You want Government controlled "Free" Health Care? Let's take a gander across the pond and see what the British are doing to keep costs down.
Don't treat the old and unhealthy, say doctors
By Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent
Last Updated: 2:09am GMT 28/01/2008
Doctors are calling for NHS treatment to be withheld from patients who are too old or who lead unhealthy lives.
Smokers, heavy drinkers, the obese and the elderly should be barred from receiving some operations, according to doctors, with most saying the health service cannot afford to provide free care to everyone.
Doing something the government doesn't approve of like be overweight, or G-d forbid, get old, don't bother going to the hospital, cause your on their no fly list.
About one in 10 hospitals already deny some surgery to obese patients and smokers, with restrictions most common in hospitals battling debt.
How can they be in debt? Isn't this health care FREE? Silly me, I always thought that free meant there was no cost involved...BUT...you have to remember that the British citizen pays incredibly steep taxes, so now the gov't has taken your money and turned around and decided that they just aren't going to spend your money on you.
They are are free to pay to have the operation...BUT...they've already paid for the operation once through their taxes and now they get to pay for it again.
Among the survey of 870 family and hospital doctors, almost 60 per cent said the NHS could not provide full healthcare to everyone and that some individuals should pay for services. [emphasis- mine]
Maybe this is part of their problem. Doctors, who should be fairly highly educated, believe that the care is given for free. Where the hell do they think the money for their salaries, supplies and equipment come from? Bloody idiots!
Gordon Brown promised this month that a new NHS constitution would set out people's "responsibilities" as well as their rights, a move interpreted as meaning restrictions on patients who bring health problems on themselves. The only sanction threatened so far, however, is to send patients to the bottom of the waiting list if they miss appointments.
The survey found that medical professionals wanted to go much further in denying care to patients who do not look after their bodies.
I know, right now they are talking about smoking, drinking, obesity...and getting old, but what happens when they start deciding your diet may have led in part to your problem. Maybe you were 5 miles/hour (8.046 719 999 995 kilometer/hour)when you had the accident with that lorry. If you hadn't been speeding, perhaps you wouldn't have crashed, you're responsible, we're short of funds this month..."No health care for you!!" /Soup Nazi
Responding to the survey's findings on the treatment of the elderly, Dr Calland, of the BMA, said: "If a patient of 90 needs a hip operation they should get one. Yes, they might peg out any time, but it's not our job to play God."
There is some sanity remaining there, but remember, in the end, the government controls the purse strings.
As a bonus feture today, I will include a couple of stories from our cousins in the Great White North:
And because I'm in a generous mood, another article on British Health care:
British Flee Socialized Health Care To Get Good Care Elsewhere
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