How do I get into these conversations with my coworkers.

[Rainbowreflect]

We were talking about a client who is receiving Medicaid and suddenly she's talking about how horrible it will be if we go to "socialized medicine". I had to ask why.
"Oh my God, every country who has it, has horrible heath care." "They all have to wait in line to see a doctor and they don't have the options we have."
I wanted to ask if she meant the options that those with no health care have, but instead I just asked where she had heard that and if she actually knew anyone who lived in one the "those countries".
I told her that I have friends in Canada, including a gay couple who moved there because they could get same sex partner benefits. Of course that raised her eyebrow. I told her that they thought their health care was great. But of course I'm a liberal so what do I know.
Aaaaarrrrrrrggggggggggg!!!

[nannygoat]

1. A friend of mine's aunt (an American)went to Germany a couple of years ago

and while she was there she broke her leg. Their health care system paid for everything!

[displacedtexan]

2. I got food poisoning in England:

the physician came out to greet me in the emergency room;
semi-private emergency exam room;
private hospital room;
night nurse sat up with me;
they took my breakfast order and brought me the morning papers;
no charge for anything.

I made a donation to their children's ward.

[TEXASYANKEE]

3. Because.

It's easier for this nitwit to hold this position than it is for her to actually do a little research and form her own opinion. She knows nothing about health care in other countries but I have no doubt that she knows every guy involved in The Bachlorette.

[Rainbowreflect]

5. Thanks for making me laugh.

I can get along with this coworker as long as we don't talk about anything at all political. I have to admit my interest in dealing with people like this is wearing thin. I just don't seem to care about talking about things I don't find important and the things I do find important seem to upset people.

[loftycity]

8. That is a priceless statement...How true...too many of those types! n/t

[denverbill]

4. Canada insures everybody for 33% less than we pay for our system.

When you take away the profit motive, you take away part of the cost as well.

[underpants]

7. Overhead for Medicare/Medicaid is ~3%--- HMO's 15%

From ABC's week long report on health care in December.

The great myth of privatization versus "bulk buying" if you will.

[Greyskye]

6. Got sick in England...

...while on a 2 month sabbatical from work. Saw a doctor with very minimal wait time, and was simply given the medication I needed on the spot. I'll never say a single word against medical care in those countries!

[BiggJawn]

9. A conservative friend emigrated to England....

Sent me an Email concerning his experience with the NHS and getting his leg replaced.
I asked him if the NHS was as bad or worse than his coverage was over here (knowing that he was self-employed and didn't have very good insurance)
He allowed that the quality of the prosthetic was a bit better than his last leg that he had paid for over here...

Oh, he had a few gripes, but upon further questioning, he allowed that the diference were cultural, like having wards instead of only 2 to a room, etc.

I have an HMO (oops! I'm supposed to call it "managed care"...) which as we all know, means that I have a limited pool of doctors I can "choose" from (OK, I CAN "go out of network", but it costs out the wazoo) and when I changed doctors recently, I had to wait THREE MONTHS for the "new patient appointment" which took 30 minutes instead of the usual 15. Then I was prescribed a medication which is not on the HMO (oops! there's that word again, sorry!) formulary list, so they wouldn't dispense it at the drug store, and.....

And THIS is supposed to be "better" than England's NHS????

Better for WHO? Sure as shit not the patient.....

[sventvkg]

10. I have 2 doctor friends who say we need a 2 tier system....

They agree that people who can not afford it need to have health care on the level of a country like Canada but if you have means you should not have the coverage..They say plenty of people have means in this country and even though other countries have Socialized medicine if someone has something seriously wrong and has means they ALWAYS come to the US for Treatment...What does that say???? We do have the best upper end medicine but you better have the $$$$ for it...So those who can not pay get subsidised and those who can pay, pay...that is fair for our country with the way our medical establishment is run...This is the View of the 2 very liberal Doctors that I know...How does it sound?