If there’s one thing certain to raise the ire of the left it’s questioning Medicare. Any time I raised issues when on air I could almost be certain that Shirley Douglas, daughter of St Tommy, would call and want to be a guest. (Incidentally, Tommy Douglas was not the first to bring Medicare to Canada; it was his successor, Woodrow Lloyd.)
There are 5 principles of Medicare:
- Universality
- Accessibility
- Comprehensiveness
- Portability
- Public administration
From this we’re told, by the left, that Canadians have full health care publicly paid for and that is nonsense. Moreover, I’m sure that there are lots more exceptions than I will raise.
My main health cost is pharmaceuticals – diabetes and depression. These are ongoing daily expenditures and will continue all my life. I am limited to 100 days. How can this be accessible and comprehensive?
My next main health cost is my dentist and the cost of this, when all’s said and done, probably exceeds my drug costs. I only put it second because unlike the drugs, I can’t predict my dental costs. I can tell you that after my insurance is out, this year will run about $3000 for my wife and me.
My next main health cost is my chiropractor. I have permanent problems in the region of my sciatic nerve and that requires about 20 visits or nearly $1000. My alternative is surgery, God knows what that would cost the system, but this surgery has probably the worst outcomes record of most if not all surgeries. The bottom line here is absurd – by receiving treatment I avoid surgery but must pay every nickel myself!
That’s not all that’s the matter with me. Both of my knees are bone on bone, at least partly from playing hard and not especially good squash. I’m not permitted, or more accurately my surgeon is not permitted to do the jobs and have me pay him directly so I can get them replaced.
However I can pay directly to have cataracts removed from my eyes! Square that circle if you can! Moreover, Medicare doesn’t pay for eyeglasses which one would think to be an almost automatic cost for older people anyway after eye examinations.
Unquestionably my hearing is, to say the least, not as good as it once was. Hearing aids are not covered.
Costs of a psychologist for my depression, which is chronic, are not covered.
Because of diabetes I must have at least six Podiatrist treatments a year so I don’t wind up with surgical procedures to amputate one or other or both. This is not covered.
The bottom line?
As a 78 year old with diabetes, depression, bad knees, problems with eyesight and a bad back and the vast majority of the expenses for keeping me going are not covered by Medicare! Moreover, in cases I would pay for myself in order to avoid a long waiting list (at 78 all waiting lists are long) I’m not permitted to pay for privately. In fact, I’m not even permitted to buy insurance that would cover private surgery.
This is a public heath scheme?
Evidently I’m not part of the BC public.
Ok lovely another illusion shattered. Without the power of denial I now must face the reality that health wise we would be better off in Mexico! Look no blue ink!
I had a quadruple by-pass a few years back and am fine now. I paid for the air ambulance ride to vancouver the MSP paid all the other costs. This summer my wife contracted amyloidosis a very rare blood disorder that required chemo and a stem cell transplant. All covered by the MSP – mind you the drugs were not covered but either one of these health emergencies could have bankrupted us if we lived in a country without a national health care system like ours.
We can always find a reason to complain – we wouldn’t be Canadians otherwise but those who want to pay for private care can easily slip across the border into the US, hop a plane to Poland or fly to India and avoid the wait lists that unfortunately will always be a part of our system. Resources are not unlimited and horrors of horrors us baby boomers are getting older and needing more medical care.