Sick about “Sicko”

I was just sick about what I saw in Michael Moore ‘s film, Sicko. In fact, I cried through this entire film that was billed as “hilarious.”

Even if some of the statistics may have been distorted or some of the facts not entirely accurate, I agree with the film’s overall portrayal of what is wrong with the health care system in the US.

I am an American who lived in Canada for 14 years (1972-1986). During those years, I was young and healthy, and, in fact, never remember going to the doctor, much less going to the hospital (except for one incident when I looked for a hotel for the night and went inside Hotel-Dieu in Windsor, Ontario to discover that it was a hospital, not a hotel).

Considering that I’ve been a healthy person up until being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease eleven years ago while living in the states, I am not a very good person to compare the US and Canadian health care systems. However, I do remember that health care was a non-issue in Canada–for me, because I never used it and for those who used it, they always received medical care and/or never complained about it.

My questions for my Canadian friends are as follows:
What kind of waiting lists do you have for essential or elective surgery?
How long do you wait when going to an emergency room?
Have you ever been turned down for a medical procedure or surgery?
Have you ever had to go to the states for a medical procedure or surgery? If so, who paid the medical bills?
I know you believe that your health care is free, but in reality you pay through taxes. What are your tax rates?

Although I was seldom sick while living in Canada, I do remember my first professional job where I worked full-time at 35 hours a week and was eligible for five weeks a year of vacation from day one.

Now where is my passport?

For more information about Michael Moore and Sicko, check out the following links:

http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/yourlife/sicko.html

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/07/11/michael-moore-responds-to-cnn-quot-fact-fudging-quot-accusations.aspx

Comments

[David]

The Wait times for British Columbia can be found at http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/waitlist/

When comparing ER wait times you must remember that going to the ER in Canada is free like going to a public library. As a result people will go there looking a bandaid and an asprin. I have no problem with this. These people will just end up waiting until a doctor has absolutely nothing better to do.

I have nothing but great things to say about the Canadian Health care system. However, the debate is not going to be won by anidotal evidence.

[MacMic]

I have a chronic condition (neurological) requiring constant specialist supervision, as does my wife (musculoskeletal).

Our illness are serious and would be crippling left untreated, but we basically don't even notice them. They make no impact on our lives, really, except that we take prescribed drugs daily. We hardly notice them.

Our appointment with specialists are easy enough to set up, with a 2-3 week lead up (usually 2), which seems ok to me. Medical tests usually involve no wait up to an hour's long wait, as the absolute maximum. It's a pretty stress-free series of transactions.

My wife and I are both gym rats, reasonably buff, and you'd have no idea whatsoever to look at us that we have serious illnesses. This feels like the way life is meant to be. We like it. No complaints. Health is priceless, and I am happy I am healthy enough to generate wealth and contribute to a system that will help others as the contributions of others have helped me.