[snowman]

I have been unfortunate enough to have to actually use our health care system. I have found that those totally satisfied users, never actually use the system. What I have found is that you get what you pay for. I thing this is also "as it should be".

Back in the bad old days, when I had Kaiser, and there are much worse HMOS than Kaiser I found that they couldn't see someone with common problems like a sever cold untill well after the cold healed itself. So much for perscription cough meds and the like. Have a torn rotator cuff, very painful and a problem the MUST be corrected, you wait for 6 months in sever pain, and unable to function properly, before they approve surgery. Usually done by a surgeon who is pissed because he just got shafted by the hmo on the last job.

Other hmos, like Bristol Park in OC, CA are even worse. Have type 11 diabetes? then you NEED a Glucose test kit, period. My Dr was put on the carpet for perscribing one for me. He quit as a result of that experience. A friend of mine, his wife has skin cancer. Several treatments with correct machine, check cancer. Seems to be in remission. 3 weeks later, it was not in remission. Reapplication for new treatments, lost, lost, lost in the system, typical, it may be 6 monthe or until she dies before additonal treatments are approved again. Thats Bristol Park, and thats probably a step above a single payer system.

I used to play Judo for over 35 years 2 to 4 times a week for 2 to 4 hours per night. A friend, an olympic status kind of player, tore up his knee. He was with Kaiser. Kaiser told him to adjust his lifestyle to his new knee. He had to pay for his own surgery and then sue Kaiser to get reimbursed, which he did.

The really WORST part of managed care or HMOs is that they WON"T EVEN TELL YOU that a cure or fix is availble. Their Drs are FORBIDDEN to tell you, that is a FACT.

With a good health care plan, which I paid for out of my own pocket, I had another torn rotator cuff. I went to my Dr the next day, was in surgery 2 days later, problem solved. I needed to better control my Blood sugar, no sweat, the next day I had a new $10K state of the art insulin pump and accessorys. I met a 12 year old kid at the training seminar. He was with Kaiser. He was undergoing a 12 month ordeal to obtain an insuling pump. and he was a type 1 diabetic with an ablosute need for the device. Even then he will probably only get the obsolete 4 year old design.

By the way, I am elegible for medicare. I had to waive my medicare benefit in order to receive the latest pump in a reasonable time. again single payer would be worse.