Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

[Master Shake]

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams was released from a U.S. hospital on Friday after having to flee his own dysfunctional government-run health care system in order to obtain a critical heart surgery. While the procedure Williams needed does exist in Canada, it is widely unavailable.

http://www.examiner.com/x-35976-Cons...-after-surgery

What does it say about the state of Canadian health insurance when Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams chooses to have his heart surgery in the U.S.? Some pundits say it means nothing, while others have insisted the premier could have obtained his medical care somewhere in Canada.

But the details of Premier Williams’ case are irrelevant to the main question, which is: If it is OK for a Canadian politician to get private medical treatment in America, why is it illegal for regular Canadians to get private medical treatment in Canada?

In other words, why do provincial governments make it illegal for Canadians to spend their own money to preserve and improve their own health? Why are ordinary Canadians forced to wait in a government-imposed queue for access to necessary medical care?

Danny Williams’ decision is not unique. According to the most recent Fraser Institute estimate in 2009, Williams would be only one of approximately 41,000 Canadians who annually seek non-emergency medical care outside of Canada. Consider how absurd it is that the only way for Canadians to pay privately for better or quicker medical care is to leave their own country.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Columnists/1166914.html

[GRG55]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams was released from a U.S. hospital on Friday after having to flee his own dysfunctional government-run health care system in order to obtain a critical heart surgery. While the procedure Williams needed does exist in Canada, it is widely unavailable.

http://www.examiner.com/x-35976-Cons...-after-surgery

What does it say about the state of Canadian health insurance when Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams chooses to have his heart surgery in the U.S.? Some pundits say it means nothing, while others have insisted the premier could have obtained his medical care somewhere in Canada.

But the details of Premier Williams’ case are irrelevant to the main question, which is: If it is OK for a Canadian politician to get private medical treatment in America, why is it illegal for regular Canadians to get private medical treatment in Canada?

In other words, why do provincial governments make it illegal for Canadians to spend their own money to preserve and improve their own health? Why are ordinary Canadians forced to wait in a government-imposed queue for access to necessary medical care?

Danny Williams’ decision is not unique. According to the most recent Fraser Institute estimate in 2009, Williams would be only one of approximately 41,000 Canadians who annually seek non-emergency medical care outside of Canada. Consider how absurd it is that the only way for Canadians to pay privately for better or quicker medical care is to leave their own country.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Columnists/1166914.html

This has been going on for a very long time. It's common for our politicians to treat themselves in a class different from those that vote them into office. Certainly the Prime Minister [whoever he/she is] doesn't have to put up with the waiting lists for medical procedures.

Danny Williams isn't the first provincial premier to create an uproar by doing this. The late Quebec premier, Robert Bourassa, also created a lot of controversy when he sought treatment in the USA for the melanoma that eventually killed him.

Still, the emotional baggage around the Canadian single-payer medical system [which is still a hell of a lot better than what you folks in the USA have] gets in the way of any constructive debate about improving it.

[blazespinnaker]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

The US obviously has a far superior medical system in the US if you are rich.

The debate about health care is just another form of class war.

Certainly, there are some efficiencies they can probably squeeze out, but in the end the question is how much do the rich pay for the poor.

[Thailandnotes]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

Still, the emotional baggage around the Canadian single-payer medical system gets in the way of any constructive debate about improving it.

I would greatly appreciate it if you elaborate on that.

[DToM67]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

The US obviously has a far superior medical system in the US if you are rich.

The debate about health care is just another form of class war.

Certainly, there are some efficiencies they can probably squeeze out, but in the end the question is how much do the rich pay for the poor.

And one might also ask: How much to the poor pay (toil etc.) for the rich?

[DToM67]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams was released from a U.S. hospital on Friday after having to flee his own dysfunctional government-run health care system in order to obtain a critical heart surgery. While the procedure Williams needed does exist in Canada, it is widely unavailable.

http://www.examiner.com/x-35976-Conservative-Examiner~y2010m2d13-Canadian-politician-leaves-US-after-surgery

What does it say about the state of Canadian health insurance when Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams chooses to have his heart surgery in the U.S.? Some pundits say it means nothing, while others have insisted the premier could have obtained his medical care somewhere in Canada.

But the details of Premier Williams’ case are irrelevant to the main question, which is: If it is OK for a Canadian politician to get private medical treatment in America, why is it illegal for regular Canadians to get private medical treatment in Canada?

In other words, why do provincial governments make it illegal for Canadians to spend their own money to preserve and improve their own health? Why are ordinary Canadians forced to wait in a government-imposed queue for access to necessary medical care?

Danny Williams’ decision is not unique. According to the most recent Fraser Institute estimate in 2009, Williams would be only one of approximately 41,000 Canadians who annually seek non-emergency medical care outside of Canada. Consider how absurd it is that the only way for Canadians to pay privately for better or quicker medical care is to leave their own country.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Columnists/1166914.html

Danny Williams wanted his operation from the best & ASAP. He's wealthy. What's the big issue? Would someone say that the Swiss banking industry was lacking simply because a Swiss national wanted to hold some of his assets in a US bank?

This is no different than the NY Yankees. The best talent goes where the reward(s) is greatest. The best from all over the world come to the US - for business of any kind... including health care. Does this mean that that these people believe their own local health care is lacking? C'mon now...:rolleyes:

Sounds like you're not for 'socialized medicine'. I get that. The 'health care currently being pitched is nothing more than a plumb for the insurance industry... An effective continuation from where Nixon & Kaiser Permanente left off.

However:
To suggest that public funded health care doesn't work, or is low quality is fallacy. Numerous countries including England, France and even Cuba have very good health care. (an no, I'm not suggesting you go to Cuba for yours or should want to).

[BuckarooBanzai]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

This has been going on for a very long time. It's common for our politicians to treat themselves in a class different from those that vote them into office. Certainly the Prime Minister [whoever he/she is] doesn't have to put up with the waiting lists for medical procedures.

Danny Williams isn't the first provincial premier to create an uproar by doing this. The late Quebec premier, Robert Bourassa, also created a lot of controversy when he sought treatment in the USA for the melanoma that eventually killed him.

Still, the emotional baggage around the Canadian single-payer medical system [which is still a hell of a lot better than what you folks in the USA have] gets in the way of any constructive debate about improving it.

"Constructive debate"?? Get out of your dream world. Health care is an uninsurable risk, therefore, this would be a debate about nothing. And the WORST kind of insurance is government insurance. So to "debate" about an insoluble problem that is "solved" with the worst possible "solution" is so laughable as to be pathetic.

Politicians must always be judged by what they DO and not what they SAY. In Canada, what the politicians DO is, leave the country to get treated. In the US, what the politicians DO, is get free healthcare for life, from anybody they want, just by virtue of being elected. What they SAY, of course, is usually 100% the opposite. When what's right for them is diametrically opposed to what they say is right for the constituent ought to end the "debate" immediately.

Just unbelievable.

The healthcare "debate" is a debate among fools. Anyone with their eyes open can see there is no real "debate" to be had.

[don]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

Medical Tourism Appeals to 60 Percent of Americans. Are You One of Them?

Johannah Cornblatt

by Johannah Cornblatt

This February (09), a 26-year-old Californian woman and her mother boarded a Continental flight for Costa Rica. When they arrived at the Sán Jose International Airport, a driver in a white van picked them up and took them to the five-star Intercontinental hotel. But the woman (who asked only to be identified by her first name, Jessica) hadn’t traveled to the city known as the Big Pineapple only to relax by the pool. She had flown more than 2,500 miles to undergo a weight-loss surgery—for a fraction of the price back at home.

Including airfare and accommodations (for her and her mom), Jessica saved $7,500 by choosing to go under the knife in Sán Jose instead of San Diego. “I thought it was such a good deal,” says Jessica, who needed to lose weight for medical reasons.

Jessica is what’s known as a “medical tourist,” and she’s one of an increasing number of Americans now seeking health care abroad for financial reasons. A new survey funded by Your Surgery Abroad, an online directory of medical tourism, found that more than 60 percent of Americans are willing to leave the country for cheaper medical services. “As people’s budgets in America are getting tighter, they’re much more inclined to start thinking about going abroad to save money,” says Adam Nethersole, the managing director of Your Surgery Abroad.

Wealthy patients have always crossed international borders (even the Nomads took trips to health spas), but the decreasing cost of travel has encouraged Americans of more moderate means to whip out their passports for medical procedures. And while more elective procedures like rhinoplasty and face-lifts used to attract consumers to exotic lands, a growing number of Americans are now traveling abroad for essential procedures like cardiology and cancer treatments.

Medical tourists from the U.K. and other European countries with national health-care services go abroad because of the long waiting lines for procedures. But in the U.S., Nethersole says, patients choose to go travel because surgery is cheaper in other countries. For example, the average cost of heart surgery is $50,000 in the U.S., versus $10,000 to $20,000 in other countries, according to Dr. Ron Johnson, the chief medical officer of Satori World Medical, a global health-care company specializing in medical tourism. But for less expensive procedures like colonoscopies, which run around $2,500 a pop in the U.S., it doesn’t make sense for Americans to travel, given the additional money they would need to spend on airfare and hotels, Johnson says.

The most popular surgery by far is dental, says Nethersole, an experienced medical tourist who travels 1,500 miles from London to Barcelona to see his “local” dentist. “If you’re going away for a basic crown or teeth whitening, that’s very simple and easy,” he says. “It’s not seen as something that is very stressful or risky.” The second most popular procedure is laser eye surgery, which, like dental care, is often not covered by insurance.

More than 20 percent of Americans surveyed by Your Surgery Abroad had no medical insurance. But Karen Timmons, president and CEO of Joint Commission International, a nonprofit that has accredited more than 250 hospitals in 36 countries, says that Americans who are underinsured are more likely to go abroad for surgery than those who are not insured at all. That’s because insurance companies will typically cover some portion of the cost for underinsured patients while uninsured patients, who also tend to make less money, have a harder time coming up with enough cash to cover the procedure, the flights, and a hotel room on their own, Timmons says.


http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehu...e-Of-Them.aspx

I believe the numbers continue to increase rather dramatically. What's the chances we'll see this curtailed by government regulations sooner than later. Remember where Canadian drugs by mail for seniors went.

[reallife]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

When you go to a foreign country for your surgery, remember to stay there for your follow-up care. Another thing, when you have a complication or wound infection, don't expect your American insurance or American doctors to suddenly take an interest in cleaning up your foreign surgeon's mess. You'll be on your own. That is just the way it is.... :rolleyes:

[ironlady]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

http://www.thereporter.com/opinion/ci_14403736

Anthem's audacious rate hikes: Reform gets a boost

Just as it seemed that health-care reform was stalled in Congress and the political pressure on medical providers and insurers was letting up, along comes Anthem Blue Cross. Demonstrating a stunning audacity, it has notified as many as 800,000 Californians that they face insurance rate hikes of 39 percent.

The increases are supposed to take place March 1, and they apply to the most vulnerable of consumers: Those who buy their insurance individually rather than through an employer. Think small business owners or their employees, retirees and even laid-off workers.

I am an Amercian living in Canada. Yesterday I spoke with one of my siblings who is a cancer survivor and small business owner. She does not know how she is going to pay for this rate increase.Our system is not perfect, here in Canada, but I would not trade it for the US System ever.

[DToM67]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

When you go to a foreign country for your surgery, remember to stay there for your follow-up care. Another thing, when you have a complication or wound infection, don't expect your American insurance or American doctors to suddenly take an interest in cleaning up your foreign surgeon's mess. You'll be on your own. That is just the way it is.... :rolleyes:

You've got to be kidding... No one will turn you away - unless you're uninsured. In fact its VERY likely that the reason an American would travel abroad for surgery is because their HMO found a 'cheaper' venue. American insurance co.'s do more than 'take an interest' they direct that interest.

Just one example
Why your HMO may send you to India for surgery

[Jay]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

You've got to be kidding... No one will turn you away - unless you're uninsured. In fact its VERY likely that the reason an American would travel abroad for surgery is because their HMO found a 'cheaper' venue. American insurance co.'s do more than 'take an interest' they direct that interest.

Just one example
Why your HMO may send you to India for surgery

You are actually both mistaken. It is mandated that anyone who shows up to a US Emergency Department gets evaluated and treated for any emergent medical condition. A surgical complication would fall under this mandate.

[GRG55]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

The US obviously has a far superior medical system in the US if you are rich.

The debate about health care is just another form of class war.

Certainly, there are some efficiencies they can probably squeeze out, but in the end the question is how much do the rich pay for the poor.

This issue goes way, way beyond the unitary aspect you have identified...and it's been amply debated on iTulip in the past so no need to belabour the point...

[MulaMan]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

Thousands of Americans without health insurance, sneaking illegally into Canada to obtain health care!

"but I would estimate that from 12 to 20 of my patients at any one time are ineligible Americans. And I'm just one of 520 doctors in Windsor, 23,000 in Ontario."

Canada needs to stop these dirty, uneducated Americans from stealing hard-working Canadian taxpayer monies - round them up and float them back down the Mississippi on barges and then build a high-tech virtual wall to keep them out.

Force every American entering Canada to prove that they have valid, current health insurance and travel insurance.

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/20/wo...l?pagewanted=1

[MulaMan]

Re: Canadian politician leaves U.S. after surgery

"life expectancy in 2006 was about two and a half years longer in Canada, with Canadians living to an average of 79.9 years and Americans 77.5 years."

Facts don't lie. Unless you are a christano-fasicst repubulican.