Or does the government pay for it with the public hospital system?
206992
When I was in treatment, there were a few people who were receiving chemo "donated".  Some doctors use extra drugs for low-income patients and some drug companies donate drugs to doctors for this reason as well.\n\nOne way or another, there is a cost associated though.  If you have insurance, check with them about the average cost of treatment.  If not, check with the government to see what programs they have to offer, then doctors (as mentioned), then hospitals... that's the way I would check into it.
145734
Yes.  However, you may find that many states have a program for medical assistance to poor families which goes by a different name than "medicaid".  You should call your state department of health and human services to check.
293112
yes it is true. another way our govt. is taking care of others ahead of it's own.
218393
No because there should be a right to free medical care (as in the British Health Service) and to free education throughout life (Life-Long Learning).\n\nWhat bothers me is that some people have to pay, when it should be free for everyone as of right in a civilised society.
313630
owned by the people: yes\n\nControlled by the government: no
96684
we have medicare \n(everybody does)but the controversy now is about \nfor those who need surgery , sooner than later for something like cancer, can face long wait times for the surgery (that is what i think is a problem). there is a move towards a'two -tiered' helathcare system, in which those who can and want to pay for it,  can do so, and get service when they want it.\nEvery province handles health care somewhat differently. you still need some insurance to be sure you are covered when you visit another province(like a state), but you can get healthcare in other provinces and get reinbursed for it ( i havent ever done it so not sure how it works).\n\ntho we don't pay for it directly, we pay via taxation. Sales tax and taxes in general. I think Quebec has the highest tax rate in....North America?! fourteen and a half percent sales tax, extra taxes on cigarettes....\nwe do have welfare and unemployment insurance also- but you can barely get by on "social assistance". However there are many training programs available for those on social assistance, and if they attend they get extra $.\nbut we aren't talking Harvard quality education here, but i suppose it's better than zilch.
625728
Taxes dont work like that..a government/public service is not a choice which benefits just yourself, it benefits the community. You cant say ' i dont want to pay such and such' because someday, you will us that service, and whing when you have to pay! Its a duty we all have to pay , wether we like it or not
232051
I work in a hospital and the real truth is that YES illegal immigrants are stretching our system. Several immigrants have babies everyday at my hospital, at least 25-30 week, which is not cheap, the government pays for these hospital visits no matter what the income of that person is, Yet if an American citizen comes in for help and doesnt qualify for welfare medicaid and doesnt have private insurance, there is no help, his or her credit is reuined and they are charged for the bill whether it be $ or $200,000. Americans should be upset by this.
34899
nope, not a long as they can hold down the poor with outrageous prices. That and its one way of comiting legal genocide. See if you get sick in this country and you can't afford the OUTRAGEOUS health insurance premiums chances are you make too much to get public assistance. By the time you do qualify? The cancer or what ever it is thats killing you will be too far advanced to do anything about.I have asthma. I can't even buy health insurance, life insurance or any other kind of insurance..and as you may have guessed ...I can't afford the medicines I need either. I am but one of millions with this problem.. Until we do something about our current government structure.. NOTHING will change. The rich will become richer the poverty stricken will starve and the middle class?.. well they slipped below the poverty line years ago. They just set things up so that you make one or two dollars too much to qualify for assistance yet can't afford health insurnace. MEAN time? they pump billions of dolars into forein counties that hate us..bolstering their programs while Americans do without!
213004
Yeah... it's getting to the point where the majority of America won't be able to go to the doctor, because they can't afford insurance or the deductable, if they have insurance. \n\nI think it all comes down to... how much are you willing to pay to stay alive.. the answer is anything, so how does a capitolistic system work when you will pay anything for the service... it doesn't work... \n\nthe healthcare companies (both medical, insurance, both malpractice and health, and perscription companies) are all making huge profits... if you know anyone in the business, they are probably making more than most everyone else you know...\n\nWhen does the bubble bust... I think it will soon... especially if costs continue to go up like they have been.
131831
As an American with little insurance I want to say yes, but another part of me wants to say no.  When I was in the military and stationed overseas I say Gov't provided health care.  It was scary at best.  Not to mention, that free health care would ruin the USA.  The cost of it would be trillions.  I believe that the government should look into regulating some of the health care cost.  My sister had an operation back in 1980.  Even back then, the itemized list my parents got showed that aspirin had a charge of $5 for 2.  It's things like that we need to go after.  There is to much overcharging.  There is no easy answer to this question.  I'm also afraid that if free health care was given it would blow out of proportion. People would complain about everything because it's free and now they think they are entitled to it.  Look at welfare as an example.  Not to mention people coming into our country who have not given to it would now think they should get free health care.  As for right now and even with very little health insurance I would vote "NO" against "just about" any health care reform.  The reform would have to be very well written.
314591
The people that work pay for it...even in Canada.  It's called taxation.  The taxes of the working class pays for medical care so that bums who contribute nothing can also have free medical care.
149702
Yes, we pay for visits.  Unless you have insurance, but you still pay for that, so you are paying either way.  \nIt costs a TON.  It's outrageous.  My regular gyno visit each year is about $300.  $300 so she can swab me and say, ok see you next year!  Once, I had mole removed because it was on my leg and I nicked it every time I shaved.  Turns out it was pre-cancerous, so I had to have the skin around it removed, on a separate visit.  Two visits, two biopsies, two sets of local anesthesia, the whole debaucle ended up being over $1,000.  And then I had to go back 6 months later so he could check on it.  The appointment was literally just him looking for 5 seconds and saying, ok, come back if another mole looks funny.  I paid $200 for that 30 second visit!!!  And, I was in college, but too old to be on my parent's insurance, so all of this was out of pocket.  The American health care system is in some serious need of reform.\nOh, and if you have no money, some of them are nice enough to bill you.  If you still don't have money, they report you to a collection agency and it f***s with your credit.
173561
Doctors, nurses, hosptials, and plenty of drugs.\nAnd plenty of money to pay for it all.\nAnd making sure that evey single citizen in the country has access to all the medicine, hospitals and doctors they will ever need.
534751
No,\nThere is no other way to provide the necessary level of care than by a medical system paid for by national insurance.\n\nIf you look at the USA - it is far more expensive and inefficient than the UK without having a demonstrable increase in standards of health.\n\nIt is inefficient because its bureacracy is immense you have\nThe admin of loads of different health care providers -hospitals doctors etc.\nYou have the admin of the HMOs\nYou have the admin of the insurance companies\n\nThat costs more money than having just the admin of the health care system\n\nSecondly the private care system leads to all sorts of short termist economics that are bad for long term health and long term expenditure on health care.\n\nMore money gets spent on drugs than on preventative medicine and primary care to keep people healthy.\nAll sorts of expensive tests are done which are not strictly medically necessary.\n\nMany people are not covered by health insurance which has a knock on effect in several areas -\n1) the problem of poverty illnesses such as TB - prevalent among the homeless and STDs from people who have no access to health care.\n\n2)If you can't get proper quality health care you may take more days off work  -this has a knock on effect on the economy and therefore tax levels.\n\nI am not saying the NHS works perfectly but it is improving in many aspects - \neven the private health care companies are noticing a down turn in demand for things like knee and hip replacements to be done privately.\n\nOne issue though is that some consultants like to push people into their private clinics where they get paid twice as much and so keep waiting lists longer without good reasons.
191893
Each hostpital has its own fee schedule for each different procedure.  you would have to check with the specific hospital
408680
Hit it right on the head. I was in England a while back and there was an issue where people were pissed because a stripper had her breast enlargement paid for via the health care system. Her claim was that it helped her earn more money. People here (in the US) need to stop trying to get the government to pay for everything. If a person will just get a job they can take care of their needs. People who can not work for legit reasons I have no problem with helping but the idea that everything should be taken care of by the gov is a socialist view. I do not want to live in that type of world. Survival of the fittest or at lest the hardest working works for me.