Those of you with free healthcare, is private healthcare better in your country?

[Independent voter]

In countries with free healthcare, the rich don't use it. Instead they use "private" paid for healthcare which everyone thinks is a lot better. Better doctors, better patient care, better facilities, equipment and so on.

There is often private medical insurance that companies buy for their high level employees so that these employees don't have to go to free healthcare.

At least, this is what I've heard. Is it true?

Should private health care be outlawed and the money generated by private healthcare be given to free healthcare to make it better?

[Daedius]

Private healthcare is always better... I would prefer a private room over a semi-private or public ward, tyvm...

And don't be absurd. Insurance is off a company with individuals paying for, where as free healthcare is off the tax payer...

[Aurgjelme]

I dont think healthcare should be something corporations should profit from. Peoples health should not be left in the hands of organizations that only think of profit.
But that is just my honest "socialist devil" from Scandinavia's opinion.

[Sevyvia]

Yes, it's generally better here (Denmark), but free is still pretty great, too.

Should private healthcare be outlawed: No, what the fuck? Why should private healthcare be outlawed? What good would it do? What money would be generated by private healthcare if you outlaw it? You're being incoherent.

[Cathululock]

Anything private is better in MOST cases. I'm not a hardcore lawlbertarian, but I lean more Libertarian than Authoritarian (and the rise of the Authoritarian Left is the reason I can no longer call myself a liberal). Anything where companies compete to do better will be better for the consumer. There are rare cases where the government needs to break up monopolies or see that open forums remain unbiased (hello Youtube, Twitter, and Facebook).

All of that said, I support the idea of the government looking into the crazy increase in medicine prices which are mostly the way they are because the USA is paying for the rest of the world's fixed drug prices. I think the free meal ticket is about to end for them, though. So much for Scandinavian socialism

[Sevyvia]

I dont think healthcare should be something corporations should profit from. Peoples health should not be left in the hands of organizations that only think of profit.
But that is just my honest "socialist devil from Scandinavia's" opinion.

It's naive to believe that a state-owned hospital is automatically better merely because it doesn't care about profit. In fact, state-owned stuff is usually sub-par because there's less incentive to care about things. It might not be a pleasant thought to commoditize health, but it creates a hierarchy, and when you need something done, you want it done by the best. Besides, private hospitals even help improve the public ones. Competition might not be comfortable, but it still makes things better for all involved.

Besides, there isn't a single socialist country in Scandinavia. We're all capitalist countries. It's a misunderstanding of what capitalism and socialism are to believe otherwise.

[Super Kami Dende]

Free Healthcare in Australia is limited to a degree but still decent. Private Healthcare here though is pretty great.

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I dont think healthcare should be something corporations should profit from. Peoples health should not be left in the hands of organizations that only think of profit.

I disagree. I think if People can afford it, they should be able to get themselves better healthcare than just some random guy on the Street, though there should still be basic cover for said random guy. Like anything in Life welfare shouldn't remove all incentive to better your lot in life.

[Ascius]

The only real difference here is that you pay to have no wait time in private healthcare. Same doctors work in private and public sector, be it from dental care to serious surgery to general practice. In free one you sometimes have to wait from a week to three months, etc. to get an appointment, if you're not in a serious condition of course.

[Stretchie]

Faster maybe. If you pay enough you can have whatever treatment you need tomorrow. But better? I haven't seen any evidence of that.

[Ealyssa]

In countries with free healthcare, the rich don't use it.

Wrong. But nice try for a murican I guess.

[heartless8604]

Go to Washington and ask Doctors how many Canadians they see. The answer is A LOT! Free healthcare is so backed up it's virtually broken. It takes months to get appointments and frankly it's not worth free in almost every country that has it. Which is why you see Englanders go to Switzerland for healthcare.

[Aurgjelme]

Free Healthcare in Australia is limited to a degree but still decent. Private Healthcare here though is pretty great.

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I disagree. I think if People can afford it, they should be able to get themselves better healthcare than just some random guy on the Street, though there should still be basic cover for said random guy. Like anything in Life welfare shouldn't remove all incentive to better your lot in life.

Ye, that is the typical "american" way of looking at it. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to compete on the same level, often because of circumstances they cant do anything about. I get that the "me,myself and I" mentality is strong over there, possibly because of less cohesion in society. And less incentive to care about your fellow citizen.

[Amerissis]

Well, rich people seem to get more options. Where a normal person with cancer gets surgery, radiation, chemo, if it doesn’t work, you’re eventually ‘given up’, while rich people just fly to some foreign private clinic and get new, better or experimental treatments until they are either cured or dead.

It’s not true that rich people don’t use normal healthcare and it’s also not bad (not even worse). Also not free, of course, but you know that.

[Endus]

In countries with free healthcare, the rich don't use it. Instead they use "private" paid for healthcare which everyone thinks is a lot better. Better doctors, better patient care, better facilities, equipment and so on.

There is often private medical insurance that companies buy for their high level employees so that these employees don't have to go to free healthcare.

At least, this is what I've heard. Is it true?

Not really, in Canada at least. For some procedures, there are private clinics (MRI scanning comes to mind), and you can upgrade your hospital room if you want to pay extra, but it's not generally getting you a better level of health care.

Go to Washington and ask Doctors how many Canadians they see. The answer is A LOT! Free healthcare is so backed up it's virtually broken. It takes months to get appointments and frankly it's not worth free in almost every country that has it. Which is why you see Englanders go to Switzerland for healthcare.

This is nonsense. Yes, it can take months to get certain appointments, because it's based on a triage system. I had to wait about 6 months to see my gastroenterologist, but I was asymptomatic at the time, and the treatment for the two potential diagnoses was the same; there were secondary concerns that warranted me getting a proper diagnosis but I wasn't facing any additional risk or pain for waiting. I've also walked into the ER and been put into an MRI within 90 minutes, because one potential diagnosis was life-threatening on the scale of a day or two; they had to rule that out ASAP.

So sure, some Canadians whose health issues aren't that serious choose to go to the US and pay for a private clinic to get treated a little more quickly. So? The lines are a bit longer in Canada because no one is priced out of being in line at all, which is core to the American system.

[Super Kami Dende]

Ye, that is the typical "american" way of looking at it. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to compete on the same level, often because of circumstances they cant do anything about. I get that the "me,myself and I" mentality is strong over there, possibly because of less cohesion in society. And less incentive to care about your fellow citizen.

Considering I'm Australian and quite literally said that in what you quoted. I'd say your snide remark is kind of a swing and a miss kiddo.

[Aurgjelme]

Considering I'm Australian and quite literally said that in what you quoted. I'd say your snide remark is kind of a swing and a miss kiddo.

It's still valid, or correct me if I am wrong.

[Draco-Onis]

Go to Washington and ask Doctors how many Canadians they see. The answer is A LOT! Free healthcare is so backed up it's virtually broken. It takes months to get appointments and frankly it's not worth free in almost every country that has it. Which is why you see Englanders go to Switzerland for healthcare.

Translation I have no idea how the Canadian health care system or the American system works, it takes months to get surgeries and appointments here depending on the doctor and your insurance. The whole you get VIP treatment with private insurance is laughable if that were true the US wouldn't have such horrible outcomes.

[Super Kami Dende]

It's still valid, or correct me if I am wrong.

Well it isn't, since a me, myself and I mentality wouldn't even consider basic cover for everyone. It's the mentality of "If I work for something I can be better off." Why should someone that is prosperous in life get stuck with the same level of wellbeing as someone who just lives off the government?

That's like saying everyone should have to drive shitty cars even if they have the ability to drive a better one.

[Stardrift]

"Free" healthcare here in Canada is fucking shit. Our taxes goes towards dumbasses clogging up the waiting lists over simple colds.

Emergency rooms are a mess. Our doctors are too busy trying to keep so many damn old people (that probably wouldve naturally passed away at least 5 years ago) artificially alive. Doctors aren't paid as well so they give less of a fuck.

I'd rather pay.

[Wilian]

Not better, but faster for non-acute issues.