A Canadian Talks To America about Canadian Health Care

[unapatriciated]

Run time: 03:55 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsVg6rgarbI   Posted on YouTube: September 28, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: September 29, 2009 By DU Member: unapatriciated Views on DU: 1079

 
He pays about $54 a month, for some of us lucky enough to have Health Insurance that's a co-pay on some types of medications.

[chadmak09]

1. exactly.

54$ a month and better healthcare than someone in america who pays THOUSANDS!

This country makes me sick.

[Ruby the Liberal]

2. K&R. Thank you, neighbor to the north...

[Cruise]

3. Another view of the Canadian system

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1TEsK0HCAo&feature=related

From what I can tell from this video and many other essays and reports, it is clear that, for small and easy procedures, the Canadian system works just fine. But for serious issues, it seems that the serious approach is to gather cash and go to the U.S.

[unapatriciated]

4. Dermatomyositis is a a very serious life threatening disease.

This is how it was treated in Canada.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TWuO5dBYjo

Here in the good ole USA it was a different scenario for my son in 1990.
It took almost eight months to get a simple blood test. I suspected Lupus because I have a sister and an aunt with Lupus and recognized the symptoms. I only got the blood test (I first asked for it in early June) that was positive for muscle enzymes in the blood (many autoimmune disorders have similar symptoms) because I saw a lawyer and threatened a lawsuit. It took another month to see a specialist at Children's Los Angeles (January 21, 1991). By this time my son was so weak he could barley walk.
I then spent the next ten years fighting my insurance company (Blue Cross of California and later Cigna). They delayed and denied treatment, refused to pay for very expensive medications (because they didn't fit their protocol for treatment) if that wasn't bad enough every six months I was forced to fight their 'reviews'. Because of all the delays an interruptions of care my son is permanently disabled. I had to sell my home to pay for medical care they denied. Lost my job along with my Insurance. My position was deleted, but the truth was the small company could not afford the increase in premiums due to my son's illness.
You will find a lot more stories like mine in the US than you will in Canada. I met many families with stories just like mine during my son's frequent and lengthy stays at Children's LA.


http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/dermatomyositis/dermatomyositis.htm

What is Dermatomyositis?
Dermatomyositis is one of a group of muscle diseases known as the inflammatory myopathies, which are characterized by chronic muscle inflammation accompanied by muscle weakness.Dermatomyositis’ cardinal symptom is a skin rash that precedes or accompanies progressive muscle weakness. The rash looks patchy, with bluish-purple or red discolorations, and characteristically develops on the eyelids and on muscles used to extend or straighten joints, including knuckles, elbows, heels, and toes. Red rashes may also occur on the face, neck, shoulders, upper chest, back, and other locations, and there may be swelling in the affected areas. The rash sometimes occurs without obvious muscle involvement. Adults with dermatomyositis may experience weight loss or a low-grade fever, have inflamed lungs, and be sensitive to light. Children and adults with dermatomyositis may develop calcium deposits, which appear as hard bumps under the skin or in the muscle (called calcinosis). Calcinosis most often occurs 1-3 years after the disease begins. These deposits are seen more often in children with dermatomyositis than in adults. In some cases of dermatomyositis, distal muscles (muscles located away from the trunk of the body, such as those in the forearms and around the ankles and wrists) may be affected as the disease progresses. Dermatomyositis may be associated with collagen-vascular or autoimmune diseases, such as lupus.

[Canuckistanian]

5. Nice try

I'm Canadian.

And there are MANY of us on this board.

Peddle your BULLSHIT somewhere else.

[riverbendviewgal]

6. Serious disease!!! Is a brain tumor serious enough for you?

My almost 24 years old son had seizures at work for the first time in his life. That was on a Friday. The following Monday, after being ambulanced to the local hospital, having a ct scan and then ambulanced to the downtown Toronto hospital where a world famous neurosurgeon operated on him. It was found that he had Glioblastma Multiforme, the same kind of tumor Ted Kennedy had. He got the same exact treatment in 1998 that Ted Kennedy received. .

My son was awake during his surgery with a metal cage screwed to his head. He was out of the hospital a few days later. then had surgery a couple weeks later for pressure on his brain. Radiation followed for 8 weeks. Laser beamed to the exact spot where the tumor was. Then chemo He was in remission for a year then it came back in July. He decided to get another surgery but had seizures while getting operated. He was in intensive care for 4 weeks. then semi intensive care for two weeks then Palliative care for a week. The cost ....NOTHING!!!!!!

Also during this time his Dad was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma two months after our son. My husband had an operation, Radiation, then his stem cells were harvested to be given after the severe chemo. He was in hospital for a month during this. Unfortunately it came back again a few months later. He was in palliative care in the hospital for three months. The Cost: NOTHING.

I am retired now. The cost of my health care...Nothing....I pay through my taxes....I don't mind. I go the doctors the first sign of illness. I am seen the same day at the walk in clinic my doctor is part of. I love Canada. I was born in America and I WILL NEVER THINK OF GOING BACK TO LIVE THERE. It is a very selfish country.

[Quasimodem]

7. A very special Canadian it is, too.

Cruise, the video you linked to was so remarkable that I had to check it’s origin. That video was posted to YouTube by: HealthCareAmerica from United States.

Where the poster's info goes it self identifies as:

"A nonpartisan advocacy organization, Health Care America believes every American should have access to health care based upon need, not ability to pay. While our current system must be fixed, free-market principles must be protected to allow for competition, consumer choice and to encourage innovation. Government-run and controlled health care is not the answer; we need to reform, not dismantle, the health care system we have."


As I said, this seemed a remarkable video to me, since in spite of considerable investigation into the Canadian Health Care System, I had never before encountered a Canadian health professional who stated an opinion that the American system was better than the Canadian system.

The fellow is identified as: Richard Baker, Timely Medical Alternatives, Vancouver, BC Canada

Mr. Baker is someone upon whom Media Matters has done a fact check:

http://mediamattersaction.org/factcheck/200905270008.

[unapatriciated]

8. Thanks for the info,

at first I thought you were talking about the video I posted. You responded to the main post but I see you addressed it to the poster named Cruise.

edited to add:
Baker is quite a guy, he prefers to send his clients to non-union hospitals in the states. He loves our health care system but doesn't want to pay health care workers a living wage.

[Quasimodem]

9. Whoops! Sorry unapatriciated.

Yes, I answered Cruise’s post but echoed your post’s heading. It is not as if we didn’t have enough misleading information flying about without my adding to the confusion.

By the way, that Canadian mentioned as billing her Canadian (Ontario) medical plan for care that she contracted for in the US, is, of course, Shona Holmes.

I won’t repeat the info here, but if you are interested, I posted what I had learned about Shona in a previous thread some weeks past.

What seemed the most important item to me at that time was that Canadians are (have been) fighting off two tier health care (public option) for years, and the people behind Shona Holmes appear to be a conservative group trying to force two tier health care on the Canadian public against their wishes.

That post is http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6181910#6182630">here.

[wroberts189]

10. Excellent knr