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Some facts Ms. Holmes doesn't mention when she describes her desperate attempts to get an MRI and then surgery for a "brain tumor" because of a six month waiting list that would have killed her because she had "brain cancer":
1. Ms. Holmes didn't have brain cancer. She had a benign cyst. Yes, it can cause some nasty problems, just like an acoustic neuroma, but like an acoustic neuroma, it's not fatal and not usually considered an emergency.
2. This is why Ms. Holmes faced a wait for an MRI and possible surgery: her condition was not considered an emergency or life threatening.
3. There are plenty of private MRI clinics near Ms. Holmes's home in Ontario where she could have been seen quickly. It is unknown why she chose to go to the United States for something she could have had for less cost in Canada.
4. Her choice to go to the United States for immediate treatment rather than remain in Canada cost her family $100,000, much of which was financed by a second mortgage and by loans from family and friends. This is no different from what Americans routinely have to do when they don't have insurance at all, or their insurance provider refuses treatment, or when their 80/20 plan leaves them facing enormous bills, so it is unclear as to what advantage she gained by coming to the United States rather than seeking private care in Canada.
No healthcare system is flawless, but given how lousy American healthcare can be, and how insurance companies routinely dump expensive patients from their rosters, and given how I was nearly forced out of my job because I had a potentially expensive condition, and given that I am uninsurable if I leave Massachusetts, permanently...well, is it any wonder I'm seriously considering retiring to Canada?
1. Ms. Holmes didn't have brain cancer. She had a benign cyst. Yes, it can cause some nasty problems, just like an acoustic neuroma, but like an acoustic neuroma, it's not fatal and not usually considered an emergency.
2. This is why Ms. Holmes faced a wait for an MRI and possible surgery: her condition was not considered an emergency or life threatening.
3. There are plenty of private MRI clinics near Ms. Holmes's home in Ontario where she could have been seen quickly. It is unknown why she chose to go to the United States for something she could have had for less cost in Canada.
4. Her choice to go to the United States for immediate treatment rather than remain in Canada cost her family $100,000, much of which was financed by a second mortgage and by loans from family and friends. This is no different from what Americans routinely have to do when they don't have insurance at all, or their insurance provider refuses treatment, or when their 80/20 plan leaves them facing enormous bills, so it is unclear as to what advantage she gained by coming to the United States rather than seeking private care in Canada.
No healthcare system is flawless, but given how lousy American healthcare can be, and how insurance companies routinely dump expensive patients from their rosters, and given how I was nearly forced out of my job because I had a potentially expensive condition, and given that I am uninsurable if I leave Massachusetts, permanently...well, is it any wonder I'm seriously considering retiring to Canada?
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Date: 2009-07-20 11:57 am (UTC)From: