Canada a flawed `model'

Boston Herald ^ | 16 November 2003 | Editorial Board

[Lando Lincoln]

The latest obsession of politicians enamored with the Canadian health-care system has been the availability of cheaper prescription drugs north of the border. But calls for a nationalized health-care system like Canada's have quieted down of late, and no wonder.

A Wall Street Journal article last week examined the wait times for everything from appointments with a specialist to cardiac surgery. And they aren't pretty.

Health outcomes as a whole in Canada are in league with those of the United States and a Canadian's life expectancy is actually slightly longer (79.4 years versus 76.8 years). That likely has more to do with factors like obesity rates, which are markedly lower in Canada.

But we'd love to see the political revolution that would be ignited in this country if a nationalized medicine scheme materialized and left a patient waiting six weeks for heart by-pass surgery, after waiting several weeks for an angiogram and a stress test. And then while strapped in a gurney ready to go into surgery, the patient is bumped to another day by a patient whose needs were deemed more critical.

That's exactly what happened to 71-year-old Canadian Edward Krause, who's none the worse for wear for it. But others haven't been so lucky. The Journal story also notes the outcry that arose when a heart patient died in 1989 after having surgery canceled 11 times, even though the death was later deemed unrelated to the wait.

Tragedies like that one led to a scoring system being put in place in one Ontario medical network to standardize waiting times for heart patients. Patients are assigned a score - a ``2'' should wait only 48 hours for surgery for example, a score between ``5'' and ``7'' can wait 120 days.

In this country, where every patient considers his ailment to be a ``1,'' it's no wonder politicians are running scared.

[NonValueAdded]

I'd like to know how many Canadians receive their medical care in the United States while they are here for the winter. There are always ads sponsoring Prior Smith's "Canada Calling" radio show played on Florida stations for the "snow birds". Those ads talk about how Canadian insurance is accepted locally, yada yada yada ... What would happen to the Canadian system if those additional patients had to be serviced in Canada?

Canada has it pretty cozy with its big brother to the south. Our prescription prices support the research that yields their price-controlled drugs and all the serious medical problems of the wealthy are dealt with south of their border. Imagine if the Canadian wealthy and influential had no other option than the Canadian system?

[Lancey Howard]

bttt

[conservative cat]

Different socialist country, but my great-uncle died in Germany while waiting for his appointment (2 weeks out!) for chest pains. The best part of it was that when the paramedics came, he was already gone, so they left him where he had died- in the doorway of his apartment.

[ReformedBeckite]

a score between ``5'' and ``7'' can wait 120 days

In regards to 71-year-old Canadian Edward Krause I quess they figure the waiting period you'll have to wait is from the first number in your age. In Ed's case it would be a seven. Plus Ed's probably isn't working anymore and isn't paying taxes so they'll just make him wait a little bit moreor add a few numbers to that seven.

[goodnesswins]

Ah, but the elected "officials" don't have to wait....believe me.....I lived there for awhile...and you hear about that, plus how a friend of mine's husband had to make calls so she could get seen about some problems she was having......it's a LOUSY system.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The WSJ article on wait times came from a Canadian government funded study of the problem. I'll take fee for service over a 6 month wait, thanks.

[Paul Atreides]

And then while strapped in a gurney ready to go into surgery, the patient is bumped to another day by a patient whose needs were deemed more critical.

Yeah, like someone who wants to become one of the "transgendered."

[adam_az]

Yeah, like someone who wants to become one of the "transgendered."

More like, someone in PRISON who wants to have a sex change operation

OTTAWA, February 7, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A federal court judge has ordered Canada's federal prison system (i.e. the taxpayers) to pay for sex-change operations for so-called "transsexual" inmates who ask for it.

"If the medical opinion is that sex reassignment surgery [sic] is an essential service for a particular inmate, it follows that it should be paid for by Correctional Services Canada, as would any other essential medical service," wrote Madam Justice Carolyn Layden-Stevenson of the Federal Court of Canada.

The Corrections and Conditional Release Act, which governs the prison system, requires "essential" health services for inmates. The department argued that sex changes are similar to tattoo removal (non-essential), but Madam Justice Layden-Stevenson based her ruling on the prevailing view in Canada that a patient "diagnosed" with "gender dysphoria," the "medical" term [sic] for persons who believe they are the wrong sex, must be covered by prisons as they are by medicare in most provinces.

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issued the original ruling in 2001 in favour of convicted killer Synthia Kavanagh (né Ricky Chaperon), 41, who filed a discrimination claim after officials refused to allow him a sex-change operation, approved before he was sent down for the 1989 murder of his "transvestite" associate, Lisa (i.e., Leo) Black in Toronto.

For media coverage see: http://www.nationalpost.com/utilities/story.html?id={76C65BBA-EDF5-4BD2-9318-EA53933B 43A4} or try the search engine using the inmates' names.

[ReformedBeckite]

In Tennessee there is Tenn care. A state run medicare program, if I'm correct. I personally believe Tenn care is nothing but a experimental socialized heath care system.

If your lucky, you'll see a doctor for what ails you in a short period. If you need to see a specialist, your odds of seeing the specialist are not good, they generally will give you a run around until you die or go away.

If you're interested in what a National Health care program would look like in the States I do believe all you have to look at in Tenn care in Tennessee to see what you'll get and it isn't pretty.

[chmst]

Six weeks for the appointment for the echocardiogram (standard for all specialists), same day diagnosis and second opinion, two weeks to surgery for a non-life threatening heart condition (with drugs I could have delayed for several years), five days in the hospital and I'm out with just asprin and tylenol for the pain. EAT THAT YOU CANADIAN SOCIALIST FREAKS!

[mary85]

I am stuck in Canada right now and I can attest to the fact that their health care is horrible. When I went in for a doctors' appointment soon after moving here,and being sick for awhile, I was sent off with these exact same words: "You look fine!" I could not beleive that I had actually gone to a doctor and got sent off with this reply!!

[Pikamax]

bttt

[stands2reason]

Hell, imagine if they had to rely on their own defense.