From: "Virginia Colegrove" <gincole@frontiernet.net>
> Date: May 10, 2008 7:10:58 AM PDT
> To: <@frontiernet.net;>
> Subject: Canadian Health Care
>
>
> A friend from Canada sent this to me.
>
>
> I saw on the news up here in Canada where Hillary Clinton introduced  
> her new health care plan. Something similar to what we have in  
> Canada. I also heard that Michael Moore was raving about the health  
> care up here in Canada in his latest movie. As your friend and  
> someone who lives with the Canada health care plan I thought I would  
> give you some facts about this great medical plan that we have in  
> Canada.
>
> First of all:
>
> 1) The health care plan in Canada is not free. We pay a premium  
> every month of $96. for Shirley and I to be covered. Sounds great  
> eh. What they don't tell you is how much we pay in taxes to keep the  
> health care system afloat. I am personally in the 55% tax bracket. Yes
> 55% of my earnings go to taxes. A large portion of that and I am not  
> sure of the exact amount goes directly to health care our #1 expense.
>
> 2) I would not classify what we have as health care plan, it is more  
> like a health diagnosis system. You can get into to see a doctor  
> quick enough so he can tell you "yes indeed you are sick or you need  
> an operation" but now the challenge becomes getting treated or  
> operated on. We have waiting lists out the ying yang some as much as  
> 2 years down the road.
>
> 3) Rather than fix what is wrong with you the usual tactic in Canada  
> is to prescribe drugs. Have a pain here is a drug to take‑ not what  
> is causing the pain and why. No time for checking you out because it  
> is more important to move as many patients thru as possible each  
> hour for Government re‑imbursement
>
> 4) Many Canadians do not have a family Doctor.
>
> 5) Don't require emergency treatment as you may wait for hours in  
> the emergency room waiting for treatment.
>
> 6) Shirley's dad cut his hand on a power saw a few weeks back and it  
> required that his hand be put in a splint ‑ to our surprise we had  
> to pay $125. for a splint because it is not covered under health  
> care plus we have to pay $60. for each visit for him to check it out  
> each week.
>
> 7) Shirley's cousin was diagnosed with a heart blockage. Put on a  
> waiting list . Died before he could get treatment.
>
> 8) Government allots so many operations per year. When that is done  
> no more operations, unless you go to your local newspaper and plead  
> your case and embarrass the government then money suddenly appears.
>
> 9)The Government takes great pride in telling us how much more they  
> are increasing the funding for health care but waiting lists never  
> get shorter. Government just keeps throwing money at the problem but  
> it never goes away. But they are good at finding new ways to tax us,  
> but they don't call it a tax anymore it is now a user fee.
>
> 10) A friend needs an operation for a blockage in her leg but  
> because she is a smoker they will not do it. Despite paying into the  
> health care system all these years. My friend is 65 years old. Now  
> there is talk that maybe we should not treat fat and obese people  
> either because they are a drain on the health care system. Let me  
> see now, what we want in Canada is a health care system for healthy  
> people only. That should reduce our health care costs.
>
> 11) Forget getting a second opinion, what you see is what you get.
>
> 12) I can spend what money I have left after taxes on booze,  
> cigarettes, junk food and anything else that could kill me but I am  
> not allowed by law to spend my money on getting an operation I need  
> because that would be jumping the queue. I must wait my turn except  
> if I am a hockey player or athlete then I can get looked at right  
> away. Go figger. Where else in the world can you spend money to kill  
> yourself but not allowed to spend money to get healthy.
>
> 13) Oh did I mention that immigrants are covered automatically at  
> tax payer expense having never contributed a dollar to the system  
> and pay no premiums.
>
> 14) Oh yeah we now give free needles to drug users to try and keep  
> them healthy. Wouldn't want a sickly druggie breaking into your  
> house and stealing your things. But people with diabetes who pay  
> into the health care system have to pay for their needles because it  
> is not covered but the health care system.
>
> I send this out not looking for sympathy but as the election looms  
> in the states you will be hearing more and more about universal  
> health care down there and the advocates will be pointing to Canada.  
> I just want to make sure that you hear the truth about health care  
> up here and have some food for thought and informed questions to ask  
> when broached with this subject.
>
> Step wisely and don't make the same mistakes we have.
>