David, I am one of your clients... As a dual citizen who has lived for the large majority of time in Canada, and now live in Chicago, I couldn't agree with you more about the great plus Canada has over the US because of health care.!!! A routine gall bladder operation here took me one year to straighten out the paperwork, and I was out about $3000 even with my "good company insurance"! We may pay a bit more in income taxes but I really think in the end Americans end up paying more out of pocket with a lot more stress and fear of paying out thousands... the fear of losing one's job because of the loss of health insurance, keeps people in jobs they hate or would love to scale back on.. but they can't... leads to a lot more stress and unhappiness!!! N XXXXXXXXXx =================== david ingram replies: The third part to this has more information. May I use your name or contact you in the future about this for other media purposes? By the way, this newsletter goes out to a lot of people. Usually, I get back one or two comments about any topic. So Far, I have over 300 replies to this one on the health system and my neighbours brought an ice cream bucket of fantastic home made turkey soup and a beautiful loaf of rye bread to the invalid. Thanks Bill and Araxie. I did not even know you were on this. ----- Original Message ----- From: centapede at lists.centa.com To: CENTAPEDE Subject: PART II Canadian Health System Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2004 13:17:59 -0800 > > The following is a response to my comments about the Canadian Health system > versus the US System. The lady in question is a Canadian working in the US. > > Dear David, > > I couldn't agree more! This time of year is when my California employer > holds "open enrollment" so that we can choose our health care plans for the > coming year. This year we have the choice of PPO or HMO. I find it > unbelievably complicated! The dental plan I had two years ago covered > everything. Last year a different plan wanted huge co-pays for even minor > work. I thought PPO plans were better because you could choose your > practitioner, but then I learned I'd be paying upwards of $200 a month more > for this option! It would take weeks of study to figure out what the > different choices really give you and it's always a worry that you could be > slapped with a $1,500+ co-pay for a hospital admission should you need one. > Complementary medicine (like acupuncture and chiropractic), when they're > covered, are so difficult to access that most people can't even get the > coverage and pay privately. Naturopathy is apparently not a recognized > profession in this state. The good doctors have no dealings whatsoever with > insurance and the others practise "defensive medicine" covering their backs, > pandering to drug companies and malpractice insurers and hospital > administrators and putting the needs of the patient at the very bottom of > their priorities. Even intelligent people get confused by all the options > and convolutions of the different plans and the administrative costs alone > would cover the health insurance for the entire population of BC! > > I read recently that the Turks & Caicos Islands are revisiting the > possibility of some type of affiliation with Canada. If they do it, I'll be > "home" in a flash--imagine Canadian health care while you live on a tropical > island?!! I've always said that the only problem with Canada is that it > didn't have a Hawaii! > > best wishes > > CXXXXXXXXXX > > ---------- Original Message ---------------------------------- > From: centapede at lists.centa.com > Reply-To: taxman at centa.com, centapede at lists.centa.com > Date: Mon, 08 Nov 2004 09:40:53 -0800 > > >This is personal and readers will have noticed that there were no Questions > and answers over the weekend. > > > >I started feeling a little pain in my left chest on Friday afternoon. The > week was full of stress and I thought i jut had a little angina. Even went > shopping at IKEA for the second time in my life on Friday Night. > > > >The pain wasn't bad on Saturday afternoon so , I went on to vote for Doug > Mackay-Dunn and Joan Gadsby (who did not win) in the North Van District > election. Took my 12 year old daughter with me to see the political process > and after voting, I was in enough pain that "Jane" is saying Dad, go to the > hospital. I thought of using the cell to call an ambulance, even though I > was just blocks from the hospital but I was breathing fine and drove myself > of course. > > > >Got to the hospital with no identification, no medical card, no money (I > had just run down to vote after all). > > > >They took my name, looked me up in the computer and had me plugged in right > away. > > > >7 1/2 hours later, they sent me home after a cat scan, 2 sets of X-Rays > blood tests, 2 ECG's, etc. > > > >Previously I had even got to see my heart valves opening and closing on > ultrasound and the blood rushing through my nice and clean carotid arteries > on Ultrasound. > > > >The Pain was caused by a touch of pleurisy on my lower left lung. The > prescription, antibiotics and Ibuprofen as a pain killer. > > > >My thanks to all the emergency room staff at Lion's Gate Hospital and Dr. > Long. > > > >My comment involves our Canadian health System. > > > >The biggest reason I have clients come back from the United States is that > they have run out of Health Insurance. > > > >Until the US brings in some sort of Universal Health Care, it will NEVER be > as good a country to live in as Canada. > > > >Thank you Tommy Douglas, the father of Medicare in Saskatchewan. > > > >david ingram > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________________ ____ > $0 Web Hosting with up to 120MB web space, 1000 MB Transfer > 10 Personalized POP and Web E-mail Accounts, and much more. > Signup at www.doteasy.com > > > --- > Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release Date: 11/1/04 > > --- > Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). > Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release Date: 11/1/04 > > > ----------------------------------------------------- ------------ > List-Unsubscribe: http://lists.centa.com/mailman/listinfo/centapede mailto:centapede-request at lists.centa.com?subject=unsubs cribe > --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. 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