And Yet a Fourth Opinion of the US versus Canadian

David,
I am one of your clients... As a dual citizen who has
lived for the large majority of time in Canada, and now
live in Chicago, I couldn't agree with you more about
the great plus Canada has over the US because of health
care.!!! A routine gall bladder operation here took me
one year to straighten out the paperwork, and I was out
about $3000 even with my "good company insurance"!  We
may pay a bit more in income taxes but I really think
in the end Americans end up paying more out of pocket
with a lot more stress and fear of paying out
thousands... the fear of losing one's job because of
the loss of health insurance, keeps people in jobs they
hate or would love to scale back on.. but they can't...
leads to a lot more stress and unhappiness!!!
N XXXXXXXXXx
 ===================
david ingram replies:
The third part to this has more information.  May I use
your name or contact you in the future about this for
other media purposes?
By the way, this newsletter goes out to a lot of
people.  Usually, I get back one or two comments about
any topic.  So Far, I have over 300 replies to this one
on the health system and my neighbours brought an ice
cream bucket of fantastic home made turkey soup and a
beautiful loaf of rye bread to the invalid.  Thanks
Bill and Araxie.  I did not even know you were on this.
----- Original Message -----
From: centapede at lists.centa.com
To: CENTAPEDE
Subject:  PART II Canadian Health System
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2004 13:17:59 -0800
>
> The following is a response to my comments about the
Canadian Health system
> versus the US System. The lady in question is a
Canadian working in the US.
>
> Dear David,
>
> I couldn't agree more! This time of year is when my
California employer
> holds "open enrollment" so that we can choose our
health care plans for the
> coming year. This year we have the choice of PPO or
HMO. I find it
> unbelievably complicated! The dental plan I had two
years ago covered
> everything. Last year a different plan wanted huge
co-pays for even minor
> work. I thought PPO plans were better because you
could choose your
> practitioner, but then I learned I'd be paying
upwards of $200 a month more
> for this option! It would take weeks of study to
figure out what the
> different choices really give you and it's always a
worry that you could be
> slapped with a $1,500+ co-pay for a hospital
admission should you need one.
> Complementary medicine (like acupuncture and
chiropractic), when they're
> covered, are so difficult to access that most people
can't even get the
> coverage and pay privately. Naturopathy is apparently
not a recognized
> profession in this state. The good doctors have no
dealings whatsoever with
> insurance and the others practise "defensive
medicine" covering their backs,
> pandering to drug companies and malpractice insurers
and hospital
> administrators and putting the needs of the patient
at the very bottom of
> their priorities. Even intelligent people get
confused by all the options
> and convolutions of the different plans and the
administrative costs alone
> would cover the health insurance for the entire
population of BC!
>
> I read recently that the Turks & Caicos Islands are
revisiting the
> possibility of some type of affiliation with Canada.
If they do it, I'll be
> "home" in a flash--imagine Canadian health care while
you live on a tropical
> island?!! I've always said that the only problem with
Canada is that it
> didn't have a Hawaii!
>
> best wishes
>
> CXXXXXXXXXX
>
> ---------- Original
Message ----------------------------------
> From: centapede at lists.centa.com
> Reply-To: taxman at centa.com, centapede at lists.centa.com
> Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2004 09:40:53 -0800
>
> >This is personal and readers will have noticed that
there were no Questions
> and answers over the weekend.
> >
> >I started feeling a little pain in my left chest on
Friday afternoon. The
> week was full of stress and I thought i jut had a
little angina. Even went
> shopping at IKEA for the second time in my life on
Friday Night.
> >
> >The pain wasn't bad on Saturday afternoon so , I
went on to vote for Doug
> Mackay-Dunn and Joan Gadsby (who did not win) in the
North Van District
> election. Took my 12 year old daughter with me to see
the political process
> and after voting, I was in enough pain that "Jane" is
saying Dad, go to the
> hospital. I thought of using the cell to call an
ambulance, even though I
> was just blocks from the hospital but I was breathing
fine and drove myself
> of course.
> >
> >Got to the hospital with no identification, no
medical card, no money (I
> had just run down to vote after all).
> >
> >They took my name, looked me up in the computer and
had me plugged in right
> away.
> >
> >7 1/2 hours later, they sent me home after a cat
scan, 2 sets of X-Rays
> blood tests, 2 ECG's, etc.
> >
> >Previously I had even got to see my heart valves
opening and closing on
> ultrasound and the blood rushing through my nice and
clean carotid arteries
> on Ultrasound.
> >
> >The Pain was caused by a touch of pleurisy on my
lower left lung. The
> prescription, antibiotics and Ibuprofen as a pain
killer.
> >
> >My thanks to all the emergency room staff at Lion's
Gate Hospital and Dr.
> Long.
> >
> >My comment involves our Canadian health System.
> >
> >The biggest reason I have clients come back from the
United States is that
> they have run out of Health Insurance.
> >
> >Until the US brings in some sort of Universal Health
Care, it will NEVER be
> as good a country to live in as Canada.
> >
> >Thank you Tommy Douglas, the father of Medicare in
Saskatchewan.
> >
> >david ingram
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
_______________________________________________________
____
> $0 Web Hosting with up to 120MB web space, 1000 MB
Transfer
> 10 Personalized POP and Web E-mail Accounts, and much
more.
> Signup at www.doteasy.com
>
>
> ---
> Incoming mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system
(http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release
Date: 11/1/04
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system
(http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release
Date: 11/1/04
>
>
> -----------------------------------------------------
------------
> List-Unsubscribe:
http://lists.centa.com/mailman/listinfo/centapede
mailto:centapede-request at lists.centa.com?subject=unsubs
cribe
>

---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system
(http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release Date:
11/1/04
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.centa.com/CEN-TAPEDE/centapede/attachments/20041108/dd90f979/attachment.htm

Trackback

Trackback URL for this entry: http://www.centa.com/trackback.php/UsCaWeekofMon20041108001400.html

No trackback comments for this entry.

0 comments