Listening to CKLW from Widsor, Ontario
I was up late last night and pulling in a radio station I used to listen to in high school. I come from Detroit, otherwise known as the Motor City, and when I got tired of listening to the MoTown Sound, I'd switch over to CKLW in nearby Windsor Ontario.
An ad came up that struck me: It began with hospital sounds - faint regular beeping, perhaps a soft rustle of starched clothing. Then a woman sounding caring but officious said something like, "Mr. Smith? How are you feeling today?"
A deep, older male voice answered, "Much better, thank you."
She went on, "The results of your tests are in and you are well enough to leave; you can go home today."
Then there was a pause, and the man said, "Please, I'd like to stay another night?"
And an announcer broke in that this patient was homeless, and had nowhere to go.
This was an ad developed by a charity seeking donations for the homeless population. Universal access to health care is apparently so solid in Canada that such an ad can be produced with no thought that anyone will complain about the free loading homeless sucking dollars out of the hospital.
I'm not advocating that the guy should use the hospital as a free hotel, but it made me wonder how they do it. Does anyone in Canada understand what "sicker and quicker" means? What happens when a patient goes over the ALOS? Does he stay? Does the hospital now classify him an outlier? He has no address - has the hospital applied then for "emergency Medicaid?" Do they overcharge him so they can add to their bad-debt or charity care totals and therefore receive more DSH payments?
They used universal health care access to demonstrate the problem of homelessness.
Just made me wonder.
Crossposted at http://www.signalhealth.com
An ad came up that struck me: It began with hospital sounds - faint regular beeping, perhaps a soft rustle of starched clothing. Then a woman sounding caring but officious said something like, "Mr. Smith? How are you feeling today?"
A deep, older male voice answered, "Much better, thank you."
She went on, "The results of your tests are in and you are well enough to leave; you can go home today."
Then there was a pause, and the man said, "Please, I'd like to stay another night?"
And an announcer broke in that this patient was homeless, and had nowhere to go.
This was an ad developed by a charity seeking donations for the homeless population. Universal access to health care is apparently so solid in Canada that such an ad can be produced with no thought that anyone will complain about the free loading homeless sucking dollars out of the hospital.
I'm not advocating that the guy should use the hospital as a free hotel, but it made me wonder how they do it. Does anyone in Canada understand what "sicker and quicker" means? What happens when a patient goes over the ALOS? Does he stay? Does the hospital now classify him an outlier? He has no address - has the hospital applied then for "emergency Medicaid?" Do they overcharge him so they can add to their bad-debt or charity care totals and therefore receive more DSH payments?
They used universal health care access to demonstrate the problem of homelessness.
Just made me wonder.
Crossposted at http://www.signalhealth.com
posted by
at 1:35 PM
3 Comments:
Unfortunately, the commercial you heard was misleading. I imagine it was produced to demonstrate the dire straights this homeless man was in, wanting to spend an extra night in the hospital rather than return to the street. I don't know of any hospitals that would actually let the guy stay for an extra night regardless of where he was going home to.
Because our system is very different, the issues you brought up (emergency medicaid, outliers, charity care totals) have different meaning or do not apply.
But make no mistake--our system has its share of problems. Majority of Canadians have falling confidence in the public system. Waiting times for certain procedures are extraodinary and many people can't even find family doctors--even though it's "free" to them as residents of Canada.
Health care in Canada is far from perfect, in fact, some would argue far from universal. Though all residents of Canadian provinces are insured, some similar pressures to the American system remain.
Nonetheless, I would choose to be in a Canadian system that provides some sort of universal access than a system where millions can't get health care without facing lifelong debt. I support the Canadian system, though I anticipate major changes as the private system inevitably moves in.
I have always gone to Call a Nurse for all of my health concerns. Because of my family history I need to have regular checkups and whenever I have a question I call Call a Nurse and they are always very polite and knowledgeable. It is very important to stay on top of your health and have a check up at least once a year to ensure that you remain healthy. Many health problems are curable but you need to catch them in time. Do not wait to go see a doctor because it may be too late.
Nicee blog you have
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