Peter Warren is reading emails of listeners who are on waiting lists for heart pacemakers.
Some of the writers have been waiting for months for consultations with a specialist (with no surgery in sight) including those whose symptoms have rendered them incapacitated.
So, to our “Two Tier Medicare Would Destroy Canadian Identity And Turn Us Into Godfull Americans” flapping mouths in media – who’s going to be first to ask her office how long Queen Adrienne waited for hers?
Hmmm… me thinks this statement from the artical kinda answers that:
“Clarkson was unexpectedly admitted to a Toronto hospital on Friday after doctors detected a slow heartbeat during a routine appointment.”
The report says that she was “admitted unexpectedly,” so that means to me that she did not have to do much waiting.
Ooops. Sorry for what seems to be repetitive. Rob’s comment was not visible when I posted mine.
People can add whatever they wish to all the propaganda regarding the American health care system, but the truth cannot be completely hidden by the self-serving nostrums of the political and media classes. Word of mouth and other methods of samizdat have enabled most people here to truly understand their medical risks and opportunities.
I suffer from hereditary high blood pressure and was recently diagnosed with a heart anomaly that proved to be a basically harmless effect of the hypertension. To get to this realization I appeared at my doctor’s office in a small town north of here and received an EKG exam when the hypertension was diagnosed. The EKG result sent me to a cardiologist that same day and I received a cardiac cath scan later that same day. My heart and its associated arteries proved to be in excellent shape. The point is that I not only escaped worry of several months time, I was also subject to immediate treatment, if needed, within hours of seeing my doctor in a town of less than 3,000 people (Colfax, WA). I have an insurance plan paid for at a very fair rate by both me and my employer. Most other insured people can receive identical treatment. Uninsured people occupy that status for several reasons: they don’t want to pay anything because they see themselves as healthy and wish to risk it, they are indigent by choice or mental condition, they are between jobs and don’t apply for available transitional insurance (COBRA plans). Emergency treatment is available to anyone, regardless of insurance or ability to pay. This system does have faults, but its benefits outweigh them.
Despite all the ballyhoo about “universal health care” in Canada, it appears that the rich and important receive “more equal” care than the rest of society. This is typical of oligarcic societies throughout the Third World. Canada, please come back.
I tried asking – but the Socialist Pimp for the Vice Regal Whore said he was not taking any calls today – he is too busy checking to see if he could assume the duties if her Royal Highness was incapacitated.
My cousin has a galloping heartbeat that they can’t get under control without killing her with drugs. She has to wait 5 months for a pacemaker. She’s headed to the US.
I had a similar experience to Rob’s. The problem was dealt with in less than a week. If I had the same issue back home in Manitoba it would have taken months. I also second this: “some people are more equal than others”
Darcey – that wouldn’t be me, I don’t have a heart .. 😉
When pacemaker number two died suddenly on me, I was left with an extremely slow heartbeat for a month. It took approximately thirty days to get me in for ’emergency surgery’ to replace the failed unit. I could walk maybe two blocks at most before turning blue and collapsing from the lack of oxygen.
The problem in Alberta is that there are too few doctors left with the skills to implant pacers, resulting in long waits for those who need one. Many of those who used to have moved south to the Excited States, where they have more resources for treating their patients and where the goverment doesn’t claw back as much of their income through taxes.
Perhaps the situation in Ontario is different, but I rather doubt it.
Clarkson got preferential treatment. End of story. I do not believe I’d get same-day treatment.
What do you think of a health care system that takes from June to November to diagnose severe, life-threatening asthma? Imagine the regular episodes of very difficult breathing and many, many visits to the ER at all kinds of hours, including more than one ER visit in the same day. Imagine two lengthy stays in hospital before a proper diagnosis is finally made. Problem was: there were no specialists available for that amount of time! Best health care system in the world, my butt crack hair!
This happened to an immediate family member of mine. Therefore, I have firsthand observation of just how mediocre the Liberal Medicare system really is for the average Canadian.
In America, the problem would’ve been diagnosed and treatment prescribed much, much quicker, therefore the total cost would be way, way lower. Logically!
This is just one reason among countless infuriating ones that explains why I loathe the Liberal Party of Canada and all of its allies with an enduring passion. For heaven’s sake, let’s get them out of power, and fast!
Well, how about that… as I wrote the above, Sean had written and posted something very similar… this could prove to become a pattern leading to an irrefutable proof that Medicare is severely compromised by Liberal refusal to get real and do the RIGHT THING.
It is INHUMAN AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL (THE SUPREME COURT RULED AS SUCH!) to take so damn long to help people suffering so much they’re just barely living their life… DOES ANYONE THINK THE LIBERALS WOULD FORCE OSAMA BIN LADEN TO WAIT AT ALL FOR HEALTH CARE? HOW ABOUT THE BASTARDS WHO TORTURED WILLIAM SAMPSON? THEY’D GET FIVE-STAR WORLD-CLASS TREATMENT IMMEDIATELY!!!!! NO WAY WOULD PAUL MARTIN MAKE THE DEVIL SUFFER, RIGHT?
LIBERALS BE GONE!!!
Ok, I’m calm now. Everything’s cool. Just help me improve our nation.
Does anyone else wish to share a similar experience in the Liberal health care system? I think it would be helpful if everyone with this kind of experience were to tell their story so that more Canadians will know the truth and therefore begin to do something about it…
My father was told that he had a life-threatening condition and needed immediate surgery to repair his aorta. After scaring the crap outta my parents, they subsequently cancelled him three times. My father, from the old country, has always had nothing but contempt for socialism and always felt Canada was a communist state. He always scoffed at jingoisitc Canadians about being ‘better’ than Americans. I have written a few blogs about the state of the Canadian public health system and the myths Canadians have been fed. What is laughable is how we, rather ignorantly, poke fun at the supposed uncaring American system which is much more responsible and advanced. In typical Canadian fashion, we didn’t rebel, we voted Tommy Douglas the greatest Canadian. Delusions, delusions.
For the Queen’s representative: two tiara health care.
Mark
Ottawa
“HOW ABOUT THE BASTARDS WHO TORTURED WILLIAM SAMPSON? THEY’D GET FIVE-STAR WORLD-CLASS TREATMENT IMMEDIATELY!!!!! ”
Whaaa? Who? The Kahder family?
There is no two tier health care.
I will fight two tier health care.
All Canadians get equal health care.
Money shouldn’t buy access to health care.
Nobody should make a profit from Helath care.
Unless you are a “special Canadian” like the taira queen, of a prisoner in a Federal jail, or a native on a reserve or covered by WCB “special status” or you know someone.
What a farce. Oh Canada, what a farce . . and I am born and raised here.
Can’t stand it anymore . . I am with teh Alberta Prof who wrote today that Alberta should go it alone.
Next Quebec referendum, I am working FOR the separatists, and will hopelly casue the wake up or break up of what a disaster Canada has become under the Trudeaupian nightmare.
Tommy’s childhood trauma was the basis for a beranged social orthodoxy that holds that if we can’t all be equally rich ( which is unlikely as “rich” is morally evil in Douglas-speak) we should be made equally poor by the state….the wheatfield commie states seem to be making good on that claim. No prosperity in sight for Sask and Manitoba but there sure are a lot of equally deprived people.
My father-in-law was driving when he started having chestpains. My mother-in-law pushed him to the passenger side and drove immediately to the hospital.
No heart attack, but angina from clogged arteries…
He was admitted from the ER directly into the hospital and a triple by-pass was performed within 24 hours. In three weeks he was in a tux and at a wedding.
There is just no way in a place with socialized medicine where doctors who don’t want to be “civil servants” and have voted with their feet, my father-in-law would have had the bypass that soon.
Sure, the American health sector has some major problems, most of them the direct result of “government fixes”, but it still beats the heck out of the alternative.
Jeff in Pullman WA has the perspective. I am a physician who has worked in both the Canadian and US systems. Access and timely delivery of care is just not an issue in the US for the insured. The rub comes for the non-insured and from the myriad of health plans (some excellent, others less so) from which consumers and employers must choose.
Regarding the uninsured, there is a fact that is little known in Canada which is suppressed in order to demonize the US system and keep the Canadian electorate passive with respect to the gross deficiencies of the public system and it is:
No US institution that receives federal money for anything can refuse care to anyone that arrives on their door-step.
And a comment about the alleged physician shortage in Canada. At the risk of blowing my own horn a bit, I am actually a surgeon of some renown internationally in my field and a professor at a major US university. I am a Canadian living in the US. For a number of reasons related to an obviously misguided sense of wanting ot offer my expertise to my fellow citizens, I have made, over the years, a number of inquiries to the “health authorities” in various jurisdictions in my native land as to whether I might be able to offer my expertise. The response is always the same: “Thank you for your inquiry. We have forwarded it to so and so….”
My point being that the “system” doesn’t want more providers, especially ones with more than basic expertise. Reason=money. Additional providers utilize resources that cost money. And yet there seems to be no limit on the resources available for indexed pensioned bureaucrats to tell the people what they can’t have. Go Figure.
Furthermore, there is no room for competition in the Canadian model. All “MD” units in a given specialty are considered equivalent. (Are all politicians, lawyers, journalists, accountants, etc etc the same?)
Hopefully some time in the not-too-distant future, Canadians will have the courage to call the bluff of the political scare-mongers and demand something better.
There are only 3 countries in the world that deny their citizens choice with respect to health-care: North Korea, Cuba and yes, you guessed it, Canada.
Jeff in Pullman, WA and Darleen make excellent points about everything wrong with a socialized system. Basically, you may sacrifice your life waiting for service, diagnostics, and surgery. The biggest bitch about all this is that we pay for it either way, so what the hell are we doing accepting a bureaucratic socialist nightmare, over something that actually works(for the most part)?
Off topic: Independent MP Chuck Cadman dies of cancer
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1120952381448_41/?hub=TopStories
May God bless him and rest in peace.
Thank you to oltx for your comments.
More, please.
Your comments re Dr. Chaoulli?
The cattle in this country will moo anything their Librano gods tell them. End of story.
Get this straight, Canada has a somewhat benevolent and somewhat malevolent dictatorship. They will stay in power using the same tactics and the thugs we are sending brown envelopes to in Africa.
Who will throw a Live 8 guilt/big ego party for us?
America is still the greatest country that has ever happened on this planet and because of it’s greatness and men like Dubbya the cancer that festers in the form of that sack of donuts Micheal Moore is starting to get the KEMO it richly deserves. Keep Blogging Kate and Michelled and Captain Ed and on and on.
I should add, the cardiologist I was referred to used to be a Canadian. When I asked him about the Canadian “free” system he became very animated and profane, and, after he’d vented his opinions, he explained the realities of that system. To paraphrase the fellow, “Canadians bought a pig in a poke, and ended up with just pigshit.”
I am sure Chuck Cadman was a decent man. However, he entered politic because of law and order/justice issues after the murder of son.
Yet he voted with biggest pack of crooks Ottawa has ever seen and they may even qualify as murderers due their refusal to allow Canadians to the health care that could, in many cases save their lives.
I don’t mean to take anything away from Chuck, but this does illustrate how misguided a man can become when he sits too close the devil.
I’m changing the name of the post. Two Tiara Healt Care. Brilliant!
Don’t lump Clarkson in with the Liberal trash – as a transplanted Westcoaster here in Ottawa she is night and day different from the corruption and nonsense we see every day from the Liberals. I am a former military member who truly appreciates all she has done for the Canadian Forces – far more than I can say about the backloaded commitment the Liberals have “given” DND.
Superdude, I’m sorry, but if that was ever true, then she’s gone native. Otherwise she woudl have done what Sir John John Kerr did in Australia, upheld her oath and dismissed a government that no longer had the confidence of Parliament. She would prefer to join Martin in emulating Charles I.
I appreciate your perspective, Mr. Superdude. I will have to take your word for it that the outgoing GG has made some contribution to the Forces. And that the Libs have taken away so much.
I have two brothers in the Forces. One of whom served in Operation Friction in the Gulf during the first Gulf War. I can tell they don’t see any future with the Forces in the long run the way things are going. They don’t say it directly, but it’s obvious. One plans to take very early retirement when he qualifies and move on to the private sector while the veteran wants out before that to go private, too.
This is a very common story. I have known several more former Forces members, including a veteran of Iraq-Iran peacekeeping operations, a member of my veteran brother’s fleet in GW1 and so on. They, too, saw no long-term future and left. Very bright people, too. Like my brothers.
My people, this is because the Liberals don’t care at all about the national defense forces of Canada. They systematically starve them of funds to the extent that they literally fall apart day by day. In fact, one brother of mine currently runs a military hospital in Shilo, Mb. On the base is a brand, spanking new hospital going unused. No staff available. The old facility is the one being used. Astonishing. What the hell happened there? Perhaps a make-work project for a Librano-connected construction company? Probably shoddy construction way overpaid for, I bet.
Mr. Superdude, with all due respect for your having contributed what you did for your country, could you please enlighten us as to what it is that Her Excellency did to help the Forces? I have no idea. Haven’t heard anything other than she visited them and that sort of thing. Perhaps the MSM has covered up whatever positive contributions she has made? And there’s no denying the fact she never criticized the Libbies for the way they treat the brave people responsible for trying their best to provide for the defense of the nation or overseas operations. It is this quiet tolerance of the Libs that leaves me feeling, unfortunately, cynical wrt Clarkson, but there are so many other reasons for that besides the issue here.
Hopefully, you can help us out here?
Going back to Chuck Cadman.
I do not buy his “story”. knowing how Liberals coach on Grawal tapes.
It’s just enother sorry ass.
Reading this post and comments isn’t surprising for me since I sit just across the bridge from Ontario. We see plenty of Canadians in our doctor’s offices and hospitals.
Secondly, I have an implanted cardioverter/defibulator. The original implant and the follow-up replacement timeframes were measured in days. Sort of reminds me to be grateful.
And finally, this post and comments reminds me it’s time to go to the library and get Orwell’s “Animal Farm” to add to my 13 and 14 year old boys reading this summer.
I wonder if stress and/or guilt pressures may have caused GG Clarkson to suffer heart problems.
I would not wish that sort of ill health on anyone and feel my notes to her urging her to do her sworn duty and release this fraudulent government from power, may have contributed.
Sorry, but I’m sure many others pointed out that vote buying and offering deals to the NDP are not approved ways for power to be held with legitimacy.
About a month ago, her mansion was put up for sale. She may have been worried about Canadians demontrating or protesting there.
GG Clarkson, you may relax about that. Canadians will march for the stickleback minnow, but they are apathetic when Libscammers skim hundreds of millions of our money and defraud the system to retain political power.
I hope GG Clarkson quickly regains her strength and excutes her duty with vigor.
Otherwise, I suggest Mulroney be appointed Governor General, and we get underway cleaning out graft and corruption. 73s TG
Two years ago my husband and I were enjoying a lovely winter in Florida when he had a massive heart attack. He received immediate attention. EKG’s (3 in one night). Next day they hellied him to Orlando South where they did an immediate angiogram and inserted 1 stent. Two days latter they had to insert 6 more stents. All in all he was in there 21/2 weeks $400,000.00 US. Fortunately we had insurance. Then the fight started with our Canadian Insurance co. They wanted to fly him by medi-vac to Windsor ON. where I know he would have waited forever to get into London for a diffibrillator/pacemaker. I refused to allow it and convinced his doctor in Florida that it would end in his death. With the Doc. on my side they found a bed in London and the diffib. was inserted within a week. Thank God this happened in Florida; he would never have made it in Canada. I have found that when you fight back you get faster service. Now, any problems I will drive up to London and call an ambulance. If I have a problem there, which I don’t think they will chance, I will head to Mich. in the pretense of shopping and call an ambulance there. I waited in the emergency room for 6 hours because his ear was killing him last Sunday. Turned out it was shingles but I’m not messing with this system if I think he is in dire straights. Hope he’s around to fight for me.
Our health care is lousy and we need that two tier system.
To add to my previous post, we found a heart doctor in Windsor and he said there is no way he would have recieved 7 stents. In Canada he would have received open heart surgery. In the condition my husband was in he would have died on the table. God must love my guy.
My mother was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes in her late 60s, and has suffered since her forties with high blood pressure and related illnesses. In the summer of 01, while waiting for a prescription she took a Safeway “are you a candidate for a stroke” quiz – and failed. She kept the page & took it to her GP, who pooh-poohed it. She kept pushing him, and he reluctantly set up an appointment for an angiogram – in late October. While on the table for the angiogram, she tells of her horror as she watched the screen, showing a tiny tiny trickle of blood going through one artery. The staff asked her to remain in place as (very luckily) a specialist was next door doing an angioplasty and they would put her next in line.
Four years later, she’s still kicking.
Hard to believe, but Safeway appears to have saved her life, even though the medical system took four months to get around to it.
Sad state of affairs.
canada :USA 0:2 haaaaaaaaaaa
in football ….and are we europeans?
i wander how MSM is going to explain….?
Clarkson has a heart? Who knew!
The MSM enablers are reporting that Herr Martin asked Clarkson to stay on another year, as with a minority Gov’t he “wanted to have a Govenor General that was “experienced”?? Where did she get her experience? she only had three years, maybe she got it from the CBC looking out from the inside, and how much “experience” does one need to repeat what the Fuerhor, who APPOINTS her, tells her to say? “Yes Furheor”, “No Fueror”, experience be damned, learning to talk like a PARROT would be more like it. If Herr Martin is smart, which he is not, he will replace unpopular this spend thrift this fall when her time up,but if he sill needs her in his pocket he will keep her there. Now someone said MULORNIE???? , the guy that gave control of all of Canadas gas and oil to another soveregn nation, namely the United Stated through NAFTA so that now we are paying a dollar a litre, while Venezuala with less oil and a few less people is charging five cents a litre, because they are able to charge their people “Venezualan” prices, as opposed to “Mulroney” prices that we are paying for now as a result of NAFTA, which also opened up and escellated the delivery of coccain across both borders with the advent of all the new heavy truck traffic. According to a Taxas sheriff he says the coccain trafficicing has never been better since NAFTA. they can’t get at all the extra truck traffic going over the Mexican border, same as Kanada. Mulphonie gave the natural resouces to the U S to keep the American mouths shut, and to stay OUT of our POLITICS… (African nations do it all the time, “stay out of our politics” Says the African Union on behalf of Mughabi)….while the French elite of Quebec and Ottawa were conniving placing Canada firmly into the hands of France as one of Frances Provinces. Reagan would have been nuts to refuse, we are no threat physically to the US whether Kanada is Governed by the French or the English, and certainly no economic threat, so the US gets all our oil,and gas, and hydro and water, (40% of their oil come from Kanada) and Mulroney, Trudeau, Bouchard,Ducette and the pip squeek premier of Quebec, whats his face, and their ilk have yet to make the paper work official french but they have their Flag(the burnt maple leaf)and the controls of the whole country, so it is all but officially French. Show me a leader that would give control to another soveregn state, some of the largest oil reserves in the world, and I will show you a dead leader. But Mulphonie got away with it under the smoke screen of the hated GST which which was getting all the ink no mention on how we gave our oil away by either media. Thanks to an NO elected Senate which allows Herr Martin to be a King Dictator within a Kingdom ,otherwise Mulroney would never have got away with it with a triple E Senate. no thanks Mulphonie should be in an orange jump suit.
Stephen Parksville BC ww 2 vet. PS Seems memories are still short.
Stephen Parksville BC ww 2 vet.
By the way there is a consollation prize of sorts to all this, if Mulroney had not given control of Kanada oil, gas, water, hydro etc. to the Americans to keep their mouth shut re Kanadian politics, I would be the remainder of my Military pension that hERR Chretien would have given the oil to CHINA, to assist in his and his sons “busness” interests there and Herr Martin would have given it to FRANCE. . The way I see it or let the UN control it?
Stephen Parkville BC ww 2 vet.
Does GG Clarkson’s pacemaker have a socket in it for headphones/teleprompter? (As to her home being put up for sale- I hear that the weather is very good, (and so are the tax advantages), in the Bahamas……….
Paul Martin recently said NOBODY in Canada wants two-tier health care. Oh yeah?
…We now know this didn’t include Queen Adrienne.
I don’t begrudge Adrienne the quick attention she received. I just wish my wife, who has been waiting for two months to learn the results of long-delayed cancer tests, could also avail herself of the second tiara.
Tommy Douglas was not my choice for greatest Canadian. Terry Fox, who was forced to deal with the medical system, was a far better choice.
Dave, GG Clarkson may be looking for sunnier climes like the Bahamas all right.
Her choice will more likely be the Turks and Caceos {how spell?], where other Libscammers have already moved to.
Of course Barbados may may be a choice where taxes are nil and she can visit with the Martin interests at CSL offices there.
Naw, with her regal tastes and money, she will likely flit from the French Riviara, to Monaco, Paris, Cannes, Tuscanny, Stratford on Avon and Whistler.
This is so far out of my league, I’m not sure if Tuscanny is a place or a wine. 73s TG
Tony, Tuscany is in Italy, and the area produces some very lovely wines. Try some. Preferably red. White is too wimpy as far as I’m concerned.
I am also fond of Chilean wines, particulary Concha y Toro’s Casillero del Diablo series.
I also recommend Australian wines like Wolf Blass.
At the moment my brother the veteran is preparing an expectedly delightful Chinese stir fry. Looking forward to it! It’s been a wonderful weekend as he brought the little ones over and we visited St. Andrews By-The-Sea, NB. Plenty of American visitors. The little town is to be seen! I’m dead serious! Check it out someday. Stay at one of their B&Bs or the world-famous Algonquin (a premier’s conference was held there by now-Ambassador McKenna). World-class golfing, dining, etc. The main street must be experienced, definitely by foot!
Stephen: unless you have some knowledge of how the Oil & Gas industry works you shouldn’t comment on it, your comments don’t come across as very well informed. The NEB and nationalized oil industry under Trudeau was a huge disaster for Canada. one that only now is the industry recovering from. If you have a problem with gas prices I suggest you start using public transport or give up your gas guzzling SUV. The problem is one of supply and demand. right now there is more demand than supply, hense prices go up!
Secondly to everyone… I’ve had the misfortune of being the vicitim of the health care systems of 4 nations so far. Canada, (my home country) USA, Japan, and Great Britain. All first world countries with allegedly the best health systems in existance. I can tell you right now even with the problems and issues the Canadian system is the best overall. Yes the American system is just as high quality, but the price tag of that service is brutally high. As long as you have good insurance coverage your OK.. if you don’t…. well the service is markedly inferior compared to any of the other systems I’ve experience. I’ve seen lots of comments praising the American medical system. and I have to agree! it’s wonderful, and would have my highest respect and regard. Too bad the Insurance system backing it up is run by a bunch of self serving crooks with no respect for human dignity. For you Canadians… think of your last car accident or home insurance claim… think of the pain in the ass it was to deal with them and get fair compensation for your loss. And then think about having to do that every time you need a perscription or have a hospitial vist. No thanks.. I’ll take the Canadain system any day.
Britains system was actaully comparable, to Canada’s.. good service for me and my kids when it was needed. the hospital reminded me of a dungeon but well can’t have everything. but appearently they are having many of the same problems as the Canadain one.
Japan’s, While their private clinics and hospitals are excellent, I have NO idea how Japan gets on the UN “best place to live” list with thier public hospital care system… it reminds me of the footage that the charity organzations use to get donations to help 3rd world nations.
So despite it’s problems the Canadian system is probably the best in the world. while I agree that we need to do something to make the system sustainable, I’d be very careful about how we go about doing that. The American system may appear to be the greener grass on the other side of the fence but don’t ignore it’s multiple problems when your extolling its’ virtues
I always thought “Tuscany” was circus slang, eg., “tuscany good elephants lately?”
Ralph’s Third Way
Despite all the liberal media howls of two-tiered health care, why don’t they recognise that we already have it. Lets face it, all the media and the liberals want is more pie.
…
I’m sotty, but if Clarkson were a true leader she would have refused the pacemaker operation until everyone else on a waiting list for one was treated. The truth is that politicians constantly use the private healthcare that they so desperately try to deny us access to. The hypocracy is unbelievable.
As long as I am being taxed 50% of my income to pay for the government, anyone working for that government in any capacity should use the cheapest alternative available. That means flying coach, not first class or private jet. And that mneans waiting with the rest of the schlubs for an appointment with a specialist.