Comments on: Obamacare Wins (Maybe)

By: Ed Snack

Ed Snack — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:50:20 +0000

Harpoon, I’m being realistic, you were trying to claim that waiting lists in NZ were short, which is, as you know, a artifact of language. Access to the waiting list is managed to give the impression of short waits. Quite why you want to buy into this deception I can’t guess, unless you have some political motivation ?

And, you obviously don’t know how hard it is to get insurance, it’s just that you been told that it must be hard. Next you’ll be claiming that 47 million of them don’t have insurance !

By: MacDoctor

MacDoctor — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:56:50 +0000

Harpoon: Mah … the old ‘death panel’ smear. Are you serious?

Mah… the old exaggeration smear.
I merely said that rationing in a state healthcare system is ageist – this is undeniably true. ANd insurance is not a problem for the elderly in the US. As you have already pointed out, if they can’t continue their previous policy, they can always access Medicare.

However you swing it, the stats show that there are very few old folk in the US who wait more than 4 weeks for a hip replacement. And they don’t have to be crippled to qualify.

By: Harpoon

Harpoon — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:43:26 +0000

Ed, get real! Don't you have any idea just how hard it is for US citizens to even get insurance if they're old enough to need hip replacement, let alone afford the premiums?

In private medicine polities, waiting lists may be small, but they are NOT list of those waiting to get the procedure, it is a "managed" list of those who have been able to afford the premiums, deemed worthy by the private insurance system to be suitable to be a low enough risk to be insurable.

Thus, the REAL waiting list in the USA is probably many months (years even) more than 12 weeks. And this isn't true for just hips of course, it's across the whole spectrum.

Ed, do some reading.

By: Ed Snack

Ed Snack — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:35:27 +0000

Harpoon, get real ! For god's sake, don't you have any idea just how hard it is to even get on the waiting list. This is exactly how NZ and most public systems manage to make themselves look good, redefine the meanings of words ! So, in NZ waiting list is NOT a list of those waiting to get the procedure, it is a "managed" list of those deemed worthy by the "system" to be suitable to be placed on the list.

Thus, the REAL waiting list in Manukau is probably many months plus 12 weeks.And this isn't true for just hips of course, it's across the whole spectrum.

By: MacDoctor

MacDoctor — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:21:32 +0000

That is 12 weeks on the waiting list assuming you have enough "points" to make it on to the list. ANd that doesn't include the wait for the specialist appointment (often another 12 weeks). So that's 24 weeks, assuming I make the "grade"

Compared to 1-2 weeks in the US. Assuming I have insurance.