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 Independent (UK):
Poor standards of care at an accident and emergency unit in one of the country's flagship hospitals may have contributed to the unnecessary deaths of over 400 patients, an official NHS investigation has concluded. Dirty equipment and an absence of leadership contributed to a death rate almost ...
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 ...
"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 ...
From the Boston Globe:
The state government Medicaid plan known as MassHealth, which covers low-income patients who can't afford insurance, was the slowest payer of health claims to Massachusetts doctors last year, averaging 56 days, and denied the highest share of claims, 23.8 percent, according to rankings set to be released ...
From the New York Times:
The difficulties in receiving care were severest among low-income residents, who have gained the most from expanded access under the state's law, passed in 2006. It requires most residents to have health insurance and provides state-subsidized plans for the poor. ...
But the study, which was scheduled ...
