Someone has to pay eventually. My main point is 
that no one tells me who I can or can't see and the government doesnt tell 
the doctor who he can or can't treat. Some doctors are royal b's and wont 
see public patients at all. Some see less than 1% I make a point of NOT 
going to doctors like that because if they have no compassion and are only 
worried about the $ then I don't want to know them. Experience tells me that 
they don't truly care about the patient.

> In the U.S., we have many more illegals than Canada, for instance, which 
> drives up the price of healthcare since they can go to the emergency room 
> at taxpayers expense.  We also have more drug and alcohol abuse than 
> Canada from what I've read, which also increases the cost of medical care.

We have a problem with illegal immigrants too and thats a bone of contention 
for many folk with regards to medicare. Some see the illegal immigrants come 
here knowing that they will be deported but while they wait for that to 
happen they get free food, housing, medical and dental...........

> Government intervention in the insurance industry also drives up the cost 
> (can't shop state to state) and also lawsuits against doctors are costly. 
> These are some of the issues that the opposition wants to change to 
> decrease healthcare costs.

We get the law suit deal with doctors being used as a case for expense but 
the figures don't hold that up - law suits here are not like the US. Very 
few people get multi million dollar payouts. Payouts are for actual costs 
and anything for "pain and suffering" is minimal. That said the government 
here has limited legal cases for compensation as well. With road accidents 
insurance payouts there is a government organised scheme and compensation 
payouts are limited. You only have three years in which to sue any doctor 
and most of the time you wouldnt bother because they have the bucks to fight 
and the average plep doesn't. It takes a very brave person to take on a 
court case here for anything.

That said if a doctor is found criminally negligent then the government will 
help you sue them.

Karen 

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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