There's a comment on my last post saying how Canadians are so dissastified with their health care system that they are forced to come across the border for treatment that's denied them in their own country.
Lots of people trot the Canadians out when opposing the proposed public option in health care reform. But aside from the Canadian woman on the Republican attack ad, I've never heard any actual Canadians saying this. Of course, I don't know anyone in Canada, it's a long way from Wilmington, NC.
I realize that medical records are confidential, but if a huge amount of Canadians were seeking treatment at American hospitals, wouldn't someone in hospital administration notice it? Wouldn't someone write about it in professional journals articles with titles like "Dealing With The Influx Of Patients From North Of The Border?"
Now I've heard plenty of American health care horror stories. After being diagnosed with an agressive form of breast cancer, Robin Beaton was dropped by Blue Cross for misinforming them about her medical history.
President Obama often talks about his mother struggling with insurance companies as she was dying of ovarian cancer.
And my own healthcare story--I didn't have health insurance for close to five years. I was lucky, I managed to avoid getting sick until I got full coverage with a call center job at GE Capital. But the worry was always there. Once I slipped on the ice, falling flat on my back and my first reaction was "Oh, God, now I've got a pre-existing condition."
So if you're a Canadian, share your health care story with me. I don't want to hear from anyone who knows someone who knows a Canadian. I just want comments from real Canadians.
Do you like it? Do you hate it? Have you experienced both the American and the US systems? Do you want what we have?
Set the record straight.
