A Usenet persona calling itself BCITORGB wrote:

Scott, commenting on many (most) in Canada getting immediate ca
==================
Yup. While at the same time, teenagers who need knee surgery have to
wait
three years.
==================

Notwithstanding the protestations of rick, several of us from Canada
have commented on, and admitted, that one of the consequences of our
style of healthcare is that, for some procedures, there are waiting
lists. That's a fact. But it's a price we're willing to pay,

I doubt you speak for everyone, or even a substantial number of Canadians,
given how much dissatisfaction there is in Canada now and how many calls for
privatization and reform.

So let's take the cae you bring up: teenagers who need knee surgery. I
don't know if teenagers in Canada who need knee surgery nmust wait 3
years as you claim. [Aside: you might be able to pull such an isolated
case out of the archives somewhere, but it is unlikely to be the rule.]


Now let's switch our focus to the USA for one moment. Let's also assume
a teenager who needs knee surgery. Let's further assume that this kid's
family is uninsured.

Can we expect that she'll get immediate attention at her local
hospital? Or will she need to wait?

She need only wait till the money's available or her parents can find a
charitable program or hospital to do the surgery pro bono. In Canada, it's
not possible to take out a loan or get a grant and get the surgery done in a
timely manner, so what was an acute injury will turn into a chronic
disability due to lack of timely medical care that may cripple the child for
life.

Is it likely that as people with
insurance arrive, some "bureaucrat" in the hospital will priorize and
thereby establish a "waiting list"?

Nope. The priority is set by the patient.


Can you assure me that, under the American system, the teenager will
get immediate attention,

Yup.

ahead of those with (a) more emergent need

Yes, because she can go to a specialist surgical clinic that only operates
on knees, and in so doing, avoid the critical care queue for emergent
patients.


(after all, she did arrive ahead of them) and (b) those with equivalent
need but covered by insurance?

There's lots and lots of surgical specialty clinics in the US.


Tell me about your waiting lists for non-emergent cases without
insurance, OK?

That would be, perhaps, a list used by a charitable organization. However,
the point is that in the US, the teenager is not *prohibited* from seeking
out and obtaining any medical care that she needs from a provider willing to
provide the service. In Canada, no matter how willing the surgeon, no matter
how ready the charity is to pay for it...or the parents for that matter,
government bureaucrats decide who gets to be treated.
--
Regards,
Scott Weiser

"I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend on
friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" TM

© 2005 Scott Weiser