To get us all started... first they cover 100% of their citizen's healthcare. That's seems to parallel what Obama wants. The Norwegian tax burden is 45% of GDP.
Norwegians can opt out of the government system and pay out-of-pocket. *Many* pay out-of-pocket and travel to a foreign country for medical care when waiting lists are long.
There are significant waiting times for many procedures. Many Norwegians often go abroad for medical treatments. The average weight for a hip replacement is more than 4 months. “Approximately 23 percent of all patients referred for hospital admission have to wait longer than three months for admission.” Also, care can be denied if it is not deemed to be cost-effective.
Let's hope they don't go to the USA to pay out of pocket where the average cost of a hip replacement is ,299. If they go to a private hospital in the UK, it only costs ,600. At least the surgery isn't that common, right?
WRONG: "Hip replacement surgery is one of the most common orthopedic procedures performed in the world with more than 350,000 operations per year in the United States alone." But it almost half the number of tonsils removed per year.
Obama doesn't know how much it costs but he said he would pay out of his pocket for his grandmother. -> http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aGrKbfWkzTqc
Although he also seemed to indicate that the terminally ill don't really need a hip replacement, regardless what the doctor advises, as he considers it a "moral issue."
But we are talking about how Norway is like the USA.. or I should say, how the USA would like to be like Norway. For instance they pay .06 for a Big Mac -> http://bigmac.biz/images/big-mac-index-2005.jpg
Wow... ain't that wonderful... at those prices you could hardly die of a heart attack eating Big Macs. Of course that doesn't include tax, so you would eat even less, I suspect.
But Michael Moore loves their health care system (wonder when he is due for hip replacement) "As Michael Moore has noted, the Norwegian system will even pay for ’spa treatments’ in some cases."
And we should have strong wording in our health care plan like Norway... I'm talking about their, "Under the 1990 Patients’ Rights Act, patients with a condition that would lead to “catastrophic or very serious consequences” have a right to treatment within six months, if the treatment is available."
In 2001, after several government reports had documented repeated violations of this policy, the government passed a new mandate requiring that a patient’s medical condition be at least “assessed” within 30 days.
Any other goals that we can seek to be like Norway?
http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/04/18/health-care-around-the-world-norway/
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>> Firstly, Norway did not give him the Peace prize, it is simply where the selection is made, and not by the government <<
Get your head out of your rear end bgee2001ca and quit spreading lies.
"The Norwegian Parliament appoints the Norwegian Nobel Committee, which selects the laureate for the Peace Prize."
I know this is difficult for you, but Norway doesn't have a Senate and House of Representatives like the USA. That's right... all countries are not the same. They have a *parliamentary system*.
Who decided this before you were born? Alfred Nobel did... he had it in his WILL when he died. It specifically stated, "The prize should be awarded by a committee of five people elected by the Norwegian Parliament."
So you won't remain clueless... here is a hint, ->>> If it was our current congress, I sort of doubt that Rush Limbaugh would be selected to be on the committee.
The five are:
Thorbjorn Jagland -> President of the Norwegian Parliament since 2005 and Prime Minister of Norway in 1996 and 1997... Here's a little help... it is like their president.
Kaci Kullmann Five -> No, 'Five' is 'her' name. She was a member of the Norwegian parliament over 15 years. Held the following posts: Deputy Chairman of the Parliament, Deputy Party Chairman, Minister of Trade and Shipping Cabinet.
Sissel Marie Ronbeck -> former Norwegian Social Democratic member of the Norwegian Parliament, Director for Cultural Heritage and answers to the Minister of the Environment.
Inger-Marie Ytterhorn -> Former member of the Norwegian Parliament and current senior adviser to the Norwegian Progress Party.
Agot Valle -> Current member of the Norwegian Parliament and spokeswoman on foreign affairs for the Socialist Left Party.
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BTW, I do foot the bill myself... I pay 0 a month. I'm don't want to pay more and get less care. IOW, I can get a hip replacement tomorrow. Don't have to pay the government more, wait forever AND I can pick my own surgeon.
I betcha that Obama is going to have you pay more than 0 a month... even if unemployed or welfare... it will come out of your welfare check or unemployment... it will be REQUIRED!
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Jennifer -> "To wait 4 months for hip replacement is better than in the U.S. That is very fast."
Are you kidding me? You think you can easily fool everyone with that nonsense? It looks like the liberal way now days... lie about it and hope people will believe you.
The wait time in the USA for Total Hip or Total Knee replacement is 3 days! Not 4 days... not 5 days. Those are surgery schedules. And believe me, I have worked in surgery for over a decade. If your doctor is on vacation, he might tell you that he can't get you in for a week, but they are just using surgery/hospital as an excuse. It's 3 days.
Here is how the rest of the world stacks up:
Israel -> 2 to 3 days, Total Hip... 3 to 4 days Total knee.
Canada (Done by the accounting of the Health Council of Canada) 6.5 months for Total Hip, 6.5 months for Total knee.
Scotland -> 6 months... passed a new law like Norway did, claiming it must be done within 4 months... both total hip or knee
Spain -> Total hip 6 months... Total Knee 12 months... new law now says 6 months
Scotland -> 6 months ... new law 4.5 months for either procedure
Denmark -> 2 months for both... All elective procedures will be done in less than 1 month.
Sweden -> 3 months for total knee or total hip
Do you see anything interesting about the above? Canada is the WORST. Yeah, as of today Canada is the worst and one guy claiming to be from Canada is bragging. Of course he doesn't know the difference between a total knee replacement and knee surgery. Arthroscopic knee surgery can be done the next day on an outpatient basis here in the USA if your doctor isn't seeing patients that day.
I think the responses to this question are very telling. Think about how many you thought were telling the truth and what their motive might be to lie. Then ask someone you trust in the medical field here in the USA and see if I'm not telling the truth.
If someone has to lie, you know something is fishy.
mc93433, you don't get it at all. You are talking about diagnosing, approving and scheduling. In your world this is where the delay is and it must be the same everywhere else.
It is not that at all. Like I say, surgery suites are scheduled only about 3 or 4 days in advance here in the USA. Do I know anyone? I scheduled surgeries at a 800 bed hospital for 5 years. It is a profit maker for the hospital... not an "overhead." Plus in the USA there are many free standing surgery centers.
You are a good example of Americans that think socialized medicine is just great. And also an example for those in other countries to think when you say 2 month delay, you are talking from the point the symptoms are first noticed or diagnosed.
I really don't mean to pick on you since I think you are not attacking just for the heck of it but because you lack knowledge. These other countries are talking about their surgery schedule.
Imagine this in your mom's case. After her two months of getting her approval (assuming she must go to a 'primary provider' first ... type of insurance) tests done, visit her surgeon, and find a time when he is free to do the surgery, then you must wait 6 months and in some cases up to 12 months before the surgery suite is available. That's how it is in many of these countries. The fact that you have to jump through hoops here in the USA with your insurance has nothing at all to do with surgery scheduling, that we are talking about with other countries.
As far as Norway being the panacea, you have to consider their income and government is base on their fantastic reserves of natural resources. No other country in the world has as much natural resources per capital as Norway. We can't even drill here in the USA.
Here's the link again mc93433. If you want to claim it is biased without proof, then keep your head in the sand.
http://healthcare-economist.com/2008/04/18/health-care-around-the-world-norway/
While this might seem like something never done before there are a number of groups that constantly research healthcare to keep standards high. INAHTA is one of the most respected. Start your study there, or listen to your congressman and cross your fingers.
http://www.inahta.org/
Here's and old Canadian study... scroll down for the chart:
http://www4.va.gov/vatap/pubs/BIB-Waiting-times-for-joint-replacement-surgery-final.pdf
Most Americans know very little what they are getting themselves into. And most foreigners simply accept what they got and think it is the same in the USA. You have to ask yourself whey King and heads of states come to the USA for their critical healthcare, when they can go anywhere in the world.
If you need cheap and not quality, then Obama's your man. It's one of our few industries that leads the rest of the world, unlike the steel, automotive, electronic, and petroleum we've moved off shore.