Healthcare

I watch with unease the debate in the U.S. re healthcare and its reform. I listen with astonishment at the untruthful statments re Canadian healthcare, like: You can't choose your own doctor or hospital. The government makes these decisions for you. Clearly that's unAmerican, eh? Indeed, it's (gasp!) Socialism! In the 1940s, Truman proposed national health insurance. It was attacked as "socialized medicine". Naturally, it died. However, all industrialized countries in the Western World have universal healthcare ... except the U.S. Then there's this Canadian gal who, on U.S. ads, claims: "I survived a brain tumor, but if I relied on my government for healthcare I'd be dead". In fact, Shona Holmes went to the Mayo Clinic (cost = $97,000) to remove a benign cyst on her pituitary gland. It was NOT life threatening. Indeed, she would / could have had it done in Canada ... after a wait of several months. It's them long waits (for non-life-threatening illnesses) that mar the Canadian system but at least it's universal ...and no Canadian worries about healthcare costs (whereas medical costs are a major source of bankruptcy in the U.S.) A few years ago I wrote this: http://www.gummy-stuff.org/health.htm It shows that, in spite of paying the most for healthcare, Americans do not have the best results: I understand that, now, the U.S. cost is 17% of GDP. For the richest country in the Western world, that's a shame. Some interesting reading: Ted Kennedy speaks of healthcare: http://www.truthout.org/071909R?n An expatriate who came back to the U.S. from Britain: http://www.oregonlive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2009/07/american_health_care_the_view.html If you're rich ... no problem! http://www.truthout.org/072509D The cost of healthcare: http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml ... and the effect of the stock market on your premiums: http://www.insurancecompanyrules.org/blog/entry/health_insurance_premiums_and_the_stock_market/