Comments on: Arthur Salm: European vs. American health care

By: Jack

Jack — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 18:13:00 +0000

My uncle died of a heart attac in Vienna Austria in 1990 while on holiday.No big deal. My aunt is a retired RN and thought they did what they could.Thanks. Then the Austrians wanted $5000 for his body. WHAT?
So she paid it and they flew back to Vancouver,BC
It’s cheaper to live. Anyway,the American Health Care system isn’t one. It is a byzantine collection of private insurance companies,Medicare, military care, federal gov’t employee care and so on,youall get my drift.
It is for people with money or connections,affiliations and pull.
The European and Canadian Heath Care Plan is run by the doctors,hospitals,clinics and their administrators to cover the ‘non-profit’costs of operation[e.g. Doctors wages,nurses,janitors,secratarys,electric bill,water,and such]; Then the 10 provinces and 3 territories do the dailey accounting indepently. Then get the money from general revenue and some user insurance fees to pay the bill.
The American media call this a government system and therefore controlled by buearacrats. WRONG. It is run by medical commitities at the local hospital,for breviety. It’s a funding thing,not government.Even in Austria.Good Luck.

By: Arthur Salm: Health care up north - Canadians are not dying by the millions

Arthur Salm: Health care up north - Canadians are not dying by the millions — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:06:44 +0000

[...] related from Arthur Salm: American vs. European health care Part I | American vs. European health care Part II | Insurance companies terrified by the public [...]

By: Arthur Salm: Insurance companies terrified of public option

Arthur Salm: Insurance companies terrified of public option — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 13:51:38 +0000

[...] American vs. European health care - Part I [...]

By: Arthur Salm: Bicyclists don’t need stop signs

Arthur Salm: Bicyclists don’t need stop signs — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:49:11 +0000

[...] American vs. European health care - Part I [...]

By: Arthur Salm: American vs. Euro health care - Pt. II

Arthur Salm: American vs. Euro health care - Pt. II — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:04:29 +0000

[...] his column on Monday, Arthur Salm described Manuela Griffin’s health-care experience while vacationing in Austria [...]

By: Deborah

Deborah — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:05:31 +0000

A friend recently told me a related story about what happened to her. When she had a medical incident, the U.S. doctor wanted to conduct expensive and potentially dangerous surgery. As a British resident (but U.S. citizen), she was eligible for UK medical care and couldn’t afford the U.S. option, so she chose to fly back to the UK despite the U.S. doctor’s recommendations. In the UK, five (not just one) doctors met to review her case. They explained the risks of the surgery (which the U.S. doctor had not), recommended lifestyle changes and regular monitoring, and let her decide. That was two years ago, and she’s still doing well without the surgery.

By: Outraged

Outraged — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:16:34 +0000

What would that $22,000 bill have been here? For 40 days in the hospital, brain surgery and all the rest? At least 10 times that, maybe more.

So if Europeans can provide healthcare for everybody and keep costs down, it seems pretty logical to try their system here. Who says we can’t? The people getting fat off our mess of a system.