Other Voices: Californian-Canadian troubled by health care lies

[BrklynLiberal]

As a Canadian citizen and longtime resident of California, I have been watching the health care debate with equal parts fascination and horror. That much information transmitted regarding Canadian health care is incorrect is irksome, to say the least.

Some elucidation on the issue might help, preventing, one hopes, people getting their britches in a bunch over something about which they know nothing.

To begin, Canadians –– at least the Canadians I know –– do not shout from their rooftops the praises of Chairman Mao, nor do they chant socialist slogans. For the most part, Canadians are a polite crowd –– the exception being hockey audiences –– and they find lack of civility appalling, particularly in political discourse. (Speaking of hockey, Canadians' primary hero is not Wayne Gretzky, rather Tommy Douglas, a former premier of Saskatchewan and author of Canadian universal health care.)

Combine American citizens' ignorance of Canadian affairs with corporate-vested interests and their use of vitriolic media mouthpieces who purposely mischaracterize Canadian health care, and the sad result is town hall meetings where citizens spew venom at their elected officials. (This leads many Canadians to suspect that mental health care in the U.S. is far from sterling.)

Fact: Canadians enjoy free choice of physicians; it's Americans who are often restricted to health care plan doctors.

Fact: All Canadians enjoy health care, while in the U.S., over 40 million go without. Health care bills bankrupt a million Americans each year.

Fact: Canadians live, on average, three years longer than Americans; their infant mortality rate is 20 percent lower. Adult mortality rates are lower, as are mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases. (Data from the World Health Organization.)

Do Canadians wait longer for surgery than Americans? My brother in Toronto was diagnosed with gall bladder problems. Within a week he had the offending organ removed. The cost to him? Only the television in his room.

Canadian health care is not perfect; it's true that people in the middle of provinces, such as Manitoba, do not enjoy the quality of care afforded those living in large cities. But such is true of rural areas in the U.S., as well.

A cousin in Ontario just e-mailed to tell me of the birth of a grandchild. The infant's mother will stay home with him for a year, while collecting 80 percent of her previous income. How many American parents would appreciate such an opportunity?

Canadian national health insurance ensures that all residents of Canada have access to medically necessary care on a pre-paid basis. (Those seeking tattoo removal or cosmetic surgery have to pay on their own.)

Each province or territory determines its share of the cost; some provinces such as Alberta and British Columbia, finance premiums through sales and payroll tax, but no resident is denied coverage because of inability to pay insurance premiums.

The observation that Americans are not seen flocking north of the border is explained by the fact that one must be a Canadian resident in order to enjoy Canadian health care.

It's time for people living in the states to respond to the lies surrounding this issue. Insurance companies and pharmaceuticals see bonuses and profits shrinking should the U.S. adopt a universal health care plan. Their bottom lines remain more important to them than your health.

Example: I recently ordered a prescription from Canada; this particular inhaler cost $186 per month at Target, and $168 at Costco. I procured three inhalers from Canada for $90. All bore the same GlaxoSmithKline label. Why the cost difference? The Canadian government regulates drug prices.

Canadians don't require attorneys to deny health insurance coverage, nor do they have to pay actuaries to set premiums. The result? The United States spends 16 percent of GDP on health care, while Canada spends around 10 percent. With a single-payer system suppliers aren't able to charge as much, and the difference goes to services for patients, not administrative costs.

No Canadian resident clings to a soul-denying job in order to ensure his or her family is insured. No Canadian resident frets that if he loses employment, he'll be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. In contrast, U.S. citizens suffer enormous psychological trauma over these issues.

So, why am I here, you ask, a Canadian forsaking health care. Grandchildren have a way of rooting family to place. And, as I think of their futures, sadly I wonder how much financial sacrifice and burden on their parents it will entail to insure their health in this country.

http://www.theunion.com/article/2009909289983


EVERY AMERICAN NEEDS TO READ THIS!!!

[depakid]

1. Truth has no place in 21st Century American politics

K&R

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Sadly, you are correct.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. K&R

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Kick

[TrogL]

5. Alberta does not have provincial sales tax or health care premiums

Everything is paid for by other tax methods including those other than sales tax such as oil and gas royalties.