Gore Saves Canada's Healthcare System

Is it possible that more than 50% of Canadians have some type of a generalized anxiety disorder, or for that matter, a specific anxiety disorder? With healthcare in Canada failing on any scale we wish to implement, and this having a direct impact on their lives NOW, the majority of Canadians would seem to think global warming should be out number one priority. Without getting into the debate about humans’ contribution to global warming and the various discussions that rage in the MSNM (mostly with the theme that we are in crises mode) I am continually reminded of the patients I have cared for over the years that felt they were in crises for one reason or another. One patient, some thirty years ago, who believed in numerology, was certain she was going to die because “sevens” lined up in a particular way. Well, the day came and went and she is alive and well today. Many patients present with the “feeling” something is terribly wrong and they just can’t put their finger on it. Others have phobias and other groundless worries. One patient scrubbed her shower stall eight times a day to rid it of hidden bacteria; another washed her hands fifty times a day for the same reason. It is estimated that roughly 80% of the office time of family doctors is taken up by 20% of the population, many of their complaints having a strong emotional component.
So my question again is “Has the MSNM and some clever/far-sighted/brilliant/opportunistic group basically yelled “fire” in a crowded building and compiled all these generalized, specific, and vague anxiety disorders into one huge mammoth anxiety disorder specifically pertaining to global warming? Is it further possible, then, that visits to physicians, subsequent investigations for non-existing diseases, and therefore costs, could dramatically drop if Prime Minister Harper addressed global warming to everyone’s satisfaction? He could SAVE our Healthcare System and the planet! That’s it! The MSNM, Al Gore, Suzuki and the boys are saving our Universal Healthcare system. Who would have known; brilliant! Give Al another “Nobel Something” prize.

Sicko

Hey, some people up here in Canada are starting to see the light (dimly). Zoe Geddes-Soltess wrote in the Calgary Herald “Letters” page that turning down coverage of the medications Humira and Enbrel is “eerily similar to U.S. insurance companies refusing to cover so-called experimental treatments as a cost-cutting measure, and sets a frightening precedent for the future of healthcare in Alberta. Here is a news flash Zoe, this type of precedent was set here in Canada many years ago and is in no way a new phenomenon! Where is Michael Moore when we need him.
You see, Zoe, our provincial healthcare acts exactly like a U.S HMO (substitute insurance company if you like) with the exception that it is a monopoly. The insurance companies and HMO’s “cut” for profit; our provincial governments “reject” coverage to “save” tax dollars in a competing priority budget. The argument then basically comes down to the question of: 1) do you want consumer choice in deciding on your coverage? And/or 2) do you think a government monopoly can provide healthcare services more efficiently than competing private companies.
From my perspective, I want choices. I also know I must familiarize myself on the coverage contract and know exactly what I am buying from a coverage perspective. But do you have any idea of what your Alberta government Healthcare System will or will not cover? Probably not.
The problem with many of the new drugs, including new cancer therapies, is that we have very poor ways of knowing who will and who will not respond to a specific drug. This area is making huge advances but is still at infancy, so although a study may show very little benefit as a group in a trial, there are individuals within the treatment group that can show amazing benefit. However, our Canadian government healthcare programs are aimed at the average response and probabilities, and you have little choice as to whether you’re a responder or not without either digging into your own pocket and/or traveling to another country for the service. Perhaps, like the patients in the movie “Sicko”, Michael Moore could gather up a group of Canadians and take us for a little trip to Cuba.