Thursday, June 18, 2009


So, it seems the Republicans (the party of the truly dim) are trying, as usual, to scare the crap out of Americans. In this case, in regard to possible health care reforms. Charmingly, the AMA seems to be aiding and abetting them in this endeavour. They seem to like to use the Canadian system as a fear-inducer (though they obviously don't know anything about how it actually works). Given that I'm Canadian, I thought it might behoove me to correct the Republican depiction of our system.

Should I wake up tomorrow feeling less than perky, I can just phone up my doctor's office and make an appointment. Or, if I'm feeling really lousy, I can just wander into his office (at the moment, my family doc is a man). That's it. I'll see him, report how I feel, he'll either say, "What are you bothering me for? You're just being your usual hypochondriacal self," or, "Hmmmm, O.K., we need to do some further checking," or something else. I'll go home. Will I think about the bill that I'll be receiving? Nope. Why? 'Cause there won't be one. If he decides I need hospitalisation, will I worry? You betcha! But not about the money. There won't be any bill to worry about there, either.

Here in Canada, a person's health is regarded (so far, anyway) as a reasonable human expectation. As a "right". What it's most definitely not regarded as is as a commodity to be bought. As a target of blackmail - "You want me to heal you? Do you? Well, it's gonna cost you. Cost you big time."

And, you know what? If I need a CAT scan, I'll get one. If I need surgery, I'll get it. Chemo? No problem. And whatever treatment I need will be just as "cutting edge" or "up to date" as in the U.S. And I'll get treated in a timely manner, too! Amazing, isn't it? And I won't have to pay a dime. I won't have to mortgage my home, or declare bankruptcy, or sell my children into slavery. I'll simply get the treatment I need.

So, when the Reps and their good pals, the AMA try to scare you, tell 'em they're, well, just tell 'em they evidently have a significant blockage in their large intestine that seems to be interfering with their ability to think. (In layman's terms - they're full of shit)

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