Universal Medicare system, single payer~~ A Canadian Warns Against Canadian Sanctimony
Last Post
A Canadian Warns Against Canadian Sanctimony
By Matthew Vadum Saturday, November 28, 2009
Capital Research Center writer Rondi Adamson (her blog may be found
here), a Canadian, warns against Canadians’ tendency to defend their
universal Medicare system in moralistic terms.
There are, de facto, death panels. Alarmist terminology aside, in
a single-payer, public system, the state will decide how to mete out
finite resources. Of course, with private healthcare there are also
“death panels.” But at least you can shop around for an insurer who
will be generously inclined towards your various ailments.
Had the doctors overseeing my mother’s case decided against
surgery, her only option would have been to go to the United States,
something she could not have afforded. But they decided in her favour
and what came next demonstrated one of the best things about our
system. Due to luck of the draw and the hospital to which her
cardiologist was linked — as opposed to wealth or influential friends
— my mother had her surgery performed by one of the best heart doctors
in the country.
I tell this story in response not so much to the ongoing debate
about healthcare in the United States, but in response to the general
Canadian sanctimony about it. We would do well to not preach, in spite
of Barack Obama ’s assertion — during his appearance a few weeks ago
on the Late Show with David Letterman — that Canadians “are perfectly
happy with their system.”
Bob LeChevalier
>Universal Medicare system, single payer
>A Canadian Warns Against Canadian Sanctimony
>
> By Matthew Vadum Saturday, November 28, 2009
>
>Capital Research Center writer Rondi Adamson (her blog may be found
>here), a Canadian, warns against Canadians� tendency to defend their
>universal Medicare system in moralistic terms.
>
> There are, de facto, death panels. Alarmist terminology aside, in
>a single-payer, public system, the state will decide how to mete out
>finite resources. Of course, with private healthcare there are also
>�death panels.� But at least you can shop around for an insurer who
>will be generously inclined towards your various ailments.
Only if you are rich enough to shop.
lojbab
---
Bob LeChevalier - artificial linguist; genealogist
loj...@lojban.org Lojban language www.lojban.org
leona...@gmail.com
•• ROTFLMAO -— There is no sanctimony as Vadum would have of it.
Having experience with the US medical system in NY, Maine, and Florida
and in Ontario Canada, I thing I am qualified to say that the OHIP
plan is as best as anyone could make it. Sure we need more doctors,
but then we have always needed more doctors. There were only 3 medical
schools in the province and they graduated about 100 MDs a year. But
with the introduction of universal health care, now there are 7 with
larger classes and they are still growing. The major hospitals have
grown exponentialy and continue to grow. About a year ago I drove past
the small county hospital where I was born, and could not even see the
old building where I had visited eons ago.
Yes, if you want a particular specialist, just tell your family
physician who. you want and he/she will make the appointment.
•• My 80 something cousin was visiting her son in California, slipped
in the tub and broke her arm. She had to sue her son so that his home
insurance would pay the outragious $83,000 bill.
I have more examples but that is enough for today