sontos2244

A socialist system is less perfect than a capitalist one.

Jakkala

Most doctors do this as they will still charge you for your appointment in which they referred you to a different doctor, hehe.

ainwein

There are good doctors out there.

My father is a dentist. He offers 24 hour service. You page him at 2 in the morning with a tooth ache, he wakes his ass up and will call in a perscription for you. He is called to the emergency room all the time in the middle of the night. Once a month he offers free dental service for those of us who are unable to afford expensive procedures. He was the president of the chamber of commerce for our city for years. He visits the elementary schools every year to talk about tooth care. About the referral thing, I suppose it's different with dentistry since you should know to begin with if you need a cosmetic dentist, an oral surgeon, an orthodonist, or whatever, but if you come in and he just refers you elsewhere, it's free.

He would say his success is due to Jesus and yada yada (He's very religious), but it's pretty obvious to me why he is. He hardly even advertises, he just lets himself be known throughout the community. I could never attempt to do the things he does (2 am and I have to look in someone's fucked up mouth? Come on...), but I respect it. There's a reason he owns two medical buildings, instead of working out of a strip mall.

I'm not trying to start 'My dad is better than yours' crap, so please don't take it like that. With little research you can separate the good doctors from the bad.

Selwen Soulgazer

There is a doctor up where my parents live that is similar to your dad Wein. You can wake him at any god awful hour and he wll have you come into the medical center and do what he can for you or let you know what to do. When I had asthma,there was many a time that I woke him up in the wee hours to go get an adreniline shot. He was always in good spirits when he treated me,and since we didnt have insurance he never charged me for the shots($75 a pop).
There is good doctors out there.The prblem is insurance companies and HMO's.

Baloghdarogue

True, they probably will refer you.
But charge you non the less.
Which is logical cause you used their time and time=money.
Easy money really, all you have to do is refer to someone else.
But what if the next doctor is not able to help you and refers you to the next.
The bills keep stacking and you really have not received any help.
In theory this can go on till you're not able to effort any more doctors appointments.
Only a real problem if you're not able to effort more then 2 doctors appointments.

There are allot of good doctors that are not in the profession for the money, or believe that they make sufficient money.
These will help you regardless of you're financial situation.
But this is due to the good nature of the doctor and has nothing to do with the system.

/applaud
/cheer

I admire you're constructive criticism.
Really you're statement is incredibly well argumented and a real contribution to this discussion.
Just a shame you're not willing to share you're arguments with us all.
Especially for us poor Europeans that live in a country that has a "social" health-care system. We might be able to learn something from you're arguments.

Groa

www.iht.com/articles/106055.html

About british "bread lines" for dentists.