Having worked in the private and universal health care over the last 13 years as a RN I would tell you that private health care is an absolute nightmare compared to public healthcare. The idea that private healthcare would decrease wait time is laughable. Go to any metro hospital in the US and take a look outside (not the waiting room) the facility - you will see dozens of homeless uninsured patients waiting to be seen by hospital staff. In the waiting room you will potentially see hundreds of people (mostly uninsured or underinsured) waiting for the same care. My experience as a nurse is within the Tri State area of NYC and University of San Francisco. I also have worked as a nurse in Alberta for 5 years.
Wait times have to do with understaffing and facility capacity. Currently in BC, where nurses are striking for the first time in nearly 30 years, there are between 5000 and 6500 unfilled positions listed on BC Health websites. Alberta has similar unfilled nursing positions posted on Alberta Health websites. If staffing is low private insurance will not improve wait times.
Private health care always costs more…always. There is no example that can be given by any reputable source, where private health care costs less and produces better outcomes.
Just an aside as well- I have heard the argument (I don’t know why) from several Canadians, that they want private care because it would enable them to get an MRI when they want (almost always tradespeople). I would just like to clear up this myth as an ER nurse- the only people that can get STAT MRI service have either gone through the windshield of their car, fallen off a building or been hit by a bus etc. No one with private insurance walks into a US health facility, demands and MRI and gets sent to a waiting room to get it within the hour.
Having worked in the private and universal health care over the last 13 years as a RN I would tell you that private health care is an absolute nightmare compared to public healthcare. The idea that private healthcare would decrease wait time is laughable. Go to any metro hospital in the US and take a look outside (not the waiting room) the facility - you will see dozens of homeless uninsured patients waiting to be seen by hospital staff. In the waiting room you will potentially see hundreds of people (mostly uninsured or underinsured) waiting for the same care. My experience as a nurse is within the Tri State area of NYC and University of San Francisco. I also have worked as a nurse in Alberta for 5 years.
Wait times have to do with understaffing and facility capacity. Currently in BC, where nurses are striking for the first time in nearly 30 years, there are between 5000 and 6500 unfilled positions listed on BC Health websites. Alberta has similar unfilled nursing positions posted on Alberta Health websites. If staffing is low private insurance will not improve wait times.
Private health care always costs more…always. There is no example that can be given by any reputable source, where private health care costs less and produces better outcomes.
Just an aside as well- I have heard the argument (I don’t know why) from several Canadians, that they want private care because it would enable them to get an MRI when they want (almost always tradespeople). I would just like to clear up this myth as an ER nurse- the only people that can get STAT MRI service have either gone through the windshield of their car, fallen off a building or been hit by a bus etc. No one with private insurance walks into a US health facility, demands and MRI and gets sent to a waiting room to get it within the hour.