I hope you will read the original message and then check out the 10/30/07 update.
On most days I could find you a small army of people that will tell you we need better more affordable health care here in the United States. I agree. Then they tell you we need something like they have in Canada or Great Britain. That is where the agreeing ends. I don't want the government to play any part in my health care. I found an article (
Record numbers go abroad for health
By Laura Donnelly and Patrick Sawer
Last Updated: 1:04am GMT 28/10/2007) from the London Telegraph in my e-mail this morning that leaves me with a question (No this is not the Question Of The Week. Drop down to the next message to answer that one) for all supporters of socialized medicine. If socialized medicine is such a great idea why are so many Britons leaving the country in search of decent medical care? Like I said, I agree something needs to be done about the health care problem in the United States and I sure don't have the answer. I just know Great Britain should not be our model.
Thanks go to:
The London Telegraph God Bless America, God Save The Republic.
Updated 10/30/07
I was catching up on my e-mail and found a message from an old friend that I feel fits right in here. Yes our health care system needs some help but we should be careful about whose we pattern ours after.
Hi;
Here is some important info. If you have any liberal friends make sure they read this. Hillary is going to give us this. Thank you for this leith.
njconnie
babcie
www.ronpaul2008.com****************************************************************************************
A freind send this to me..... thought it was worth passing on......
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> Hey Guys; I seen 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 .
Plus a few additions from me...D
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> First of all:
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> 1) The health care plan in Canada is not free. We pay a premium every month of $96. for my wife and I to be covered. (for my daughter and her two children, she pays $148.00 per month.) 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 great deal more, as the other taxes have not been taken into consideration) A large portion of that and I am not sure of the exact amount goes directly to health care our #1 expense.
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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 (If you can find one and be accepted) 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, or more.
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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. Was in a Dr. office with friend and after 12 minutes was told his 'time' was up. Another friend, her Dr. has sign up saying, 'Time Limit, 10 Minutes per patient'.
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4) Many Canadians do not have a family Doctor. (I have not seen a Dr. since 1998 and on Thursday asked If I could see a Dr. and was told that I was living 'out of their catchment area' and ask'd who made those laws, she said the 'Federal Government'.) GREAT FREE SYSTEM!
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5) Don't require emergency treatment as you may wait for hours in the emergency room waiting for treatment. (Have waited in emerg. with friend and heard somebody say they were there since 11 p.m. the previous night this was 4 p.m. in the afternoon)
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6) My wife'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.
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7) My wife's cousin was diagnosed with a heart blockage. Put on a waiting list . Died before he could get treatment. (Same happened to a friend of ours) Another friend was on a cruise, had a heart attack, was off loaded in Costa Rica, Dr. there had to call Canada after diagnosis and was told if you operate on more than 2 blockages you will not be compensated (paid) He had 4 blockages. Had to wait a further year in order to clear the other blockages before they would do anything. Subsequently he's had a pace maker put in.
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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. Knee and hip replacements certainly fall into this category, regardless of one's situation, regardless of the 2+ year wait. My husband was to have a knee replacement ... they scrapped the chipped bone, left him rubbing bone on bone, then he had to get a brace costing $1,500.00 which is not effective enough, reduced his life style dramatically.
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9)The Government takes great pride in telling us how much more they are increasing the funding for health care but waiting lists never get shorter. Government just keeps throwing money at the problem but it never goes away. But they are good at finding new ways to tax us, but they don't call it a tax anymore it is now a user fee.
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10) My mother needs an operation for a blockage in her leg but because she is a smoker they will not do it. Despite her and my father paying into the health care system all these years. My Mom is 80 years of age. Now there is talk that maybe we should not treat fat and obese people either because they are a drain on the health care system. Let me see now, what we want in Canada is a health care system for healthy people only. That should reduce our health care costs.
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11) Forget getting a second opinion, what you see is what you get.
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12) I can spend what money I have left after taxes on booze, cigarettes, junk food and anything else that could kill me but I am not allowed by law to spend my money on getting an operation I need because that would be jumping the queue. I must wait my turn except if I am a hockey player or athlete then I can get looked at right away. Go figger. Where else in the world can you spend money to kill yourself but not allowed to spend money to get healthy. Alternative methods are greatly discouraged with posters in Dr. offices lauding the 'dangers' of herbs, etc.
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13) Oh did I mention that immigrants are covered automatically at tax payer expense having never contributed a dollar to the system and pay no premiums.@#$%^&*()_
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14) Oh yeh 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. Then there is also a new Diabetic drug which is easier on the system, but if you can't pay for it, you can not have it regardless of your health.
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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 Canada has made..
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"If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.".....President James Madison
God Bless America, God Save The Republic.
