Canadians Tell USA – We’re Dying Up Here
Vancouver Sun: A former president of the Canadian Medical Association declares in a new U. S. television ad that patients here are languishing, suffering and even dying on wait lists, as a conservative lobby group ramps up the debate over health re-form in the United States.
A pro-medicare advocate calls the $1-million ad campaign by Conservatives for Patient Rights (CPR) on CNN and Fox News an “outrageous” distortion of the reality in this country, and has drafted an open letter to U. S. President Barack Obama refuting its claims.
A B. C. medical broker who is also working with the U. S. group, however, says Americans must know the pitfalls of “single-payer” systems like Canada’s.
This is sure to get a rise of our ‘Free Health Care’ supporters.
Here’s how I explain our health care to Americans:
Free means we pay high taxes – if Americans are willing to pay an additional 20-25% income tax, they too can have free health. My premuim in the US for my family was just over $1,000 a month (employer paid) – working out to 10% on an average family income of $80,000 (yes $80K… I lived in a rich state). The plan gave me access to specialists but had a yearly deductible of $1,500 for hospital.
In Canada the way to skip the waiting lists is to call an ambulance. This way they have to get you in a bed, and they put you in emergency status. My mother in law was bumped 3 times for open heart surgery and almost died. She wouldn’t take the emergency route because she was afraid she’d get a bill for the ambulance.
If you don’t have a family doctor, you’ll have to go to a walk-in clinic. Getting a family doctor is all but impossible as they have capped their earning. A hard working doctor is only allowed to work so hard. We’ve spent a year trying to get a family doctor.
Our hospitals are nice, clean and well run. If you need an operation, they put together the team. In the US you have to find and arrange each specialist for surgery.
We have cheap drugs. And very little drug research because of it.
The US already has free health care – it’s called Medicaid. I did a marketing program for a medicaid enroller in new York. My job was to get people signed up – illegal immigrants, low income and people whose companies didn’t offer insurance. These programs, referred to as Medicaid managed care, allow private insurance companies or health maintenance organizations to contract directly with a state Medicaid department at a fixed price per enrollee. The health plans then enroll eligible individuals into their programs and become responsible for assuring Medicaid benefits are delivered to eligible beneficiaries. It costs between $7 and $50 a month. To qualify all you do is take a means test. It also includes full dental and vision which is better than Canada. And it is bankrupting the states.
Having experienced both systems, I much prefer the current US one. But I’m a white guy that works for a living…