Dozens of protestors gathered outside the office of their local Liberal MP, in cities across Canada on Monday to call on the federal government to protect public health care.
2-tiered health care? That’s not American style at all! We’ve got way more tiers than that!
1- The rich and powerful - Can easily afford any procedure they need out of pocket, always go to the best clinics, the ones that don’t even accept low-tier insurance.
2- Active duty military (and their immediate family) - everything paid for, basically no questions asked. Often gets priority on appointments.
3- Medicare (and other programs for the impoverished, elderly, and disabled) - Everything paid for, but your selection of doctors and clinics may be limited, and there may be long waiting times. Depending on the state and the specific program, you may have issues with having coverage denied.
4- Veterans - Free healthcare at veterans administration facilities, but that care can often be low quality and have long waiting lists - there are several tiers within this tier, mostly depending on your disability percentage. Often need tier-5 healthcare as a backup as well, since the VA can be too slow to see you for problems.
5- Working class insurance - Hot garbage, mostly. You’ll pay a fortune for insurance and still pay a lot of money every time you need care. But at least in theory, you actually can get care if you need it. Often chains you to your job because you can’t afford to get insurance without the benefits from that job covering some or all of the premiums. Again, there are many tiers within this tier, with a myriad of different insurance companies and different jobs that might pay for your insurance fully, partially, or not at all. (Also includes workers who don’t get insurance from their job, but get paid well enough to afford it on their own.) Coverage for important procedures will frequently be denied.
6- Underinsured/uninsured - for the working poor who aren’t poor enough to qualify for Medicare, but don’t have good jobs that have health insurance as a benefit - you avoid medical care at almost all costs, as any visit to any clinic or hospital will likely be financially ruinous.
2-tiered health care? That’s not American style at all! We’ve got way more tiers than that!
1- The rich and powerful - Can easily afford any procedure they need out of pocket, always go to the best clinics, the ones that don’t even accept low-tier insurance.
2- Active duty military (and their immediate family) - everything paid for, basically no questions asked. Often gets priority on appointments.
3- Medicare (and other programs for the impoverished, elderly, and disabled) - Everything paid for, but your selection of doctors and clinics may be limited, and there may be long waiting times. Depending on the state and the specific program, you may have issues with having coverage denied.
4- Veterans - Free healthcare at veterans administration facilities, but that care can often be low quality and have long waiting lists - there are several tiers within this tier, mostly depending on your disability percentage. Often need tier-5 healthcare as a backup as well, since the VA can be too slow to see you for problems.
5- Working class insurance - Hot garbage, mostly. You’ll pay a fortune for insurance and still pay a lot of money every time you need care. But at least in theory, you actually can get care if you need it. Often chains you to your job because you can’t afford to get insurance without the benefits from that job covering some or all of the premiums. Again, there are many tiers within this tier, with a myriad of different insurance companies and different jobs that might pay for your insurance fully, partially, or not at all. (Also includes workers who don’t get insurance from their job, but get paid well enough to afford it on their own.) Coverage for important procedures will frequently be denied.
6- Underinsured/uninsured - for the working poor who aren’t poor enough to qualify for Medicare, but don’t have good jobs that have health insurance as a benefit - you avoid medical care at almost all costs, as any visit to any clinic or hospital will likely be financially ruinous.