This past month some of the biggest Medicare only telesales fmo shops have added life divisions

[straightnochaser]

I would definitely disagree... see my other comment about cancer situation.

My grandmother spent the last two years suffering from aggressive stomach cancer, she received top notch care from the NHS, around the clock care during the last 3 months, we never waited for anything except for her to be out of pain..

 

[straightnochaser]

My grandmother spent the last two years suffering from aggressive stomach cancer, she received top notch care from the NHS, around the clock care during the last 3 months, we never waited for anything except for her to be out of pain..

Oh and cost us absolutely nothing.. not a penny.

I have multiple stories like this directly from my family, not third hand stories you heard from friends.

 

[annon123]

Oh and cost us absolutely nothing.. not a penny.

I have multiple stories like this directly from my family, not third hand stories you heard from friends.

I have lived and worked in the USA and in 6 other countries, of which 5 have some version universal/single payer health care. I've had 3 cancers so far. Had I lived in one of those countries rather than live in a state that didn't expand medicaid I wouldn't have gone through all my savings and retirement to pay for cancer care (after COBRA ran out). On cancer lists I am on we have numerous members from other countries and most of them prefer their insurance to ours.

Somewhere on here I posted wait times in Ontario and most of those wait times were no worse than in the USA and no worse than what was recommended although if they were it was maybe by just a couple of days in most cases.

Heck one city in the USA (that has decent health care, unlike where I live) I am looking to move to I called around recommended PCP's and most waits for your first, new patient apt is around 8 months. That is the USA, not Canada. So what can you use in the meantime? Urgent care or the ER (most of which have a higher copay) and be seen by an NP regardless of the problem or their knowledge base.

Each system has their strengths and weaknesses. Medical debt (which took me years to pay off as MDA has no statue of limitations on medical debt) can wreck havoc on one's future. It has on mine. Starting all over again for retirement savings and an emergency fund. That wouldn't have happened to me in the other countries I have lived in that had universal care.

 

[straightnochaser]

I have lived and worked in the USA and in 6 other countries, of which 5 have some version universal/single payer health care. I've had 3 cancers so far. Had I lived in one of those countries rather than live in a state that didn't expand medicaid I wouldn't have gone through all my savings and retirement to pay for cancer care (after COBRA ran out). On cancer lists I am on we have numerous members from other countries and most of them prefer their insurance to ours.

Somewhere on here I posted wait times in Ontario and most of those wait times were no worse than in the USA and no worse than what was recommended although if they were it was maybe by just a couple of days in most cases.

Heck one city in the USA (that has decent health care, unlike where I live) I am looking to move to I called around recommended PCP's and most waits for your first, new patient apt is around 8 months. That is the USA, not Canada. So what can you use in the meantime? Urgent care or the ER (most of which have a higher copay) and be seen by an NP regardless of the problem or their knowledge base.

Each system has their strengths and weaknesses. Medical debt (which took me years to pay off as MDA has no statue of limitations on medical debt) can wreck havoc on one's future. It has on mine. Starting all over again for retirement savings and an emergency fund. That wouldn't have happened to me in the other countries I have lived in that had universal care.

Glad you're on the mend.

 

[FallerWifey]

My grandmother spent the last two years suffering from aggressive stomach cancer, she received top notch care from the NHS, around the clock care during the last 3 months, we never waited for anything except for her to be out of pain..

Thats wonderful, and I am glad she got the treatment she needed. I just know from what I see, that seems to be the exception to the rule.

A gentleman I know in Australia had a craniotomy, his skull flap got infected, they eventually took it out to clear the infection (which only took a month or two)l and it took them over a year and half to put something back in, because they didn't have the time to do it. Can you imagine living without your full skull protecting your brain? Having brain cancer is terrifying, you worry about everything, including bumping your head, but bumping it when you don't have protection? Oh my god. That poor man.

 

[FallerWifey]

Oh and cost us absolutely nothing.. not a penny.

I have multiple stories like this directly from my family, not third hand stories you heard from friends.

Just because it is a story from someone I am acquainted with, doesn't make it not valid.

 

[FallerWifey]

@straightnochaser , why is this funny? How could this be considered funny? It's terrible.

 

[FallerWifey]

I have lived and worked in the USA and in 6 other countries, of which 5 have some version universal/single payer health care. I've had 3 cancers so far. Had I lived in one of those countries rather than live in a state that didn't expand medicaid I wouldn't have gone through all my savings and retirement to pay for cancer care (after COBRA ran out). On cancer lists I am on we have numerous members from other countries and most of them prefer their insurance to ours.

Somewhere on here I posted wait times in Ontario and most of those wait times were no worse than in the USA and no worse than what was recommended although if they were it was maybe by just a couple of days in most cases.

Heck one city in the USA (that has decent health care, unlike where I live) I am looking to move to I called around recommended PCP's and most waits for your first, new patient apt is around 8 months. That is the USA, not Canada. So what can you use in the meantime? Urgent care or the ER (most of which have a higher copay) and be seen by an NP regardless of the problem or their knowledge base.

Each system has their strengths and weaknesses. Medical debt (which took me years to pay off as MDA has no statue of limitations on medical debt) can wreck havoc on one's future. It has on mine. Starting all over again for retirement savings and an emergency fund. That wouldn't have happened to me in the other countries I have lived in that had universal care.

I definitely agree there are positives and negatives to both systems. A friend in France was denied the use of Optune because it wasn't approved by their healthcare system. My brother used it for 2 1/2 years and it was fully paid for-- at $20k a month.

 

[straightnochaser]

@straightnochaser , why is this funny? How could this be considered funny? It's terrible.

Absolutely awful and not what I was laughing at. I was laughing at your "exception to the rule" comment. I just thought that was funny coming from someone with ZERO first hand experience whereas I have a ton of first hand experience. All my family live in that system and have been through it, as have I.

 

[FallerWifey]

Absolutely awful and not what I was laughing at. I was laughing at your "exception to the rule" comment. I just thought that was funny coming from someone with ZERO first hand experience whereas I have a ton of first hand experience. All my family live in that system and have been through it, as have I.

If you weren't laughing at that, then you "laughed" on the wrong comment. And my point still stands, that doesn't invalidate other people's experiences.