re: #595 Obdicut

Actually, it did. It’s in one of the many, many tables: it asked about wait times before seeing a doctor. Every other nation but the US had a better score.

Many, like ours, are hybrids, yes. But the difference is that they are universal, and ours are not.

That would be a vague and inadequate summation of the case in many countries. That document details the differences rather well, it’s a very valuable resource for anyone interested in this topic.

I am saying that it could have been a heartbreaking choice. It often would be.

Again: You are acting as though consumers of health care would have access to all information necessary to make informed consumer decisions about health care. This is fallacious, and I’m wondering why you think it’s possibly true.

To evaluate the health care delivery at two different medical centers is an enormous project; why do you think an average consumer would be able to do it?

All information? No. You’d have to go to medical school yourself for that. But what if we were put on a plan where my husband’s insurance paid for catastrophic coverage, and gave us a monthly allowance for other stuff? I would ask to see fee schedules from pediatricians (or, rather, their office staff), or at least ask other mothers about how reasonable they felt the doctor was, price-wise.

And, actually, lots of moms do do their research. (What a really smart mom does is find out who does the research, and ask her.)

I just re-read the wait-times table. It doesn’t have the information I really want, which is to know how long it takes to get the big stuff scheduled. (Chemo, heart surgery, major surgeries, etc.) Of course it’s my personal interest. My husband’s family has a history of cancer, and mine of heart problems, so I care about those.