RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Politics and Current Events Wow, Bush is just evil now, there's no doubt.

Not all doctors take Medicade patients, and VA doctors work for the government, usually associated with the military itself. If you put everyone on government controlled insurance, you'll more than likely see a great decrease in doctors (as they would not be able to make enough money to justify the expense of becoming a doctor) or they would shut their doors to all but the ones who have better insurance or pay in cash (i.e. the wealthy) causing an even greater load on the doctors who actually participate and give them less time with each patient.

nice doomsday scenarios and cynicism. despite the fact that it does work in other forms and we can adapt and adjust as needed. it's better than nothing. and it can be shaped into something that helps a lot of people.

Many dentists abandoned Britain's publicly funded health care system after reforms backfired, leaving a growing number of Britons without access to affordable care.

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Though private treatment by dentists is available, the tradition of publicly funded care means most people rely on it. But now there are fewer dentists to see patients.

In April 2006, the government reformed National Health Service dentistry in an effort to increase patients' access to treatment and to simplify payments. Dentists objected, complaining it reduced income. Some dentists cut the number of health service patients _ or stopped taking them altogether.

Forty-five percent of dentists surveyed said they no longer accept National Health Service patients.

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The study released Monday by the commission contained no figures detailing the National Health Service dental shortage. But earlier this year, then-Health Minister Rosie Winterton told Parliament more than 2 million people were unable to find an NHS dentist.

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"These findings indicate that the NHS dental system is letting many patients down very badly," said Sharon Grant, chairman of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health, the independent body that commissioned the study.

The survey found nearly 20 percent of patients have gone without dental treatment because of the cost. Thirty-five percent of those not now using dental services said they cannot find an NHS dentist near where they live.

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"Access is a big issue in the United States," Albert said. "Even if you have medicaid coverage, finding a sufficient number of dentists that accept it is difficult."

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In the British study, 78 percent of private dental patients left the National Health Service because their dentist stopped treating NHS patients or they could not find an NHS dentist. Only 15 percent claimed they switched to get better treatment.