Canadian Premier “Unapologetic” For Coming To America

[airbud]

Guess he's not so fond of the Canadian "Public Option" so he decided to come to America.

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."

and

"I would've been criticized if I had stayed in Canada and had been perceived as jumping a line or a wait list. ... I accept that. That's public life," he said.

"(But) this is not a unique phenomenon to me. This is something that happens with lots of families throughout this country, so I make no apologies for that."

Imagine that...lol

Source: http://tinyurl.com/ykrb7e5

 

[Veritas]

Imagine that...lol

And imagine what else he said:

Williams said his decision to go to the U.S. did not reflect any lack of faith in his own province's health care system.

"I have the utmost confidence in our own health care system in Newfoundland and Labrador, but we are just over half a million people," he said.

"We do whatever we can to provide the best possible health care that we can in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Canadian health care system has a great reputation, but this is a very specialized piece of surgery that had to be done and I went to somebody who's doing this three or four times a day, five, six days a week."

The same words could have been uttered by residents of some of our least populated states.

 

[airbud]

And imagine what else he said:


The same words could have been uttered by residents of some of our least populated states.

Its called CYA and he's catching hell for it too!

 

[EastUS]

And imagine what else he said:


The same words could have been uttered by residents of some of our least populated states.

"I would've been criticized if I had stayed in Canada and had been perceived as jumping a line or a wait list. ... I accept that. That's public life," he said." :blink:

Ah!...No problem then! :blink: While the health care's just dandy up north....you "might" have to factor in not ever getting it in time....?

Oh well...Who cares about "little things' like actually getting heart surgery when you need it, as opposed to waiting for whenever/ever/maybe/someday-I-hope, the "Guv-Gimme-Mint" chooses to allow you to have it anyway? I mean really; what's the real "problem" with having "a line or a wait list" fro such trivial things? Why shouldn't everyone just sit back, relax, enjoy the buzz from the latest cup of Koolaide...and just "Hope" for some "Change"...that, of course "You can believe in"???

 

[Veritas]

Turns out that you don't have to live in a sparsely populated Canadian province in order to have to travel to another state and pay out of pocket in order to receive life saving medical treatment.

Trial begins over lawsuit targeting Anthem Blue Cross

Excerpts:

Insurance giant Anthem Blue Cross refused to pay for a California produce merchant to get a liver transplant in Indiana because the company wanted to save money, a lawyer for the patient told jurors Monday.

But a lawyer for the state's largest for-profit insurer argued that the patient, Ephram Nehme, was not sick enough to qualify for an exception to his policy's requirement that transplants be performed in Blue Cross-contracted hospitals in California.

"Denials of life-saving, medically necessary care is the M.O. of an industry that puts profits before patients and yet another example of why Americans need a public option to the private insurance market," said Jerry Flanagan, healthcare director for the Consumer Watchdog advocacy organization .

Nehme's liver began to fail in 2006, and his Blue Cross network physician at UCLA recommended a transplant. Blue Cross readily approved the procedure at UCLA Medical Center.

But as Nehme's condition deteriorated, he says his UCLA physician urged him to go to the Clarian Transplant Center, which is affiliated with Indiana University in Indianapolis, because wait times were much shorter there than in California.

Blue Cross refused to cover the procedure in Indiana, telling Nehme his policy required him to stay in-state and at a contracted hospital.

Fearing he would die waiting for an organ in California, Nehme went to Indiana and paid $205,000 out of pocket for the January 2007 surgery that saved his life.

 

[Garfield1966]

Not that I am supporting the insurance companies decision but I thought it did not matter where in the country you were. I thought a liver could be care flighted to where ever it was needed for organ transplant?

 

[Veritas]

Not that I am supporting the insurance companies decision but I thought it did not matter where in the country you were. I thought a liver could be care flighted to where ever it was needed for organ transplant?

I thought so too, until I read about Steve Jobs and the subject of my earlier post. Here are some excerpts from a CNN article about the workings of the waiting lists:

There are 127 centers in the U.S. that perform liver transplants. If you need an organ transplant, your doctor will refer you to one of these centers, where you will be evaluated, given a score based on the severity of illness, and placed on the center's waiting list, if you are indeed a candidate for transplant.

The center's waiting list feeds into a national database managed by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), a nonprofit organization that contracts with the federal government to manage the nation's organ transplant system.

UNOS works with 58 organ procurement organizations (OPOs) that coordinate organ distribution in their region of the country. When an organ becomes available, the OPO in that region searches the UNOS database for a local match using blood type (and other biological considerations), the patient's severity score, and the time spent on the waiting list. If a match can't be made within that region, the organization expands its search to neighboring regions.

The problem -- or the advantage for some patients -- is that not all OPOs are created equal. Some regions contain nearly 15 times as many people as others, and their waiting list times vary widely. Patients in the smaller OPOs tend to be less sick and experience shorter wait times before getting an organ. In the Tennessee OPO where Jobs received his transplant, the median wait for a liver between 2002 and 2007 was just over four months. The national average was just over a year, and in some OPOs it was more than three years.

The reason that some people might be able to get transplants more quickly is that they're standing in more lines. Nothing prevents someone from being evaluated and listed at multiple transplant centers. As long as a patient has the wherewithal to fly around the country -- and be available at the drop of a hat if a liver becomes available (this is where the private jet comes in handy) -- a patient can, in theory, be evaluated by all the transplant centers in the country.

Since 2003, UNOS has required that transplant centers inform all candidates that they can be evaluated and listed at more than one center, and that they can also transfer their care from one center to another without losing the time they have accrued on the waiting list. However, not everyone can afford to fly around the country and be evaluated at more than one transplant center. In fact, many people can't afford a liver transplant, period.

The United Network for Organ Sharing's website has a less detailed explanation.

 

[Garfield1966]

Interesting. From what you have posted here and the previous post I hope the insurance company gets tared and feathered. Insurance companies are getting away with murder. Both literally and figuratively.

 

[joanne]

Guess he's not so fond of the Canadian "Public Option" so he decided to come to America.



and



Imagine that...lol

Source: http://tinyurl.com/ykrb7e5

Since WHEN did florida get Good Hospitals ??????

 

[airbud]

Interesting. From what you have posted here and the previous post I hope the insurance company gets tared and feathered. Insurance companies are getting away with murder. Both literally and figuratively.

Dont fret too much puddy tat, if you get your wish of gov run insurance, you'll long before the chance to get a new organ. Just like they do in Canada and the UK. Be careful what you wish for...you just may get it.

 

[Garfield1966]

Since WHEN did florida get Good Hospitals ??????

According to this they did not. Although if you have the cash you can get excellent care in the US. Those that cannot afford to pop down $200k for a transplant are SOL. You have to leave your fate up to the insurance company folks too see whether or not your life is worth saving. Keep in mind, chemically you are only worth $4.50 so you better have a plan B

 

[joanne]

According to this they did not. Although if you have the cash you can get excellent care in the US. Those that cannot afford to pop down $200k for a transplant are SOL. You have to leave your fate up to the insurance company folks too see whether or not your life is worth saving. Keep in mind, chemically you are only worth $4.50 so you better have a plan B

Excellent..Excellent info Garfield !!!!!!!!!!!

I noticed that a Lot of the "top" states were North of the M-D-L line, and in union friendly areas. Not all, but a Lot.
(Illinois being a Glaring Exception)

Garfield, ...serious question. Why do you think that the states that scored so high,...did ?

thank you,
joanne

 

[Garfield1966]

I saw that also and it did peak my interest. From glancing at the accompanying articles I would guess it has to do with population. The money they allocate toward health care seems to go farther and is not strained by large populations. They can provide more a of a one on one. I would guess it also may have something to to with an over all healthier population and a less stressful environment.

 

[southwind]

Does anyone know the average profit margin for Health Insurance companys ?

It's a staggering 3.3% !

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_otfwl2zc6Qc/SoML...0-h/profits.bmp

10 to 1 odds, Nobama-Care will have a larger profit margin !

Any takers.................................Joanne ?

 

[Garfield1966]

Does anyone know the average profit margin for Health Insurance companys ?

It's a staggering 3.3% !

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_otfwl2zc6Qc/SoML...0-h/profits.bmp

10 to 1 odds, Nobama-Care will have a larger profit margin !

Any takers.................................Joanne ?

Are you sure you meant to say this? Think about it and get back to me. I gave you a hint.