To see a miracle the true story of Zane. (health care)
I'm going to take this opportunity to address the on going debate about the ACA, single payer, socialized medicine or what ever name you choose to give it.
There are those on NT that are for the free market health care and those that favor ACA and some that favor single payer. I am an advocate of a single payer system.
Having actually lived in a country that has single payer (Australia) and family that still lives there and having a very personal experience with regard to the pro's of single payer I feel that I am a bit more qualified to speak to this subject.
I have a daughter, four grandchildren and twelve great grandchildren living in Australia that are covered by their single payer health care, named of all things, MEDICARE.
My granddaughter, son in law and their youngest son, Zane are visiting from Orange, NSW, Australia.
Two day ago I took them all out on a boat ride on Table Rock Lake MO. It was quite a fun day, but what really struck me was that eleven year old Zane was sitting in front of me steering the boat and we zipped across the beautiful clear waters of the lake. A smile as big as the moon spread across his face. Soon we anchored and jumped into the lake to cool off.
Zane was the first off the boat, holding his nose and doing the perfect feet first dive.
As I sat there my thoughts turned to eleven years ago when Zane was born. Zane was born with some severe medical problems. Since that day he was undergone 31 surgeries in his eleven years of life. The first major surgery at 24 hours old. With many more to follow. He has probably spent more time in hospital than anyone that I know.
This lead to the argument of single payer system and the myth that it doesn't work or can't work in the U.S.
First I'll address the medical care and expertise involved in caring for Zane. The doctors were some of the finest in the world, with extensive training and expertise in the area that Zane needed. In fact some of the procedures used have been adopted by the medical profession in the U.S.
His daily care and then home care were covered by ''medicare''....
I thought what would his care and cost have been in the U.S. IMO knowing that many of the health policies have a million dollar limit on them (before ACA) his medical costs have far exceeded that amount. Which in the U.S. would have led to bankruptcy for his parents, and the likely hood of less than great medical care.
As it is in Australia all of this was covered so his parents had one less worry through the past eleven years. And they had plenty of worries with so many surgeries and the continuing thought of what if it doesn't work for Zane.
All of the stories seen about the poor care, long waiting times etc under a single payer system are debunked by Zane's experience.
The longer I sat there watching him dive off the boat, swim around, smile, laugh and holler at the top of his lungs the more knew that I was right about single payer. I was looking at a living miracle in the water.
Soon he was shouting ''jump in the water grandpa'' (actually great grandpa, but let's not quibble over 20 years or so) At the grand old age of 76 great grandpa jumped off the boat, shoes, sunglasses and all doing the perfect cannonball.
Zane hollering all the time, grandpa your crazy. To hear that miracle of a voice and laugh was the height of pleasure in my lifetime.
So folks, that is a true story of single payer and the life that shines bright for me.
I'm not debating whether single payer works or doesn't...It does and Zane is the poster boy for it, debunking all the scare tactics associated with it in the U.S.
So carry on trying to sell me the ''free market'' health care system is the best in the world, it isn't.
So that's Zane's story.
Today we are headed out to do some fishing. Great grandpa and great grandson enjoyed the day and each other.
Thanks for taking the time to read about Zane and perhaps if your on the fence about the ACA this will give you food for thought...
There are many children in the U.S. like Zane and they and their parents deserve the best medical care and the freedom of the parents from going into deep debt or bankruptcy.
Yes, I think that this stoic old Indian shed a tear or two watching Zane enjoying life. I just disguised it my jumping in the lake.
Zane and the old Indian crusin' the lake.
That is a wonderful story Kavika.
I thought what would his care and cost have been in the U.S. IMO knowing that many of the health policies have a million dollar limit on them (before ACA) his medical costs have far exceeded that amount. Which in the U.S. would have led to bankruptcy for his parents, and the likely hood of less than great medical care.
As it is in Australia all of this was covered so his parents had one less worry through the past eleven years. And they had plenty of worries with so many surgeries and the continuing thought of what if it doesn't work for Zane.
It has a simple resolution - adopt a national health care system and fund it with a graduated tax.
Agreed JR.
A wonderful article and does make me think about how to answer the question of our national healthcare issues. Canada (right next door) has universal health care or 'socialized medicine' which city dwellers and higher population suburban areas works pretty well. Outside that, from what friends have told me, it's not so great. It's hard to get appointments, get needed surgeries in a timely manner and so on. Not sure what the right answer is. As good as we are here in the states, I wonder if we can improve on what Canada has done somehow?
Spike you might ask rural American how difficult it is to get appointments etc. That is and probably will be a problem as long is there are rural areas.
The Australian system is quite good. Each person has a percentage taken out of their paycheck to help fund the health care. Additionally the employer does the same. Much like medicare in the US.
There is another thing that addresses speed of care etc. If yours is a elective surgery you do have to wait your turn. If it is not elective (such as Zane's) you are a priorty and go to the head of the line. Australia offers in addition to Medicare the ability to purchase a private plan that with elective surgery will get you there faster.
It works for millions of people in Aussie.
Yes, but are Austrailians truly "free" /s. ?
LOL, they sure are JR.
It's odd to see people say that more should have been done for Charlie Gard, but if your grandson had not had the appropriate health care available , including the astronomical cost absorbed by the system, some of the people who feel the Gards got a raw deal would be saying "too bad it had to happen" had your grandson died.
Sadly that is probably true JR.
A friend's wife required urgent surgery (hysterectomy). Took 9 months to get her scheduled.....a friend is having knee surgery, just delayed again.....there are drawbacks to all systems, though I agree on the rural problem.
Nothing is pefect Spike and Australia has learned that and have made a couple of large changes since the start of Medicare in 1975.
IMO, they system is far superior to ours in the U.S.
"Canada (right next door) has universal health care or 'socialized medicine' which city dwellers and higher population suburban areas works pretty well. Outside that, from what friends have told me, it's not so great."
It isn't easy to get a doctor to establish a practice in Moosenee (on Hudson's Bay near the Arctic Circle) or other such rural locations, so the Government has provided loans to medical students who cannot afford the tuition that are forgivable if the doctor upon graduation will spend his/her first five years of practice in such remote locations.
Always referring to Classic Movies, there is a film called Doc Hollywood starring Michael J. Fox who wanted to be a Beverley Hills plastic surgeon, graduated and was driving there, but got stuck in some remote town in yahoo country, but he ended up staying there.
The concept of subsidizing the medical students to get them to practise in remote locations is actually very smart. If the doctors are at all altruistic good people, I'd venture there's a good chance that once they get to know their patients and the area, they may well stay there. That's actually what happened in that Doc Hollywood movie.
Actually some of that is being done in the US now. IHS is one that is encouraging it.
A little while ago XxJefferson posted an article about single payer health care, that it would bankrupt the nation. There was criticism of the Canadian system, but I pointed out that because projections indicated that it would become too expensive, solutions are being sought, and one solution presented by the TD Bank group had as part of it the expansion of private enterprise into the system. Even before I left Canada there was already some participation by private enterprise, such as lab work (blood and urine tests, etc), and Blue Cross (private hospital or semi-private hospital room as opposed to basic ward). No doubt there will be changes to enable the system to remain viable and affordable.
The highest health care cost in the world and they are worried about single payer bankrupting the country...Just brilliant.
Actually some of that is being done in the US now Buzz.. IHS is one that is encouraging it.
What a wonderful story about Zane. After being treated at Sloan-Kettering, I heard tons of stories of professionals with insurance being bankrupt from their cancer care. It took me aback.
Part of what we need to address is the fact that our hospitals abuse the system. I did some research, and the average cost of an asprin is $19. How can that be right?
In the quest for the perfect healthcare, we have to consider everything. Each system has it's flaws, but anything has to be better than ours as it stands.
Since the U.S. is supposed to be a nation of innovators I can't see why we can't take the best of various system world wide and put something together that is the best in the world.
Isn't that what we brag about all the time, being the leader of the world?
BF, I know that your wife would not be waiting 11 months in Australia.
The free market was great before ACA...Only if you could afford in BF, you and I are among the lucky, we can afford it yesterday, today or tomorrow.
Zane's total medical cost to date are close to $2 million and he will have to be treated on and off for the rest of his life.
As I said to Perrie above, we are supposed to be an nation of innovators, yet we cannot seem to come up with health care system that covers all of our citizens.
Medical treatment costs the same if you are rich or poor. The poor cannot afford the insurance without help. It's that simple, in that sense.
Premiums would have come down if the mandate had been observed. Maybe it was a back door way to get single payer established. It is inevitable anyway in any advanced country. But now there will be a bi partisan effort to redesign the nation's health care system. The next time they tackle it both parties will be involved.
'' It's that simple, in that sense.''
Yup
Hooray for Zane!
Thanks magnoliaave, I know that he will happy to hear that.