Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Paging Dr. McIlheran. Paging Dr. McIlheran

PaddyMac put up a piece regarding a man that died in the waiting area of a Canadian hospital. He felt that this proved that universal health care is a complete flop and that this sort of thing wouldn't happen in the good old U.S. of A.

Illy-T, our friendly neighborhood Canadian transplant, takes on the issue:
Dr. Chaoulli gained some notoriety a couple of years ago when he successfully challenged the Province of Quebec's restrictions on privately insured health care. He's one of those brave mavericks who opt out of the "socialized medicine" that McIlheran so detests.

That's right: McIlheran has selected the alleged negligence of a physician that derives his livelihood from U.S.-style private insurance plans as an example of how bad a public health care system is.

Outstanding work, Mr. McIlheran. Way to pick those cherries.

(Canada, incidentally, ranks 14th in the world by overall life expectancy, according to the current CIA Factbook. The U.S. is 45th.)
I would humbly point out to Dr. Paddy that, according to the last time I checked, New York was not part of Canada. Perhaps he doesn't mind that this woman died after being in the ER's waiting area for over 24 hours and then having her body lie on the floor for a better part of an hour before anyone does anything. After all, if they had treated her, that might mean his taxes could have gone up.

16 comments:

  1. Actually, the Canadian health care system is a failure, but hey, let's not let facts get in the way of a good story.

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  2. Exactly.. What facts are you citing that prove Canada's "FAILURE!" ?

    The piles of dead bodies awaiting burial? The long lines of people trying to get into the US for affordable prescription drugs? The millions of children or seniors who don't have insurance in Canada?

    Blind assertion based from what you hear on talk radio does not a "fact" make.

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  3. Actually, the Canadian health care system is a failure, but hey, let's not let facts get in the way of a good story.

    ROTFLMAO -- again.

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  4. Now that I have a snow day in Vegas, I can respond. Darn global warming.
    The waiting times for operations, x-rays and most simple procedures would be unacceptable here. Waiting time of days, weeks, months and years is not unhear of.
    While drug prices are cheaper there, how much R&D does Canada do? Not bloody much.
    You see time after time, patients come to the U.S. from Canada for treatment. You don't see too many patients go to Canada for treatment, unless they are the medication and that is rare.
    The care is rationed.
    You cannot legally have private insurance and a doctor cannot legally take payments from you, only the government.
    If you find this acceptable, fine. I don't and would not like to see this medical care in the U.S.

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  5. Not to mention those unreliable medical examiners, right Dan?

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  6. Dan -- facts. Not stuff you wrote, but facts.

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  7. Article from 10/27:A typical Canadian seeking surgical or other therapeutic treatment had to wait 18.3 weeks in 2007, an all-time high
    Ontario recorded the shortest waiting time overall (the wait between visiting a general practitioner and receiving treatment) at 15.0 weeks, followed by British Columbia (19.0 weeks) and Quebec (19.4 weeks). Saskatchewan (27.2 weeks), New Brunswick (25.2 weeks) and Nova Scotia (24.8 weeks) recorded the longest waits in Canada.
    The median wait for a CT scan across Canada was 4.8 weeks. British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia had the shortest wait for CT scans (4.0 weeks), while the longest wait occurred in Manitoba (8.0 weeks).
    Another story from 9/07
    Liberal MP Belinda Stronach, who is battling breast cancer, travelled to California last June for an operation that was recommended as part of her treatment, says a report.

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  8. Dan, articles from where?

    You may have to wait for procedures in Canada (though that is dubious) but how about waiting forever down here if you can't afford the treatment or your insurance doesn't cover the treatment.

    There are just four numbers you have to know:

    Life expectancy -- Canada rated 15 / US rated 45 per WHO

    % of GNP devoted to healthcare Canada -- 12% / US -- 16%.

    The rest is conjectural garbage.

    When I ask people in Canada if they would trade their system with all its faults for ours they reply "you people are nuts to put up with this system."

    So why do you put up with it Dan?

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  9. http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/10/15/waittimes-fraser.html

    http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070914/belinda_Stronach_070914/20070914

    Keith, life expectancy numbers mean squat, nada, zilch. unfortunately, we have a much higher crime rate, which reduces the U.S. life expectancy. Likewise, because our trauma health care is so good, it also costs more to operate.
    I'm not saying our system is perfect, it is not. However, I will take the U.S. healthcare over Canada's anytime.
    So, Keith, how many U.S. citizens do you know that have travelled to Canada (not including getting meds) for treatment of a health care issue?

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  10. I don't know about Canada, but a local anti-nationalized health system businessman here is sending his employees to India for medical and surgical care. FYI, India has nationalized health care.

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  11. Now, let me ask whether you had these facts in adsvance of writing your first comment, or you cherry-picked some to fit what you wrote so it would look good. Because, unfortunately Dan, way too many other comments have been made by you that eventually ended up being total nonsense (the Belling autopsy issue comes to mind*). And when you were called to the carpet for making those comments, you disappeared.

    *Not Belling's autopsy, though could we tell the difference?

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  12. Belinda Stronach went to California on her own dime for a special post-op treatment on her Canadian doctor's recommendation. It had nothing to do with waiting time nor her lacking confidence in either the Canadian health care system or her doctors in Toronto.

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  13. Gee, OS, if you followed the link, you would have seen the articles I cited and you would know the answer, but instead, you add nothing to the debate and just cut people down. But you never did lack class because you nver had any. Your just a bitter pathetic human being that just has nothing to add to conversations except. You are the mickey/gus of the left.

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  14. While I cannot claim to have had the pleasure of meeting OS personally, yet, I feel safe to say that he is not a conservative or a Republican. Hence, Dan's accusations are as baseless as the allegations he made about Canada's health care system.

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  15. I did follow the links, Dan. And I stand by my comments that you are cherry-picking facts to match your accusations -- the same as you did with your Belling comments, the poison shoe comments (these were the funniest), etc.

    btw: When have I ever called you names ala mickey/gus? Ever?

    The fact is I point out your inaccuracies -- that's it -- and you are too thin-skinned to accept it. Perhaps if you checked your facts before mouthing off there would be less issues.

    Almost met you this past Wednesday at Drinking Liberally, capper. I was heading out, but a family issue arose causing me to stay home. Oh well. Merry Christmas to you and everyone else here (yes, even you, Dan).

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