Canadian Health Care: Yea or Nay?
There was a demonstration in Port Angeles yesterday against Obama’s proposed health care reform.
I’m not taking a stand one way or the other on this issue. But one of the common arguments against universal health coverage — “socialized medicine,” whatever you want to call it — is that in the countries that already have it, people have to wait months and months just to get a doctor’s appointment.
Supposedly, zillions of Canadians are flocking to the United States to get some “real” medical care because they’re tired of waiting and waiting to see their own doctors back home. Is this true?
The Coho comes in several times a day from Victoria. Maybe some of the Coho passengers are Canadian citizens coming here for the medical treatment they can’t get on Vancouver Island.
I wouldn’t know how to find this out. I thought of calling Olympic Medical Center to ask whether some of their patients are Canadians who came here to get away from that rationed health care back home; but I doubt if they’d divulge that information.
Just idle curiosity. Anyone know?
I’m not taking a stand one way or the other on this issue. But one of the common arguments against universal health coverage — “socialized medicine,” whatever you want to call it — is that in the countries that already have it, people have to wait months and months just to get a doctor’s appointment.
Supposedly, zillions of Canadians are flocking to the United States to get some “real” medical care because they’re tired of waiting and waiting to see their own doctors back home. Is this true?
The Coho comes in several times a day from Victoria. Maybe some of the Coho passengers are Canadian citizens coming here for the medical treatment they can’t get on Vancouver Island.
I wouldn’t know how to find this out. I thought of calling Olympic Medical Center to ask whether some of their patients are Canadians who came here to get away from that rationed health care back home; but I doubt if they’d divulge that information.
Just idle curiosity. Anyone know?
posted by Tom Harper at 6:59 PM
5 Comments:
I'm not certain about their system other than what little experience I've had around some Canadian friends. All in all I would say that they have a decent system.
But here is an interesting spin, a lot of American's go to Canada for some treatments because it's cheaper to get them there.
It seems that Canadian doctors love to get Americans money without all the paper work required of going through their system to get paid. Or something like that.
Any Canadian that want's faster care (and I'm not so sure it is that slow from what I've seen there) can get it there cheaper there than if they come here to get it being as it is so expensive here. All they have to do is put up some money.
Here is a cold hard fact of life. Old fucks don't want to die, so they want everyone else to help to try to keep them alive, even though they are going to die anyway.
This is the evening of the baby boon dawning, no system can support all that. Add in the greed factor and it gets even worse.
I don't have a good response to a proper system, no one does, but I admire the problem.
Actually, any good system will be geared toward the youth, not trying to keep stupid old fucks alive.
Here is a news alert, if you are over fifty you did good considering all the stupid things you did and how you abused your body over the years.
And now you want everyone else to help pay to keep you alive for another fifty years? You amuse me.
I suggest that you do as I intend on doing. Getting dead. I'm 66 and I've had enough of this screwed planet.
If they try to keep me alive to 85 or a 100 (and they might in this screwed up system) I'm going to be really pissed.
The last thing I want to do is leave this planet the way I came into it. Shitting in a diaper and depending on others to feed me.
Death, what a crock, it's not a concept to an omnipresent spirit in a puny human body.
I can tell you that the image of health care you portray in Canada is not even close to being true!
I have been visiting friends in Canada for many years, and unfortunately (for them) have had to visit a number of them in the hospital. None have ever had to wait for needed surgery; more recently a friends mom WANTED hip replacement surgery (non essential), and was in and out within a week of her decision.
The health care system is amazing to witness.
On top of the care covered by the general system, there are "walk in clinics" on what seems like every street corner. No oppointments needed. As a US citizen, I've used those, and paid $45 Cdn for the office visit fee, straight off the street. Facilities are clean and neat, and everyone couldn't be nicer.
I too read the news clips about how bad the health care system is there, but my experience shows nothing even remotely close. I think it is all relative. Maybe the nurses union, or? is looking for a raise? I dunno.
The "rationed health" care spin is just scare tactics from the Big Pharma/AMA lobby. Don't believe (or spread) the hype.
Canadians and Europeans have a vastly better health care system than what passes for "health care" in this country!
We need "socialized" health care like they have in Canada and Europe. Using the dreaded word "socialized" helps Big Pharm and Big Med scare us into thinking we don't want it. Bastards! They've been screwing us for years to make as much money as they possibly can, and that ain't right.
Spread the word -- good health care is not "commie" -- it's the right thing.
Yeah, just wait until you have to start paying for anyone who goes to the ER with a cut pinkie...if it's free, what's to stop 'em??
Just write me a check!
Post a Comment
<< Home