Another Canadian chooses American medical care

From The Canadian Press:

An unapologetic Danny Williams says he was aware his trip to the United States for heart surgery earlier this month would spark outcry, but he concluded his personal health trumped any public fallout over the controversial decision.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Williams said he went to Miami to have a "minimally invasive" surgery for an ailment first detected nearly a year ago, based on the advice of his doctors.

"This was my heart, my choice and my health," Williams said late Monday from his condominium in Sarasota, Fla.

"I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics."

The 60-year-old Williams said doctors detected a heart murmur last spring and told him that one of his heart valves wasn't closing properly, creating a leakage.

He said he was told at the time that the problem was "moderate" and that he should come back for a checkup in six months.

Eight months later, in December, his doctors told him the problem had become severe and urged him to get his valve repaired immediately or risk heart failure, he said.

His doctors in Canada presented him with two options - a full or partial sternotomy, both of which would've required breaking bones, he said.

He said he spoke with and provided his medical information to a leading cardiac surgeon in New Jersey who is also from Newfoundland and Labrador. He advised him to seek treatment at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.

VH: It's nice that Mr. Williams had the option to come to the U.S. for his treatment; he was wise not to sit and wait before it was too late. It must be comforting to have an option even if it means leaving your country.

Around The Horn

Jeff Perren asks: Is Obama a Pragmatist?

Harrison Price: If Canada’s healthcare is so great…

Health Care - Canadian Style

Yes, I know that Democrats and the White House are not proposing universal health care like in Canada. But the Canadian system started small and it eventually crowded out any semblance of the free market.

Unions call for "Buy Canadian" policy

Canadian unions are taking their cue from their American counterparts by calling for a "Buy Canadian" policy. Can you smell protectionism and a trade war? Thank you, Democrats.

Their calls to for a "Buy Canadian" policy come after the federal government lobbied hard against efforts in Washington to attach a "Buy American" policy to a multibillion-dollar bailout program...Last Tuesday, Layton urged that Canada should adopt a "Buy Canadian" strategy in response to the "Buy American" clause included in the proposed U.S. stimulus package.

Let's have a Health Care system just like Canada does!

Every Canadian gets "free" health care we are told and therefore health care in Canada is more "fair" and "just." But as uncle Milton used to say, "there's no such thing as a free lunch."

From the WSJ:

...Canadians often wait months or even years for necessary care. For some, the status quo has become so dire that they have turned to the courts for recourse. Several cases currently before provincial courts provide studies in what Americans could expect from government-run health insurance.

In Ontario, Lindsay McCreith was suffering from headaches and seizures yet faced a four and a half month wait for an MRI scan in January of 2006. Deciding that the wait was untenable, Mr. McCreith did what a lot of Canadians do: He went south, and paid for an MRI scan across the border in Buffalo. The MRI revealed a malignant brain tumor.

Ontario's government system still refused to provide timely treatment, offering instead a months-long wait for surgery. In the end, Mr. McCreith returned to Buffalo and paid for surgery that may have saved his life. He's challenging Ontario's government-run monopoly health-insurance system, claiming it violates the right to life and security of the person guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Shona Holmes, another Ontario court challenger, endured a similarly harrowing struggle. In March of 2005, Ms. Holmes began losing her vision and experienced headaches, anxiety attacks, extreme fatigue and weight gain. Despite an MRI scan showing a brain tumor, Ms. Holmes was told she would have to wait months to see a specialist. In June, her vision deteriorating rapidly, Ms. Holmes went to the Mayo Clinic in Arizona, where she found that immediate surgery was required to prevent permanent vision loss and potentially death. Again, the government system in Ontario required more appointments and more tests along with more wait times. Ms. Holmes returned to the Mayo Clinic and paid for her surgery.

Read the full Wall Street Journal piece.

Where does the foreign oil come from, daddy?

Seems like our Canadian brethren supply us with quite a bit of black gold. When presidential candidates mouth off the usual populist cant against foreign oil, most people think of the middle east. I wonder if the Japanese, Chinese, or Germans put as much effort to demonizing foreign oil as much as we do?

Canada apologizes...sort of.

Universal Healthcare Pitfalls.

You better hope that you don't need brain surgery in Canada. It seems that universal health care in Canada isn't a panacea. Why do we want it here again?

What "Sicko" didn't show you.