Posted by bleauberry on May 3, 2008, at 16:54:54
In reply to Angry at pdoc, posted by Quintal on May 3, 2008, at 4:24:33
I sure feel for you. Talk about frustrating. It must be a real trapped feeling. Even in a free society where you can hire and fire any doctor you please, we can sometimes get somewhat mildly trapped due to insurance or availability, but not nearly to the degree you experience.
Until you can get the medical stuff sorted out I don't think there is much choice except to use stuff you can get over the counter. Benadryl? Valerian root extract?
It is not unusual for people in Canada that have money often go to the USA for their medical needs because the Canadaian socialized medicine system is more narrow, it doesn't give the patient many options, and waiting periods are very long. Socialized medicine in Austria/Germany is basically ok for common things from what I've heard, but when my sister was having trouble with allergies and getting nowhere in the system, she ended up finding a near cure by paying cash to see a holistic specialist outside of the medical system. As long as the problem is straight forward and the patient doesn't mind a waiting period, socialized medicine seems ok, other than the fact that about 50% of a paycheck goes to the government. I would expect first class service for that kind of fee.
As someone else said, this thread highlights the downfalls of socialized medicine. Long waits. Unreliable quality. Lack of options. You had thanks for socialized medicine for providing your birth, but I believe your birth would have happened one way or the other regardless. There is always some kind of safety net to catch those who have no money, no insurance, and no means.
poster:bleauberry
thread:826956
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080430/msgs/827022.html