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Every Democrat candidate has come up with his own version of HillaryCare. For those of you who are interested in HillaryCare and other Social Democrat Health Care plans, here's something from a Canadian on their socialized medical care plan. I have added my own comments after each point. I also did not correct any typos in the original.

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Subject: Health Care

. This was sent from Canada to a friend in the States.

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.

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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 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.

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Most Canadians pay out several hundred dollars a month in healthcare premiums. Low income families are exempt. According to the Canadian government that average tax burden in Canada is 40%. In the U.S. it averages just under 33%.

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.

The long waiting periods for care is why many Canadians opt to come to the United States and pay for their care. Of course this option is only open to the higher income groups. I like what Rudy Giuliani said yesterday. "If Hillary's health care plan gets implemented, where are the Canadians going to go for their heath care?"

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

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4) Many Canadians do not have a family Doctor.

There is a severe shortage of doctors in Canada. They have all gone to places where they can actually make some money practicing medicine. The few who are left aren't taking on any new patients. According to the Canadian Medical Association 14% of Canada's population does not have a family doctor.

5) Don't require emergency treatment as you may wait for hours in the emergency room waiting for treatment.

Well, that can even be the case in the United States. You only go to the head of the line if you're about to die. But the wait times in Canadian emergency rooms are legendary, to say the least.

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.

According to the "National Post" the average wait for 12 critical procedures is 18.4 weeks. For bypass surgery the average wait time is 26 weeks. Cataract surgery requires 25 weeks. Hip replacement, 16 weeks. Worse than that are the poor outcomes due to complications created by the long times.

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.

One thing they don't point out is that this goes beyond surgery. When the Canadian Medical plan runs out of money (which usually happens early in September) only critical patients can be seen by a doctor or cared for until after January 1 of the next year. Government control of medical care always results in rationing of that care.

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.

We already complain about insurance company bureaucrats making health care decisions for us. Can you imagine what will happen if government bureaucrats start making those decisions. Single payer government controlled medical care in the U.S. will result in poorer medical care and much higher taxes. The estimated costs that Hillary has placed on her plan are already known to be a small fraction of what the "REAL" cost will be (and that is going to be paid by you in taxes and premiums).

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.

As I said, when the government controls your health care you will always have rationing. In addition, when Liberals control the system, they will use it to force people to conform to certain behaviors that they have deemed to be proper. Remember, Liberals see all of us as bumbling idiots who don't know what's good for us and we must rely on THEM to tell us how to live.

11) Forget getting a second opinion, what you see is what you get.
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Remember, most of the good doctors have already left. It's hard enough to get to see one of the doctors that are left. Do you honestly think you'd be able to see a second doctor to get an opinion. Surely you jest. Nor can you choose your doctor. And forget about specialists.

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.

Canadian health care facilities are not allowed to supply care to private citizens even if those citizens are willing to pay for it. That's why they come to the United States. However, there is a growing number of private health care providers in Canada who are providing care to people who can afford to pay for it. Medical care for the rich only.

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.

That's true. The best some provinces have come up with is to make illegals wait 90 days before they can be treated for the first time.

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.

Diabetic supplies, including needles, are covered under the Canadian Health Care Plan. He got that wrong. But they do give free needles to junkies.

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.
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Step wisely and don't make the same mistakes we have.

jfore's Blog

CANADIAN HEALTH CARE

jfore

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