None of what you said is either backed by facts or is actually worth remembering if you're trying to fix the problem.
I always read your replies to threads about health care in the US and I'm always left with two thoughts: "what does that even mean and how does it further the conversation?"
If you bothered to actually follow the link to the data (http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DBASSE/CPOP/DBASSE_080393), you'd see that none of what you said is accurate. The US is either at the end or, sometimes, in the middle of the rankings for everything. The Violence graph is particularly interesting.
It would be helpful if you could be clearer about which of those points "isn't backed by the facts" and which are "not worth considering", assuming those are disjoint sets.
I don't know where you're getting your figures from, but our monthly per employee rate is closer to $500/month in CA (with a family it's like $1200/month).
It's going up like $20/month for 2013. Which is immaterial, since it was ridiculous to begin with, because the entire system is broken.
Not at all. As aforementioned, you can't legally fire him in the UK (or Australia). Doing so would immediately welcome a legal battle with Fair Work (in Australia) and your chances of winning that one are slim to none.
I'm not familiar with the law in the UK. Could someone fill me in?
I'm confused as to how someone can be forced to continue to give money to someone that they don't want to continue giving money to? What if I decide I can't afford those employees because we aren't making enough money? Surely I can close down the business if I want to, effectively firing everyone?
You can fire people, but you have to follow a certain procedure to do so, otherwise you put yourself at risk of being sued for wrongful dismissal. There are clauses in employment contracts to cover gross misconduct so that you can fire someone for stealing etc. If you can't afford the employee you can make them redundant - but there are rules about not filling a similar position for a certain amount of time thereafter to ensure that it's not used as a way of firing people just because you don't like them. If an employee does their job and does it well you should not be able to just fire them because you're having a bad hair day. To me as UK citizen, your system looks like a crazy free-for-all. To each their own I suppose. :-)
Incidentally, IANAL - the above is essentially right but I'm not an employer and only have an employee's view of things.
I prefer a law making it legal to fire at any time except for a blacklist of protected reasons like race, gender. In an at-will united state, I hope adultery can't be misconstrued as a protected reason for not being able to fire....
It wouldn't work like that in New Zealand. Outside of work, consenting adults etc. The employee could just argue that the employer was acting unprofessionally during work hours despite the employee being professional at all times during work hours. If this firing was handled poorly the employer would likely face massive costs.
NZ law has UK law as its origin.
"Ah, the age old "tort reform" line. Haven't heard that one in a while."
I would guess that your not following all of the issues. Tort reform is going to have to be on the table or we are going to lose more general practitioners (not terribly popular now) and OB/GYNs. Insurance costs are not just a patient issue.
"Your stats about Canadians is total BS."
Not really sure how to respond to this one. If you mean the waiting list times, then you are wrong. If you mean the cancer survival rates, that you are wrong. These are not exactly in dispute and are very much related.
I always read your replies to threads about health care in the US and I'm always left with two thoughts: "what does that even mean and how does it further the conversation?"
If you bothered to actually follow the link to the data (http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DBASSE/CPOP/DBASSE_080393), you'd see that none of what you said is accurate. The US is either at the end or, sometimes, in the middle of the rankings for everything. The Violence graph is particularly interesting.