hey guys. ive been seeing alot of ruckus being made by republicans over the plan by obama to reform the american health care system.

ive seen and read enough to know that the american health care system is considerably different than pngs system. ive watched sicko by michael moore and from what i can tell, the system over there is entirely privatized.
so is it true that you dont just pop into your local clinic or hospital and get treated but have to have an insurance firm approve your visit first? if thats the case than wouldnt the wealthy be givin an unfair advantage in health care?

could any wantoks over there give me first hand personal insight into this issue. ive watched some reports on fox news but their biased cr@p gives me a headache.

You're right there... The American System is a user pay system, either you pay or your medical insurance pays. If you rock up to any Hospital emergency system without either.... well you die (so to speak), even then the Ambulance will not take you there but to a site like a football stadium with a makeshift clinic and volunteer doctors and nurses using donated equipment.

PNG is similar to the American system. No money, no appropriate care called the user pay system. While we certainly arent too strict here, the quality of services provided are quite appaling, poor and deficient, surviving only on the committment of hard working nurses, doctors, paramedics and scientists all amidst public critizism (which should really be aimed at their own corrupt politicians). One wonders then the effect of this system since its inception in the mid 90s on Papua New Guineans who cannot afford even a Kina a day.

The British National Health System is a gigantic version of the Australian Medicare system (or visa versa). Both socialist systems (as demanded by the voters) that guarantees the best medical care, free of charge to all citizens provided by the government.

Quality of health care can only improve in PNG when people make health real political issues during election times. At present though, health is not an issue as all and lags behind free money for feasts etcetera...

wow, a football stadium as a makeshift clinic. for some reason that made me think of the movie black hawk down.

so whats your opinion on the current bill obama is trying to pass. is it similar to the british and australian system. and if so why are all those conservative redneck hill billies making a big fuss over something that can only improve their health care system?

The fuss in USA over health care by "red necks" is the result of serious lobbying by the medical insurance giants who stand to lose billions if the healtch system in US goes socialist with its medicare plan under the Obama health reform plans.

there are pros and cons though, with burgeoning costs and creation of overexpectations by the people. The NHS is now one of the biggest, most expensive and grossly wasteful public health system in the world. But to bring in serious revolutionary changes would cost any government its reign and so noone wants to tackle the NHS headon. Similar problems will occur in Australia too if the Ozzies are not too careful, because it creates a mindset of "absolute right to medical care" attitude. And governments will win if they pour more and more money into the system.....