The easiest way to become rich in the US is to become a MD...

Overtreated probably isn't the word - overscanned, maybe.

Still, it owuld be interesting to get some statistics on that - the number of machines in different major cities, average usage per year, so on and so forth.

Interesting story: my dentist (first time I'd seen him in about five years) asked me if dental care was socialized in Canada. Apparently he was worried about it happening here in the States! In point of fact, every single doctor I've spoken to in the last while has been very concerned about it. My sister's boyfriend's father is actually a brain surgeon who is worried about it... Some of them have tried to warn my brother away from going into medicine because they're afraid Obama is goign to turn us all into communists.

The real question is when you need an MRI, it's far better to get at that moment, then wait three weeks.

I am sure the MRI's in the US are not used as often as the ones in Canada, but that's not the point, the point is when you need one, you need one.

We pay a lot more for them. I saw the statistic once. I forget the multiplayer (not sure if it was every 1000 people, 10,000 people, or what), but the ratio of the graph was 6 people per MRI in the US, vs 23 people per MRI in Canada.

Like I said, not sure if that's 600 people, 6,000 people, or 60,000 people, but the ratio is what matters.

That was a good, balanced article.

The Canadian system is no panacea. Like all systems, it fails some people.

One of the biggest challenges of our system is that we end up competing for specialized medical labour with American hospitals which are willing to pay far more for it. A shortage of that highly skilled labour is probably the main cause behind that woman's waiting list.

And the can gets kicked down the road. My health region recently poached a bunch of nurses from the Philippenes. I doubt they're up to their eyeballs in skilled nurses over there.

I'd really like to see some serious investment in training and attracting more medical staff on the part of our government. I think it would be money very well spent. I'm sure our overworked doctors and nurses would agree.

I meant comparing the statistics between major US cities. I have a feeling that that statistic isn't typical of the rest of the country.

And I like it that way. If doctors in the US get paid more then anywhere else in the world, where do you think the best doctors in the world will go?

Sure if you believe that overpaying for everything makes it automatically better but that's flawed logic in my book.  Also with that logic I'm pretty sure anyone in sales loves doing business with you.

Your right. The best football payers don't play in the NFL. The best Tennis players don't play on the ATP.

I mean, money never brings in the best.

Come on, if I was a hospital, and paying 400K a year for a doctor, I want the best, and the best want to work for me. That's how life works in the real world.

They say that  a sucker is born every minute I'm guessing you are that sucker.  By the way their a few lemons that I would like to sell to you since money is never a concern in your book.