[commanderkai]

andyt wrote:

But if you allow the Canadian to deduct that coverage from taxes, you're robbing the Canadian system of funds, which will reduce the available healthcare resources in Canada. So you remove this person from sometimes accessing our system, but you also rob our system of some tax monies. Doesn't make sense.

I'd like the tax reduction, but I know in all likelyhood, it wouldn't happen. I never said a FULL reduction either, but some, considering a large part of the demand is specialists/family doctors. I can't blame anybody who would rush to the nearest hospital in an emergency, but options for out-patient care, specialists, and what have you can probably be transferred to the United States.

I wouldn't worry about the American system as much, they can withstand the shock of a few million more patients coming once in a while. It's not like they're all going to the Henry Ford Medical Center in Detroit all at once, or something.

So, andy, if they didn't get the tax reduction for getting American health insurance, would you find this reasonable?

[andyt]

Of course. What you do with your own money is your affair. I'm not sure how reasonable it will seem to most families, since the extra costs will be huge and the chance of using it pretty minimal. As I pointed out, all sorts of healthcare will still be accessed by that family in Canada. So it probably only makes financial sense if an American insurer were willing to write some sort of special product for Canadians.

Remember, you already can deduct medical expenses over a certain amount. I don't think those expenses are limited to having been spent in Canada, tho I'm not sure. But I'm saying you shouldn't be able to deduct the cost of the US insurance.

[andyt]

Proculation wrote:

You need to live in the US to get an american insurance. Imagine the pressure on the demand of specialized healthcare that would do on their system. Like you say andyt, Canadians would use healthcare in Canada for minor things while if they need a costly surgery, they would go to the US. If that was available tho, just imagine the premium cost since you would only use expensive healthcare in US.

You're wrong here. IT would cost the US insurer less to insure a Canadian, because the Canadian would use the Canadian system for so many things. As I pointed out, that includes ER care for serious accidents. A US insured would use the insurance for everything, so the Americans would love to insure a Canadian for the same price. They could even offer a discount and still make out in their usual banditry.

[commanderkai]

andyt wrote:

Of course. What you do with your own money is your affair. I'm not sure how reasonable it will seem to most families, since the extra costs will be huge and the chance of using it pretty minimal. As I pointed out, all sorts of healthcare will still be accessed by that family in Canada. So it probably only makes financial sense if an American insurer were willing to write some sort of special product for Canadians.

Remember, you already can deduct medical expenses over a certain amount. I don't think those expenses are limited to having been spent in Canada, tho I'm not sure. But I'm saying you shouldn't be able to deduct the cost of the US insurance.

I'm not a huge expert on the medical industry, but if corporations can make a decent dollar, they can make good plans. One proposal would be insuring just major surgery/medical situations, while basic stuff stays in Canada. Basically, cut down lines for specialist care, which, for most Canadians, would be rare, but it'll take some of the burden off of the Canadian health care system.

However, if we want this, we need some of the demonization of American health care cut, mixed in with leftist groups not bitching about how the wealthy Canadians are getting better care blah blah blah. That and lots of government corporation between the US and Canada.

[andyt]

Oh, no, we need to keep demonizing the American system. It's a complete mess. Costs so much more than ours, or anybody else's. They themselves want to change it, but there's so much opposition from the insurance industry that's making out like bandits, and so much ignorance on the part of the public. Vermont just went to a single payer system, as did Mutt Romney bring one in when gov of Massachusetts. They are going to have to change their system to be more like ours sooner or later. Right now the diff in what they would spend under our system, and what they now spend could fund their entire military budget. (Not counting homeland security).

No no, what we need is to get rid of Steven Harper, with his "Canada is a second-tier socialist country" so that we can have a rational discussion about how we can change our system without the right wing ideologues screwing up the discussion.