Socialized Medicine and Me

By and large I've had a good experience with government-sponsored health care.

My first experience was in Ireland about 25 years ago. My six-year-old broke his arm a few hours before we were to fly to Shannon. The doctor at Newton-Wellesley Hospital set the arm, wished us well and told us to see a doctor in a couple of weeks. On arrival in Dublin two weeks later I made an appointment with a doctor recommended by the owner of the B&B we stayed at. The first thing I noticed was the appointment was made for the next day. The second thing was that we did not have to wait for hours; the appointment was kept at the designated time. The third thing was the doctor himself. Not only was he courteous, professional and knowledgeable, but he had reached the stage in which he was advising medical students, 6 of whom were observing the doctor treat my son. The fourth thing was the result; my son was able to spend the last two weeks in Ireland sans sling and, as far as I know, his arm has given him no problems since.

My second experience was in Canada. My experience was quite limited; I think my wife and I made one visit each to a doctor. Very few of my Canadian friends had anything negative to say about the system. However, I was struck by two facts. It seemed that a fair number of doctors were moving to the U.S. in hopes of increasing their income. Some Canadians were using the operating rooms of U.S. hospitals because of delays in the Canadian system . Not as good an experience as in Ireland, but tolerable.

My third experience was in the U.S. I have had a couple of occasions to use Medicare and, since we also have a Medicare supplement, I've been quite pleased with the service. All bills have been paid within a reasonable time. I don't need to mess with tons of paperwork. And the costs are reasonable.

We like to think that our country is the best in medicine and, to a degree, there is a lot to be said for that point of view. Many of the advanced procedures have been invented here, but a quick reference to a list of Nobel Prize winners shows that we are not alone in our medical expertise. More importantly, we are behind in the things that count to you and me - mortality and general health. Again, look at any list of the health of people around the world and you'll find that we are nowhere near the top of the heap. We need a new system. We'd be much, much better off stopping our need to control the world, thus freeing up a ton of money that could be used to ensure that we all get top-notch medical care.