World's Best Countries

[MR Snake]

You gotta wait a month in Sweden? Is that just for a regular docs visit?

Yes,

If you got stabbed the obviously you get treated right away, but smaller things you have to wait that long, checkups and what not.
If you broke your arm you again, would get time probably the same day.

[Manoil]

Is that really what is freaking out conservatives over here? Wait times? Are they really so pansy and without foresight that they can't make an appointment in advance?

[Stalagmite]

NOT FOR LONG

[Retlaw83]

Is that really what is freaking out conservatives over here? Wait times? Are they really so pansy and without foresight that they can't make an appointment in advance?

They have a couple of concerns:

1) Wait times for checkups aren't an issue. What is an issue is a quota system leading to unreasonable waits. In Canada, doctors have a number of patients they need to see every year. The have to hit that number, but once they exceed, they don't get any additional money. Thus in Canada, it's virtually impossible to get an appointment for psychiatric help.

2) If you reform healthcare the wrong way, there's no monetary incentive for doctors and they'll be barely paying off malpractice insurance and student loans while living a lower middle class lifestyle. No one in their right mind would incur the hundreds of thousands of dollars and investment of time required to become a doctor to not live well. This, however, ties into educational reform.

3) Politicians on both sides of the aisle get massive amounts of money from insurance companies and medical worker's unions. They don't want to do anything that will stop them from getting their kickbacks.

[Manoil]

1) Wait times for checkups aren't an issue. What is an issue is a quota system leading to unreasonable waits. In Canada, doctors have a number of patients they need to see every year. The have to hit that number, but once they exceed, they don't get any additional money. Thus in Canada, it's virtually impossible to get an appointment for psychiatric help.

Quota system? Why not treat it as overtime? Patients seen over the mark worth extra payment-- in following years, the quota can be raised (as well as a slight raise in pay to accommodate the increased workload), until the right balance is found.
And what about the possibility of sparking an PR campaign that promotes or boosts incentive to fields of psychiatry? A publicly-known raise in wages and availability of psychiatric careers would likely fill the supply to meet the demand. If the pay is too high, it can get adjusted later to level-out the cost efficiency.

2) If you reform healthcare the wrong way, there's no monetary incentive for doctors and they'll be barely paying off malpractice insurance and student loans while living a lower middle class lifestyle. No one in their right mind would incur the hundreds of thousands of dollars and investment of time required to become a doctor to not live well. This, however, ties into educational reform.

True, unless the government covers malpractice lawsuit payments and follows up with investigations into the doctor's history of malpractice. If the doctor has a spotty history, he could either get reprimanded or choose to pay for his own malpractice insurance. Educational reform, on the other hand, is a good point. Mandated informational seminars would help keep doctors sharp. It's also not necessary to decrease their pay to a level of middle-class, but a doctor doesn't need the capability to purchase a $250000 car (atop other life expenses) in less than two years.

3) Politicians on both sides of the aisle get massive amounts of money from insurance companies and medical worker's unions. They don't want to do anything that will stop them from getting their kickbacks.

Starts with a movement to minimize lobbyist payments from questionable corporations. Probably take a while to get passed, but it's one of the first steps that need to be pushed forward.

[Kashluk]

Around here, doctors are allowed to keep their private practice after 'public hours'. In most cases they can even use their own office for this purpose. So after 4 PM the prices go sky-high and there's practically no treatment queu.

Then again, we also have free college education. So I guess it's hard to compare.

[Yonmanc]

All I can say about Healthcare is that here in Britain, it's free, and you can usually get an appointment within a weeks notice. Getting psychiatric help on the other hand? Well 2 suicide attempts 4 years ago, countless incidents of blacking out in public and a request to see a shrink for possible anxiety disorders and still no help.

They took my adanoids out for free though.

Oh, and I have no access to a dentist now.

Free emergency care is great. Access to physical care is also great. However, I sure wish someone could help me fix my braind and my teeth!

[Manoil]

All I can say about Healthcare is that here in Britain, it's free, and you can usually get an appointment within a weeks notice. Getting psychiatric help on the other hand? Well 2 suicide attempts 4 years ago, countless incidents of blacking out in public and a request to see a shrink for possible anxiety disorders and still no help.

They took my adanoids out for free though.

Oh, and I have no access to a dentist now.

Free emergency care is great. Access to physical care is also great. However, I sure wish someone could help me fix my braind and my teeth!

You're not making a convincing argument to the right people, is all. Faux-suicide attempt (and break a tooth) in front of someone who decides topics like psychiatry emergencies and you'll fix the system, becoming a hero forever.