SanJuanWorm Posted November 4, 2009 Posted November 4, 2009 Do you know how dirty money really is, and is also one of the biggest ways cold and flues are transfeered from one person to another.... Thank god I never have any money. Also don't you stand a much higher chance of getting hit by lightening then dying from the H1N1 flu? Everyone just needs to turn off their TV and Radio and just live life. You get sick, deal with it. Quote
rehsifylf Posted November 4, 2009 Posted November 4, 2009 Life expectancy: US-male 73, female 80 Can-male 78, female 83 Infant mortality, per 1000 births US-6.3 Can-5.04 Can vs US Health Care Spending A couple of quotes: I don't know anything about the EPI (source of the health care spending numbers), so I can't vouch at all to the accuracy of their numbers. But I do know from watching debates in the US that the spend in the US is far higher than Canada, and for the extra buck you get lower life expectancy and more infant mortality. Good return on investment, eh? And I know that demographics are far different in the two countries, and that does impact both the life expectancy and infant mortality numbers. You would have to research over time to see if the US extra spend really is impacting these numbers positively in relation to Canada or any other single pay system. But I have followed this debate for many years now and nothing I have seen leads me to believe it is. How does this fit in the context of H1N1? Probably doesn't. Just a bit of diversion. Rickr, Had this conversation with a friend from California a few weeks ago. It is pretty much impossible to compare the US and Canada. As you siad, the populations are different to begin with and live very differently. Its very possible that if you took the US population and applied Canadian system to them, the costs per capita would be higher and the mortality rates also higher. Lets say I took my car to rickr's bodyshop for repair and it had all four sides smashed in, broken windows, and the engine had been run without oil for 10k kms. My friend takes his car into Sundance car repair because he has a broken headlight. In the end, rickr spends $9000 trying to fix my car and Sundance only charges my friend $100. A week later my car dies and my firends keeps running for years. Is Sundance a better car shop? The per capita spend was much lower and the car had a longer life. An interesting article on life expectancy in the US is shown here - http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-0...xpectancy_x.htm (okay USA today, but look past that and see who did the research). Key things, Asians live the longest (also eat the healthiest) followed by Northern State caucasions (Canada has alot of them as well as Asians). I think orvis is right about lifestyle being a big part of it. Obesity is a huge health issue in both countries but much worse in the US. Found a really cool gif on the rates of obesity in the US and the changes over the past 20 years - hard to believe but it is too large to post - check it out at wikpedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obesity_in_the_United_States. As for the spending per capita - the number you quoted are from the WHO I think. However, you can find wildly different numbers reported (probably related to the bias of the group reporting them). Canada's is very hard to determine because the spending comes from so many different places - look at how many different ways you pay for healthcare (Fed taxes, provinical taxes, Gas taxes, private insurance...). AND YES DON - I DO THINK HE SHOULD BE FIRED! Quote
SanJuanWorm Posted November 4, 2009 Posted November 4, 2009 Why do all of these politicians have such exuberant salaries and bonuses? I have an idea, it's a bit off the wall, but hey if they wanna save some money.............................................perhaps i'm being a bit pugnacious. Quote
hydropsyche Posted November 5, 2009 Posted November 5, 2009 There is a rumour floating around that AHS office staff were able to get the vaccine without going through the big line-ups? Any truth to this? The healthcare system is like a clock. If one cog does down, the system is affected. Even isolated office staff contribute to frontline support. If there was a 30-40% absenteeism in "support staff", there would be a negative impact. Sometimes, the right decisions are made for the right reasons, even if they may not be obvious to everyone. Quote
rehsifylf Posted November 5, 2009 Posted November 5, 2009 The healthcare system is like a clock. If one cog does down, the system is affected. Even isolated office staff contribute to frontline support. If there was a 30-40% absenteeism in "support staff", there would be a negative impact. Sometimes, the right decisions are made for the right reasons, even if they may not be obvious to everyone. Agreed - I don't have an issue with any healthcare staff getting vaccinated. The reaction to Flames and others getting their shots first is reminiscent of the titanic lifeboats or huricanes in the south. Everyone is all pretty altruistic until the %$^% hits the fan, then true human nature shines through. Albertans have nothing to complain about compared to PEI - http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=299166&sc=98. BTW - saw on the news last night the cost t the government so far is $478M. Quote
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