Korean Job Discussion Forums

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

I never said that (it was an exaggeration), but my point is that it would take a sizable reduction in personal tax before most of the opposition would consider adopting a private-style system.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPSoQfumzQ0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaPKiYl3te0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_BLcap6qao

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

TheUrbanMyth · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Location: Retired

http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/long/21/3/19

The reason that most people probably don't meet these people is because they seem to be rather rare (relatively speaking)

In the period 1994-1998:

2,031 Canadian patients were admitted to hospitals in Michigan.

1,689 to hospitals in New York State.

And only 825 to Washington State facilities.

In addition it should be noted that the vast majority of these were emergency visits or for matters relating to pregnancy and birth. In other words most were for urgent issues that might not wait until they got back home for treatment.

Granted this survey only covered three states...but the reasons for doing so are discussed in the link above.

beck's · Joined: 02 Aug 2006

Emergency medicine in Canada is wonderful. I broke my thigh bone three years ago in a skiing accident. I had a titanium femur nail and screws put in my leg four days later.

I was in the hospital for two weeks all of the time ordering food off the menu. When people would visit me I would ask them if they wanted a snack. If they did I would pick up the phone and order some ice cream, cake a burger whatever. This service was 24/7. It didn't cost me a cent.

After the hospital I had six months of physiotherapy. The physiotherapist came to my home for the first month after that I went to his office. He came everday when I was confined to my house. It didn't cost me a cent.

Then again, 40% of my income goes to the government. Then whenever I buy anything we pay sales tax and a GST of about 15%.

God help you if your condition is not an emergency. Knee surgery, hip replacements, MRIs, ultrasounds can take up to two years wait. People die of cancer waiting for the MRI.

When we got medicare in Canada nothing else was in place. It was pay as you go. So, it was easy to go straight to socialized medicine. In the US there is a myriad of health plans that are profitable and government regulated and tied to one's job. It's a mess.

Maybe the best way for the US to go is to get rid of all regulation. Let the market decide.

Privateer · Joined: 31 Aug 2005 Location: Easy Street.

crossmr · Joined: 22 Nov 2008 Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

No, the one main difference is that there are still many Canadians who think socialism works and that high taxes are a good thing.

I'm not one of them, by the way....but I had to leave the country for a few years to figure that out.

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

some waygug-in · Joined: 25 Jan 2003

I think there is no system that "works", but Canadian society has gotten far too dependant on socialist ideals at the expense of things like jobs and
enterpreneurship.

I don't look to the US as a model either, my point is that many Canadians tend to idealize their system/country when in reality the Canadian system leaves a lot to be desired.

jvalmer · Joined: 06 Jun 2003

crossmr · Joined: 22 Nov 2008 Location: Hwayangdong, Seoul

I think you can answer the question very easily. If you were of modest means and had a semi-serious illness that required hospitalization or extensive tests, where would you rather be? Canada or the US?

If the illness isn't considered life threatening, your test could be delayed in Canada, but we've all read news articles about people getting jammed up by HMOs who won't cover things they need.

youtuber · Joined: 13 Sep 2009

Canada has 2 things going for it: cheaper healthcare and less violent.

If those two things were equal between the two countries, there is no doubt that I would prefer to live in the US.

Captain Corea · Joined: 28 Feb 2005 Location: Seoul

young_clinton · Joined: 09 Sep 2009

I'd rather have the failing socialist Canadian system than the failing supposedly free-market American system.

So what works? I doubt I'll live long enough to see any system that wipes out corruption and brings everyone out of poverty.[/quote]

Before the bubble burst in the USA didn't the world economy have a huge expansion? I don't think the bursting bubble set that expansion back all the way either. I don't think the american free market system failed. Actually in the third world, loans were much easier to get because of one bank being insured by another bank, resulting in a lot of people escaping poverty. the problem is nobody knew how far you could go with that kind of a banking system, its never been tried before. But still the economic expansion was very large prior to the bubble bursting.