U.S. Healthcare

stockingfull wrote:It's just false. Tort lawyers make no money -- ZERO -- on cases they don't win.

LOL you know as well as I do they are just pulling the handle on the judicial slot machine waiting for it to start going DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! DING! Edit: Last I checked there was no law that said they had to take these cases, they do it because they know when they do win the profits are enormous to outright absurd. Tell you what stockingfull, if you ever get hit by a poor uninsured driver try taking your case to one these accident claim lawyers advertising on TV and see what they tell you. You don't have to because I tell you what they will they will say.....nothing because they'll be too busy doing this -------------->

Take this for example from Tennessee : http://www.dayontorts.com/tort-reform-t ... essee.html

I'm going to use some average numbers here:

In 2006 total there is nearly 3000 cases listed there whether judgment , settlement or loss. The lawyer had a one in six chance of winning, total payout for the nearly 500 cases won was $105,000,000 or $210,000 per win. the average lawyer fee is 30%? So that's $70,000 the lawyer gets for win... or the other way to look at it is they are getting paid something like $11,500 win or lose.

That doesn't even begin to skim the surface though because 5/6 cases being loss would suggest the system is being abused would it not? Of course defense costs have not been added into these number and they get paid no matter what.

Thanks Richard, you nailed it. I found that statement to be quite remarkable considering.

Every time a lawsuit is filed, the Defendants Lawyers kick into gear and the clock starts ticking, in the case of corporations and such, Lawfirms are on retainer (they get paid regardless if they have work or not) all these costs are in fact rolled into what Hospitals and Doctors charge for their services. DUH! Nevermind the cost of illegal aliens put into the system, OH thats right, that's probably just a "Fallacy" and "Strawman" excuse as well.

On the original subject, I found this:

Please take the time to read it so you can do whatever you wish....research, verify, etc., but please read it.




I saw on the news up here in Canada where Hillary Clinton introduced her new health care plan. Something similar to what we have in Canada. I also heard that Michael Moore was raving about the health care up here in Canada in his latest movie. As your friend and someone who lives with the Canada health care plan I thought I would give you some facts about this great medical plan that we have in Canada.





First of all:





1) The health care plan in Canada is not free. We pay a premium every month of $96. for Shirley and I to be covered. Sounds great eh. What they don't tell you is how much we pay in taxes to keep the health care system afloat. I am personally in the 55% tax bracket. Yes 55% of my earnings go to taxes. A large portion of that and I am not sure of the exact amount goes directly to health care our #1 expense.





2) I would not classify what we have as health care plan, it is more like a health diagnosis system. You can get into to see a doctor quick enough so he can tell you "yes indeed you are sick or you need an operation" but now the challenge becomes getting treated or operated on. We have waiting lists out the ying yang some as much as 2 years down the road.





3) Rather than fix what is wrong with you the usual tactic in Canada is to prescribe drugs. Have a pain here is a drug to take- not what is causing the pain and why. No time for checking you out because it is more important to move as many patients thru as possible each hour for Government re-imbursement





4) Many Canadians do not have a family Doctor.





5) Don't require emergency treatment as you may wait for hours in the emergency room waiting for treatment.



6) Shirley's dad cut his hand on a power saw a few weeks back and it required that his hand be put in a splint - to our surprise we had to pay $125. for a splint because it is not covered under health care plus we have to pay $60. for each visit for him to check it out each week.





7) Shirley's cousin was diagnosed with a heart blockage. Put on a waiting list . Died before he could get treatment.





8) Government allots so many operations per year. When that is done no more operations, unless you go to your local newspaper and plead your case and embarrass the government then money suddenly appears.





9)The Government takes great pride in telling us how much more they are increasing the funding for health care but waiting lists never get shorter. Government just keeps throwing money at the problem but it never goes away. But they are good at finding new ways to tax us, but they don't call it a tax anymore it is now a user fee.





10) A friend needs an operation for a blockage in her leg but because she is a smoker they will not do it. Despite paying into the health care system all these years. My friend is 65 years old. Now there is talk that maybe we should not treat fat and obese people either because they are a drain on the health care system. Let me see now, what we want in Canada is a health care system for healthy people only. That should reduce our health care costs.





11) Forget getting a second opinion, what you see is what you get.





12) I can spend what money I have left after taxes on booze, cigarettes, junk food and anything else that could kill me but I am not allowed by law to spend my money on getting an operation I need because that would be jumping the queue. I must wait my turn except if I am a hockey player or athlete then I can get looked at right away. Go figger. Where else in the world can you spend money to kill yourself but not allowed to spend money to get healthy.





13) Oh did I mention that immigrants are covered automatically at tax payer expense having never contributed a dollar to the system and pay no premiums.





14) Oh yeh we now give free needles to drug users to try and keep them healthy. Wouldn't want a sickly druggie breaking into your house and stealing your things. But people with diabetes who pay into the health care system have to pay for their needles because it is not covered but the health care system.





I send this out not looking for sympathy but as the election looms in the states you will be hearing more and more about universal health care down there and the advocates will be pointing to Canada. I just want to make sure that you hear the truth about health care up here and have some food for thought and informed questions to ask when broached with this subject.





Step wisely and don't make the same mistakes we have

LsFarm wrote: Step wisely and don't make the same mistakes we have

Ohh, I know, lets try the same thing, but maybe it'll be different this time around....Doh!

God forbid we should try to improve cost and delivery of medical care in this country because we ain't smart enough to figure out how to have a system any better then them Canuckians got.

Social Luddites.

stockingfull wrote:God forbid we should try to improve cost and delivery of medical care in this country because we ain't smart enough to figure out how to have a system any better then them Canuckians got.

If it is so great up there why do they come to this country in droves for health care?

coaledsweat wrote:

stockingfull wrote:God forbid we should try to improve cost and delivery of medical care in this country because we ain't smart enough to figure out how to have a system any better then them Canuckians got.

If it is so great up there why do they come to this country in droves for health care?

'Cause they're dumb Canuckians?

Look, our system is far, far from perfect. It ought to and surely will be changed.

Talked to an old friend today. His wife and both daughters are feeding off the dream world of the pharmaceutical industry, where a new patent is all you need to print money for a couple years. They know it not only will, but should, change. And that's just one aspect of the problem.

stockingfull wrote:[Look, our system is far, far from perfect. It ought to and surely will be changed.

The problem is Moonbats want to burn the House down in order to fix a window. Stifling innovation is not a brite move.

Ed.A wrote:

stockingfull wrote:[Look, our system is far, far from perfect. It ought to and surely will be changed.

The problem is Moonbats want to burn the House down in order to fix a window. Stifling innovation is not a brite move.

Happily, the threat of radical change already has the strangest things happening:

http://gspence1173.wordpress.com/2007/02/22/montel-taken-hostage-in-pharmaceutical-bus-jacking/

"Canadian Health Care We So Envy Lies In Ruins, Its Architect Admits"

"We thought we could resolve the system's problems by rationing services or injecting massive amounts of new money into it," says Castonguay (the architect). But now he prescribes a radical overhaul: "We are proposing to give a greater role to the private sector so that people can exercise freedom of choice."

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticle ... 2509335931

I've mentioned the report I saw on PBS that looked at many of the "successful" Healthcare systems in the world. One thing that did stand out is many of them that were doing very well for the people were also broke.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... d=89626309

Hospitals Hit Hard

But while the patients may be healthy, the hospitals are in even worse financial shape than the doctors.

"I think our system is pretty good, pretty good, but no system is perfect," he says. "But 50 percent of hospitals are in financial deficit now."

So here's the weakness: While the United States probably spends too much on health care, Japan may be spending too little. In a country with $10-a-night hospital stays, prices just aren't high enough to balance the books.

Hospital prices too low? That's a problem a lot of countries would like.