Originally Posted by PETER
As a Newfoundlander and a Canadian, I am amazed at so many comments made by pundits who claim to know everything, without knowing anything about the situation at hand.
Danny Williams required immediate surgery and treatment to save his life that is not available in Newfoundland. It has nothing to do with our system, but all to do with urgency.
There are too many comments made throughout Canada and the USA that are simply mean and unture. To those who think that the Government or insurances are paying for this are wrong. Danny is a self made millionaire, coming from a modest family, and in fact he is paying for it from his own money, no one elses. In fact he is probably the only politician who works 18 hours a day and refuses pay for the job, he will not take a penney. When he is finished he will not take a pension, how many millionaire politicans can say that? None I would think, he does this because he loves his Province.
Getting back to the medical question, many Canadians go the the USA for treatments pay pay for it themselves, there is nothing wrong with this, the USA has an excellent private care system, amongst the world's best. Many USA citizens also go abroad for treatment as well, no one kicks up about this. So why pick on Danny Williams? Because he is an easy target and an unwilling poster boy for those pro and con in the health care reform debate in the USA. But this should not be part of your debate on the reform bill.
You should look at is what you have compared to what it will be, the extra cost, the social changes and what ever other comparisons there are. To compare your system to ours is unfair to both, they both have flaws, both have something wrong, and both have much right, both are good systems. However, the Canadian system is open to all without cost to the individual. If I had my surgery in the USA the cost would have been in excess of
$100,000, it cost me only $75.00, the difference between the cost of a private vs. a semiprivate room. My insurance paid for the balance of the room, the government, through the tax system paid the rest. No one in this province is ever turned away from health care due to lack of funds, no one ever gets a big bill.
When the rich do go abroad for treatment, they pay for it themselves, taking a burden off the system and putting cash into a private system, what is wrong with that? ON a final note, yes there is waiting time in this country, some do wait up to six months,but not all. There is a priority list, and severe cases go to the top. I required surgery, it was considered severe, and I waited only two weeks, if it was life and death, I would have gone through emergency and had it done immediately.
So folks, look at it as an apostolic should, get the facts, be knowledgable in them, have sympathy for Danny, just because he is rich is no reason to lambast him for going to the USA. You have an excellent system, the best doctors in the world, take pride that we go there when we can afford it, but it is not a reason to denegrate our system or yours, the issue is about a man who needed urgent surgery, it is not available in our small province, it was recommended that he go the a world class institute who offered to take him on an urgent basis, and he is getting the ebst of care. We need our Danny, and nothing is too good for him. And remember, it was his choice, his nickle and his life at stake.
PS I even wonder what this has to do with an apostolic site anyway.
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