A reminder that universal health coverage does not mean you get the medical care you need. From the Associated Press, Feb. 5:
ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland -- The premier of Canada's east coast province is undergoing heart surgery in the United States this week because the treatment he is seeking was not ...
From the Washington Post:
Walk-in medical clinics run by CVS, Wal-Mart and other retailers provide care for routine illnesses that is as good as, and costs less than, similar care offered in doctors' offices, hospital emergency rooms and urgent care centers, according to a new Rand Corp. study. The cost savings ...
(Originally posted on John Goodman's Health Policy Blog)
Although Canadian health care is supposedly free, each year thousands of Canadians come to the United States instead. Many have spent so long waiting for care in Canada that they will pay out of pocket for US care in order to escape suffering ...
Critics of non-government insurance complain that such companies deny claims, and imply that this would never happen with government-run insurance such as Medicare. In a previous post I pointed out that in Massachusetts, Medicaid denies a higher percentage of claims than non-government insurers.
According to the American Medical Association's 2008 Health ...
From the Los Angeles Times:
In British Columbia, private clinics and surgical centers are capitalizing on patients who might otherwise pay for faster treatment in the U.S. The courts will consider their legality next month.
...
Hoping to capitalize on patients who might otherwise go to the U.S. for speedier care, a network ...
"Patients with terminal illnesses are being made to die prematurely under an NHS scheme to help end their lives, leading doctors have warned."
Read "Sentenced to death on the NHS" in the Telegraph.
(via FIRM)
Just in case you needed a reminder that having coverage does not mean getting the care you need, here's one from the Daily Telegraph:
The Government’s drug rationing watchdog says “therapeutic” injections of steroids, such as cortisone, which are used to reduce inflammation, should no longer be offered to patients suffering ...
Here's a humorous (but scary) look at how government rationing of health care would look in the United States:
For examples of it in Canada and Britain, Cal Thomas reviews a few recent headlines:
Here is what Britons face: "Kidney Cancer Patients Denied Life-saving Drugs by NHS Rationing Body NICE" (Daily Mail ...
From the Dallas Morning News:
As the state seeks ways to trim Medicaid, an increasing number of doctors frustrated with reimbursements are opting not to see new Medicaid patients. As a result, Medicaid patients often grow sicker while hunting for a doctor.
"The inability to find a Medicaid doctor drives up the ...
