A letter to the editor in my local paper told the tale of two brothers, one an American and one a Canadian, who suffered heart attacks and then documented the health care they received in their own countries. I think it explained clearly why the Americans need a decent health care system and I'm publishing it here verbatim.
For those few Canadians who long for a U.S. style health care system, and who like to slam "socialized" medicine, here is an actual account of two heart attacks experienced by brothers, one in Canada and one in the U.S.
Brother one, subject to the "downright evil" (according to Sarah Palin) Canadian system, experiences chest pain and walks into an ER. Within 5 minutes, the evil government beaurocrats have processed his health care card and whisked him to the cardiology unit.
After many tests, he is told he has had a heart attack and has a stent inserted into the clogged artery and is out of the hospital within 3 days. He is presented with a bill for $20 for the TV rental (highly overpriced because of a planned social economy) and goes on his way.
Brother two, living in the land of the "best health care system in the world", has a heart attack and is rushed to the ER by ambulance. Unfortunately, "the best health care system in the world" is so expensive his employer can't afford it. He has a "pre-existing" condition that allows the insurance company to deny him coverage. This remarkable mechanism allows insurance companies to take on only the healthy, maximizing profits and limiting expenses (also known as "claims"). Even better, if the customer is healthy but has an illness or injury later, the policy can be cancelled on any number of handy excuses should profitability be jeopardized.
Brother two is questioned about his lack of coverage (apparently unaware that the "best health care system in the world" had denied him coverage) and grilled on how he will pay the $90,000 bill presented on a silver tray. He now faces bankruptcy because the "best health care system in the world" sees this unit before them as a profit centre, not a human being.
Be thankful you don't live in the "best health care system in the world".
I spend my winters in Florida and am surrounded by many American friends who like to discuss how health care in Canada works. I tell them over and over again how our system isn't perfect but it's miles above what Americans receive. I'm not sure exactly when Canada developed our present system but I remember clearly what it was like before and I don't ever want to go back to the days when we had to choose between paying for health care and paying for groceries. I'm not exaggerating one bit when I say that.
My husband was never out of a job but we had no extra money to spare for prenatal care so I had none until a relative forced me to go for a checkup when I was 6 months pregnant. Luckily, I was healthy and the baby didn't suffer any adverse effects but what if there had been early complications? My grandmother died a miserable death (probably from cancer) and never saw a doctor once during her illness. We can't ever go back to those days and I fervently hope President Obama is successful in bringing in a decent health care system that will cover all Americans. He's up against a powerful and wealthy medical force who want to keep things as they are but I hope the American people get enough honest information that will persuade them to accept change even if it means higher taxation. It's worth it, believe me.
I feel so strongly about this and I know I harp on it a lot but it's so important. The very idea of someone losing their home to pay for medical care is horrible. If Obama can pull this off he will go down in history for doing what he was elected to do, representing the people. I'm counting on him.
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