Again, the same is true of you guys from Australia, Canada and the UK talking out of your asses since you have no experience with the US system.
The American insurance industry is the second most highly regulated industry in the world, second only to the banking industry. We have long had protections for people with pre-existing conditions under HIPAA.
The only problems with our system are for people who don't have insurance, as the system is designed for people with insurance. If you go to a doctor without insurance or "out of network" (no pre-negotiated rates), that doctor is not a slave to you, and he has the legal right to charge you whatever he feels his services are worth. How many "uninsured" people bother to ask a doctor what the service will cost before they partake?
Now, I've gone over this a million times before here on this forum, but you guys only hear what you want to hear. There is no "uninsured" problem here in the US. If you are actually poor, you qualify for Medicaid. If you earn a decent living, then you don't qualify for Medicaid, and you have a responsibility to take care of yourself and your family. Unfortunately, too many people in this country choose to purchase big-screen TVs, new cars, McMansions, and motorcycles instead of taking care of their families. Worse yet, because of the liberal education system, the liberal-biased media, the liberal government, many of the people are no longer capable of recognizing that they have a responsibility to do the right thing for their family without being a burden on their fellow man.
I get a kick out of all the American experts on the Canadian or UK health care system. If you want to know something about it read what the folks who actually use it are saying, anyone else is talking out of his ass...hat. 
You hit it on the head there Steve.
I've NEVER waited for a CT or an MRI.
Neither do i and i use the public system and have nothing but praise for the way i have been treated. I get to see my surgeons when i want to and my specialist, i even ring him if i have any queries and speak to him as needed, i know how busy these guys are so i choose not to do this very often, only if it is important. Remember Ed i spent 12 months in hospital and ended up having a transplant after having underlying problems for 20 years, in your country i would have been uninsurable , i also get my meds at the required dose and it is cheap, the US has the highest rate of transplant rejection caused by patients not being able to afford their meds so the use less, your government even makes criminals of the ones that source their meds from Canada if they are caught.....I know our system well mate and i know yours sucks.
Right, so now we should allow the deadbeat, lazy bastards to mug us for our tax money out of fear of "crime rates" increasing? BULL#$%*! Sorry, that's fearmongering. When the liberal democrats finally succeed in their fearmongering quest to take away our right to protect ourselves, then I'll worry about the crime rates.
You really have yourself convinced Ed, take away their money and they will survive, its human instinct, you added "fear" into the equation. The more poor people your government creates the bigger the crime problem you will have, just look at every other country that operates like that. A healthier population is a more productive population .
Good to see that the added crime rate would have you worried Ed because it will happen if the right wing idiots get their own way........You would have to be the least compassionate poster on this forum mate and it makes me glad that the i live in a country that differs so much from yours and has a completely different outlook on the world and its people.
Mick
