What features of the Australian universal health-care system should we incorporate into ours?

MAJ Bryan Zeski — Sat, 06 May 2017 19:22:27 -0400

Response by SPC John Parmenter made May 6 at 2017 7:43 PM

SPC John Parmenter — Sat, 06 May 2017 19:43:26 -0400

Time & again government health care has proven to be inferior to private systems. Consider the much higher rate at which European cancer patients die compared to Americans cancer patients who have a pretty fair chance of survival in the 21st Century. One of my German friends' daughter lives in Britain. Whenever she gets sick, she catches a plane to Berlin for medical care. German government health care is nothing to brag about either. The same friend's wife had to wait months to have a tumor behind an eye treated.

Obamacare has been an expensive failure which has wrecked health care in America. President Trump is probably correct suggesting that health care in Australia is superior to Obamacare.

Response by SN Greg Wright made May 6 at 2017 8:44 PM

SN Greg Wright — Sat, 06 May 2017 20:44:23 -0400

I can't speak to Down Under's version, but I lived in Canada for 2 years, where it's also universal, and I can tell you that it is TERRIBLE. Wait times for anything other than emergencies is atrocious. Something like a year just to get your teeth cleaned. I wound up in the e-Room once, and that trip had me going back every day for a week, and it was a giant pain in the ass. Most Canadians I knew did nothing but talk shit about the whole system. LTC Private RallyPoint Member

Response by SMSgt Lawrence McCarter made May 6 at 2017 10:51 PM

SMSgt Lawrence McCarter — Sat, 06 May 2017 22:51:01 -0400

Actually the Australian health care isn't that great, often the Government decides what You will and will not be treated for and You very high taxes is what pays for that substandard coverage. The same hold true in Canada. One individual as and example an American married and Australian and moved there, a medication He took in the US the Australian medical people decided He didn't need and wouldn't allow him to have, due that that 6 months later He died and with that medication His life would have been far from over. No Government has never done a good job running programs on their own and its the citizens that suffer from the excessive Government control. Nothing is free no matter what You may be led to believe.

Response by SPC Erich Guenther made May 7 at 2017 1:48 PM

SPC Erich Guenther — Sun, 07 May 2017 13:48:35 -0400

I would be really worried about Government paid for Health Care after 2050 when our population base starts to decline on a ever increasing basis and automation starts to reduce employment at the same time. Who are they going to tax to pay for the large retired base of folks?

Response by 1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2017 7:22 PM

1SG(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 07 May 2017 19:22:09 -0400

I really don't know. But I do think it's an indicator we've elected a man who really doesn't have a discernable core set of principles, except perhaps self interest. I doubt there's ever been a GOP politician who's ever looked so wistfully towards a nationalized public health care system. In fact, prior to the ACA, such a thing was exactly what the GOP wanted to avoid.
Interestingly, though, the Cato Institute; a Libertarian and free market think tank fond of deregulation, and the 2nd Amendment; produces an annual Human Freedom Index. The US, again, isn't in the top 10. The countries which are have a few things in common, to include national health care:
https://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/human-freedom-index-files/human-freedom-index-2016.pdf

human-freedom-index-2016.pdf

Response by SP5 Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2017 9:50 PM

SP5 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 07 May 2017 21:50:16 -0400

MAJ Bryan Zeski Isn't the VA system a prime example of how a single payer/government system works? Many of the comments about wait times, etc., echo comments on this site about care thru the VA. Just my .02

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made May 8 at 2017 9:43 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 08 May 2017 09:43:10 -0400

ITS UNIVERSAL , they all get it regardless of gender, color or preexisting conditions, just like in most European Countries. I grew up in Poland and even back then we had universal health care so why cant US do the same ? Oh wait, its all about stuffing their pockets with money !! Talking about the CEOs of all Health Insurance Companies and whomever is connected to them.