Hi there,

Here is some interesting information from an individual in the Canadian healthcare system.

A Canadian Speaks on Health Care

Hey Guys; 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) My mother needs an operation for a blockage in her leg but
because she is a smoker they will not do it. Despite her and my
father paying into the health care system all these years. My Mom
is 80 years of age. 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.


Dean