U.S. Health Care Reform

O.K. So there is quite the talk south of the Canadian border regarding Health Care Reform. Leaning toward Socialism like I do, I fully support the idealistic dream that would start with the creation of universal ~comprehensive~ health care with a single payer system. Many false apologies to those of you who believe that there is a place for the many private health insurers in the U.S. I do not. As long as there is a profit motive cost reduction will not occur. No citizen of the U.S. should be without health care. None. Not the poor, or the unemployed, or the families of the unemployed. No one.

On the other side of the pond, England's NHS covers all residents and visitors also receive several (free) services. Why do I mention England? Simply because the U.S. GDP in 2008 was over 14 Trillion. The GDP of England? Not even two and a half Trillion (give or take a buck or pound). With a population of roughly 61 million, the NHS covers all its residents and provides several health care services to visitors (tourists) for free. Not so the U.S. system. No free coverage for visitors and upwards of 45 million of its own residents without coverage. Of the remainder, how many are underinsured?

Now let's look across our northern border. Canada's population? Approximately 34 million. Canada's GDP? 1.5 trillion. The Provincial Health care plans that make up the Canadian system cover all citizens, permanent residents and temporary foreign workers (certain conditions apply).

Let's compare the U.S. and Canada for a moment. 303 and 34 million people respectively with nominal GDPs at over 14 Trillion and approximately 1.5 Trillion (U.S bucks). And yet, all Canadians are covered AND health statistics and outcomes for Canadians as a population are better than those of the U.S. ...Oh, yeah, Canadians are paying per capita roughly half of what the U.S. is paying; $3173. vs. $6096. Eric and I can attest to the U.S. figure (your milage may vary). As part of a spread sheet comparison of health plans offered by his previous employer, we determined our yearly monetary health care spending. Premiums, deductibles, co-pays, costs for lab tests and prescriptions (did I leave anything out?) amounted to roughly the U.S. average. All rather baseline stuff. Nothing exceptional. I have had employer provided health care like most in the U.S. I have also been an independent contractor and had to provide and purchase my own individual health care policy. I have been lucky to be covered under my partner's employer provided health care plan. In the states I had to concern myself with pre-existing condition exclusions, health care coverage gaps, and each time I changed insurance providers I had to learn the new rules; what was covered, excluded, the limits, etc. I even had the indignity of having to pay taxes on my health care benefits as if they were income. For that, thank you to the U.S. Federal Government.

Much of what is told the U.S. population about the Canadian system is myth. The debunking of such misinformation can be found in articles on my "links" resources page under health care. As with much of life, they are all a little bit true. And the deeper one investigates the more, dare I say it, understandable these myths become and the less frightening they are.

I write this post in response to a current T.V. ad that is being aired in the U.S. One where a Canadian woman speaks rather poorly of her home country's health care system. She is pissing a lot of people off up here. For you see, Canadian medical tourism to the U.S. is one of those myths. Does it happen? Sure - which makes it a little bit true. But it is rare-which is one of the reasons she, the one in the T.V. ad, has no other Canadian company in her criticism. Out of 34 million people she is the exception, not the rule-and that is being generous. She was covered under the Canadian system and would have received treatment. No one - no doctor or bureaucrat denied her treatment because that never would have happened. The system here doesn't allow it. She *chose* not to wait and to pay out-of-pocket for treatment. There are quite a few folks up here asking for more details regarding her situation. People do, indeed, wait for treatment up here but only if the situation is not critical. Medical concerns requiring immediate attention are moved to the front of the queue. She may be one that fell through the cracks of an imperfect system. If that is the case I don't begrudge her opinion. If that is the case, should she be the example given of the Canadian health care system? I think not. The jury is still out.

Watching the health care circus south of the border makes my head spin for several reasons. Firstly, that in the U.S. the population still sees the current health care system as superior despite the fact that the numbers and outcomes do not support that conclusion. That society and businesses will greatly benefit if a universal single payer system is adopted in the U.S. but that it will not happen because of one lone exception that is being paid to shout out on U.S. television. That health care bankruptcies will continue to occur, that people will continue to worry over health care and have to compare and forecast the cost and benefits of company health care plans hoping to make the correct decision. How many more insurance forms and questionnaires will have to be sweated over and completed...?

Good questions all because, you see, I had to fill out no forms or compare plans living here in Canada. I have the same coverage as the CEO next door to me and the homeless person on the street corner. I have a private doctor and I pay less for my drug prescription (same name brand drug) than I would in the states without a drug plan (yes there are, and I have a, supplemental health plan(s) that include drugs). During the time I've lived here I have received more than adequate health care from both primary and a urgent care doctors and so have several of my Canadian and U.S. expat friends-among them situations including health maintenance, emergency care, cancer, and several on-going physical and mental treatments. I have confidence in the system here and I like that all I need do is hand my "Health" card over to be treated. I am not asked to fill out a form, I am not asked to update my insurance, I am not asked about payment. There are no deductibles or co-pays. No doctor will ever deny me treatment-and the provincial gov't assumes that if we decide I need a procedure it will be paid for. I could go on...

Canadians like to bitch about it, but as mentioned in one of the articles on my "links" page, they wouldn't give it up for anything. And the rules here are the same for everyone. Health care details are the same for everyone-doctors, patients, institutions and governments. This makes it really easy to bitch about specific health care treatment and delivery problems with pin-point accuracy. Those concerns affect us all so everyone has an interest. And that interest becomes loudly apparent. For Canadians, the issue isn't health care coverage but how to maximize its delivery and control costs. How many different insurance companies, plans, rules are there to navigate and manage in the U.S.? And one can play the U.S. health care game by the rules and still be denied a pay out for a treatment. Health care insurers in the U.S. clearly have an incentive to find ways to limit how much they pay for treatment. Not so much in regard to protect their subscribers, but to maximize shareholder returns on investment.

Point is, Universal Single payer health care is not all that scary folks. The benefits definitely outweigh the risks. Once U.S. moxie is part of the Universal Single Payer Health Care formula, what is there to fear?

RANT

I was doing some research and I happened onto a city guide list generated by someone at TorontoLife. All good so far...except that many of the businesses on the list were closed, defunct. Many others had been purchased and re-named, err...branded. I do not know how old the guide is There was no posting date but it was on the current T.O. Life website. Much of it was useless. Perhaps they create a new one each year. I doubt it. And there is obviously no date or way to tell. USELESS. A magazine (on-line or off) should do better.

This is jut one example of how gunked up the internet seems to be. I may be visiting sites that I otherwise might not (definitely not in most cases...how useless IS n49.ca?) Have you ever tried to find a good review? Did you find one...and was it dated? And even when the info is dated, how relevant is that opinion from 2002 if the site hasn't been updated since then? Well, at least I know when it was written.

I have often thought that all information on the internet should be dated. It should be a law. I am sure when the results of search inquiries include such ancient useless information more site traffic is generated. Anything to possibly boost advertising revenue - I get it. It is all stored on a server somewhere out there. Probably not cost effective to have someone remove it. But at least if it were dated, I'd know more about that piece of news, opinion, review, etc.

And what's up with 2,000,000+ search results?  Does anyone ever look beyond the first couple pages before they modify their search terms and try again? Sorting by date might help, eh?

 

Update of Sorts

Our lives in Toronto this February have been good. Work has taken Eric away and back for a couple of weeks now. I won't be seeing much of him until, I think, the second week in March. He returns on weekends which makes for rather lonely work weeks here on Oriole Parkway - just me and Caesar the cat. I can't really complain. He has a very stable job with a company that is doing well considering the world economic crisis. Every week I have a relative or friend in the states ask me how Canada is fairing. "Better than many countries," I say. While none have been personally affected, friends of mine here in T.O. have spoken of concerns regarding staff lay-offs at the companies were they work. The U.S. lost approximately 600,000. jobs this last January. Can anyone imagine the entire population of a city losing their jobs in a months time? How 'bout next month? 

I continue to pursue employment. I am sure that like everyone else in my position I regularly visit several job/resume web sites. I receive updates on saved searches from those that provide them. I scour Craigslist job ads regularly. I have to admit I have never, ever worked this hard to find a job. I find the frustration building and manifesting into unfocused anger. It's interesting. So far. Nothing my partner has had to deal with but when I speak of it he becomes concerned. He does not generally know me as an angry person. To deal with this negative energy, this week I joined a gym. It feels good. I've become more my normal self. 

My sister-in-law has hired me for two days this coming week. The company she works for does gigs all over North America and Europe. They have a show here in Toronto and I am to be a production assistant. She is wonderful to think of me. I am happy to accept. 

The rest of the week I will continue my job search. I am going to try something different but I am not sure how that will manifest itself. 

And I will keep going to the gym. 

*Yawn*

A new year; a new look.

But, alas, the choices. Or lack thereof. Blogger doesn't seem to add new templates often - if not at all. And the formats of those same templates - the ones we have been choosing from, say, forever, often can't be modified as completely as one (I) would like. I whine. I know - it's free. As free as anything is in this world. But the lack of choice and personalization bores me. I've been to Wordpress. I've been to Live Journal. I am still looking. *yawn*

As I write this and indent specific words, the "i" icon doesn't seem to know when to properly highlight. It is highlighted now and I am not indenting my words. Interesting. I also made some changes in the elements. Simple ones regarding titles and wording. I didn't actively alter the pictures and yet they automatically got smaller when I saved my changes. Not happy. User friendly? I have to laugh. I even work on IE to mitigate the odd behavior often found when using alternative (and usually preferred) browsers. Alas...not the answer.

I know. Stop whining. OK, I'll try...

The new look isn't that great and I am not satisfied. I will take my victim mask off and learn how to create a more personalized blog. I will find a new blog host. And I will migrate and park my blog there and finally use the URL that I paid money for.

Apparently I have too much free time on my hands. But I knew this. And I've probably had too much coffee this morning. Again...I have to laugh.

*yawn*

Who Lives in Toronto?

Hello all. Just a short post to declare, "We've Landed!"

Our drive across the U.S. with our cat Caesar is finished. We crossed the border with "flying colours" having no issues with Canadian Immigration or Customs.

Having arrived early evening on Saturday, we've now been in our new flat on Oriole Parkway one full day. Our belongings are currently sitting in a warehouse somewhere on Front St. and we are expecting delivery in a day or so. I would like to sleep in my bed and not in the camping gear we brought along so cross your fingers for us.

Today we explored our new neighbourhood, had a bite to eat, attended the movie, "The Dark Knight" at the local cinema, and introduced ourselves to the grocery shopping at the Dominion up the street.

Happily, we have been exchanging text messages from our friends in San Francisco who are busy with the normal weekend frolic, wondering what our state of affairs are, and missing our company. We miss them, too, despite being pleasantly distracted by our new surroundings.

It's great to finally be here. More posts to follow regarding our trip across the U.S., our new home, and details about our landing as soon as I catch up on some sleep.

Enlightened Perspectives

The recent California Supreme Court decision overturning the ban on same-sex marriage got me thinking about two wonderful commentaries I read in The San Francisco Chronicle, Louis Freedberg's "Personal Perspective: My Gay Neighbors," and "Everyday Life Best Argument for Gay Marriage," by C.W. Nevius.

Now, I hate the Chronicle. My opinion is that it is a tabloid masquerading as a newspaper. I don't think the writing is stellar. I don't think the editing is exceptional. I think it strongly follows the trend to pander to it's readers including a dumbing down of all that is reported. I feel that the focus is too far toward making the news entertaining than actually hard reporting of the facts and well thought out analysis. Also, the excessive amount of reporting that is based on some person or company's public relations statement or product releases, 99% of which are not news but simple advertising, overwhelms me. Almost a complete rag. All my opinion. However...

...in a city as uber-liberal as San Francisco - surrounded by pockets of conservatism, the opinion and editorial pages shine. Perhaps the only reasons I can't stop myself completely from reading San Francisco's major newspaper. Which brings me back to the two columns I mentioned above, the first of which is almost four years old but still a completely relevant and important read for someone who has no experience around committed gay couples. If you haven't already, click the links above and read the commentaries. And here is my invitation to sample the writings of C.W. Nevius, Louis Freedberg, Jennifer J. Saunders, and Mark Morford.