How’s Canada’s Healthcare System? Why not ask a Canadian?

What drives me bananas about this ‘debate’ on US health care reform (which is really, health INSURANCE reform) is the number of detractors who make reference to their “pastor’s wife’s grandmother’s neighbor who lives in Canada” who had a bad experience with the system there.

Come on.

Where in Canada?  I bet you didn’t know that each province in Canada implements the universal health coverage in their own way.  There are minimums of coverage, of course, but no ‘maximums’.  Some provinces, notably Saskatchewan, have more coverage than others – they include prescription drugs for instance.

There are supplemental health insurance companies who provide coverage for prescriptions, dental, private or semi-private hospital rooms, etc.  That’s how employers differentiate themselves, by having better supplemental coverage than their competitors.

My wife had some bone transplanted from her elbow to her wrist, plastic surgery to repair the scar and all the tests (MRIs, X-Rays, CAT scans, etc.) and hospital stays that were required and our bill was $0.00.  We didn’t even see a bill. 

Waiting list?  Nope.

From discovery to surgery was only a couple of months.

How much would all that cost here?  Well it depends on your coverage right?  In-network, out-of-network, how much you’re already out-of-pocket for the year (oh yeah, it starts over at zero every January doesn’t it?), how much your co-insurance is, and on and on.  How much do you pay for coverage every paycheck?  How much does your employer pay?  Add that up.

Ouch.

GM went bankrupt over health costs, the whole US economy has anchors attached on account of the health costs borne by employers.

Time to make health a right of every American; the costs shared by every American. 

Universal coverage works, and it costs a lot less than you think.

Oh, and if you want to know how the care is in Canada, why not ask an actual Canadian?  Not some game-of-telephone, extended-network-of-friends hearsay.

AIG Bonuses? Just say no!

I just read an account of the bonuses that have been paid to the AIG folks in the Financial Products division – the very division that created the trillions of dollars worth of Credit Default Swaps that are at the heart of the economic meltdown.

The justification for the bonuses according to the government appointed chairman of the board is that the amounts are contractually required.  That they need to retain the skilled executives.

Bah!

Retain them?  Where are they going to go?  The other question is, why would we care if they go?  If there really are some valuable employees that can’t or shouldn’t be let go, have the board rule on them individually.  Why weren’t the others fired?  That’s the usual and simple way to get around paying bonuses..  You have to work there to get them.

I’d say, “Sorry guys.  When we agreed to pay those bonuses, the implicit condition was that the actions you took would be ‘good’ for the company.  What you did was ‘bad’ for the company.  So, you don’t get a bonus.”

The other choice could be, “Okay, here’s your bonus.  Now we will begin investigations into whether your actions constitute gross negligence, and malfeasance with respect to the shareholders.  By the way, we’re freezing those bonuses in case there are fines that you or the company are required to pay following the investigations.”

There needs to be another Treasury Secretary.  This guy is too easy on Wall Street.  He’s not quite as bad as Paulson, but jeez..

Just say, “See you in court.”

They’ve Got the Wrong Goals

It seems that the stock markets haven’t got the memo.

We are in a recession, which means that companies that are surviving should be rewarded.  Companies that continue to ‘grow’ their profits may be doing so at the expense of their future earnings.

If a company continues to be profitable, but isn’t growing at a rate that analysts would prefer (in better times) they should not be cutting staff to make the numbers look better.

It is incumbent upon all of us to do our part in bringing this thing under control, and that means rewarding long term thinking and taking one for the economy.  Lord knows the taxpayer is.

Keeping people employed, and therefore in a mode where they can continue to be consumers, helps everyone.

We need a change of focus.  We know that we’ve collectively exhausted our credit, that means the only spending is money that is in pocket.  That means employed and earning.

There are admonishments to start saving again.  Sure.

But that means less spending.  And that means lower profits – not necessarily gone profits – but lower ones.

Change the goals and success is sure.

Just ask anyone who develops software.

Super Bowl

The big game was this afternoon (for me), evening for a lot of other folks.

For the first time in a long time it lived up to its name; the game was close right up to the end.  Even my wife likes football when it's that exciting.

Congratulations to the NFL for the show and both Arizona and Pittsburg for the game.