That Canadian Health Care..........

[Chris_NJ 9]

another reason I love the US system...........

Canada's Expectant Moms Heading to U.S. to Deliver

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Mothers in British Columbia are having a baby boom, but it's the United States that has to deliver, and that has some proud Canadians blasting their highly touted government healthcare system.

"I'm a born-bred Canadian, as well as my daughter and son, and I'm ashamed," Jill Irvine told FOX News. Irvine's daughter, Carri Ash, is one of at least 40 mothers or their babies who've been airlifted from British Columbia to the U.S. this year because Canadian hospitals didn't have room for the preemies in their neonatal units.

"It's a big number and bigger than the previous capacity of the system to deal with it," said Adrian Dix, a British Columbia legislator, told FOXNews.com. "So when that happens, you can't have a waiting list for a mother having the baby. She just has the baby."

The mothers have been flown to hospitals in Seattle, Everett, Wash., and Spokane, Wash., to receive treatment, as well as hospitals in the neighboring province of Alberta, Dix said. Three mothers were airlifted in the first weekend of October alone, including Carri Ash.

"I just want to go home and see my kids," she said from her Seattle hospital bed. "I think it's stupid I have to be here."

Canada's socialized health care system, hailed as a model by Michael Moore in his documentary, "Sicko," is hurting, government officials admit, citing not enough money for more equipment and staff to handle high risk births.

Sarah Plank, a spokeswoman for the British Columbia Ministry of Health, said a spike in high risk and premature births coupled with the lack of trained nurses prompted the surge in mothers heading across the border for better care.

"The number of transfers in previous years has been quite low," Plank told FOXNews.com. "Before this recent spike we went for more than a year with no transfers to the U.S., so this is something that is happening in other provinces as well."

Critics say these border crossings highlight the dangers of a government-run health care system.

"The Canadian healthcare system has used the United States as a safety net for years," said Michael Turner of the Cato Institute. "In fact, overall about one out of every seven Canadian physicians sends someone to the United States every year for treatment."

Neonatal intensive care units in Alberta and Ontario have also been stretched to capacity, she said.

The cost of these airlifts and treatments, paid to U.S. hospitals by the province under Canada's universal health care system, runs upwards of $1,000 a child.

"We clearly want to see more capacity built in the Canadian system because it’s also expensive for taxpayers here to send people out of the country," Dix said.

The surge could be due to women giving birth later in life, and passport restrictions and family separation adds to the stress.

"I think it’s reasonable to think that this is a trend that would continue and we have to prepare for it and increase the number of beds to deal with perhaps the new reality of the number of premature babies and newborns needing a higher level of care in Canada," Dix said.

British Columbia has added more neonatal beds and increased funding for specialized nurse training, Plank said.

"There is an identified need for some additional capacity just due to population growth and that sort of thing and that is actively being implemented," she said.

FOX News' Dan Springer contributed to this report.

FOXNews.com - Canada's Expectant Moms Heading to U.S. to Deliver - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

If you think about it we already have socialized medicine. People are not refused medical care here, especially emergency medical care. Got a sore throat? Go to any county hospital. You are not forced to pay before receiving treatment.

I'm about as anti-socialized medicine as they come. (Look at county hospitals and the VA system, our gov't is too stupid to do a good job on a small scale) But in reality, we already have socialized medicine.

Canada has their up sides to their medical care and we have our up sides. Both have down sides as well.

[green 6]

I am usually very pleased with our system of universalised health care but the above report is absolutely true. There has been media coverage of this situation inside of Canada. I cannot understand why this serious problem isn't being fixed ASAP. Afterall, Canadians are having babies and some of 'em will be preemies.

[marnie723 0]

ChrisNJ have you ever lived in another country to experience any other system? I've lived in Canada & the US. & I'll take the Canadian system anyday!!! (at least in this article the Canadian govt paif for it) If we dig we can all find problems about our healthcare systems but I believe universal is better for everyone. Hope your never unemployed in the US because your screwed if you are.

[Chris_NJ 9]

ChrisNJ have you ever lived in another country to experience any other system? I've lived in Canada & the US. & I'll take the Canadian system anyday!!! (at least in this article the Canadian govt paif for it) If we dig we can all find problems about our healthcare systems but I believe universal is better for everyone. Hope your never unemployed in the US because your screwed if you are.

don't have to. Half my family lives there and my father used to. they seem to like our system better. biggest complaint they have is having to wait months for surgery's. I am not stating our system is perfect in no way but works pretty good imo. I am unemployed at the moment due to a lay off and I pay 335$ a month for my insurance and will say it is worth every penny for the quality of care I get. I never had to wait for anything.

[marnie723 0]

That's the biggest complaint everyone has in Canada about the health system, wait times right now are one of the biggest problems. When people from Canada start to complain I always ask if they have any idea what that surgery would cost & no one ever does because in Canada you NEVER see a medical bill.

I have good insurance here in the US & it still costs me 2-3K$ per year just in deductibles & co-pays. For example, people in Canada complain because OHIP(that's the gov't med system) no longer covers prostrate exams which people have to now pay 100$ for out of pocket. !))100$ is nothing to pay in the US system. So I find alot of the complainers in Canada don't appreciate what they have. Not sure if your family (in Canada) has used & had to pay for the American health care & if people want to come to the US for surgery they can pay for it. The US system is "for profit" anyway and I don't think any hospitals will turn down cash from anyone. This is too large a topic to debate here but my point is just that I have lived both sytems, Canadians who complain don't realize what they have & I believe Americans don't realize what they are missing. Another problem in Canada is a doctor shortage because many head down here to States where the big money can be made.

[ELENATION 0]

<p>

If you think about it we already have socialized medicine. People are not refused medical care here, especially emergency medical care. Got a sore throat? Go to any county hospital. You are not forced to pay before receiving treatment.</p> <p> </p> <p>I'm about as anti-socialized medicine as they come. (Look at county hospitals and the VA system, our gov't is too stupid to do a good job on a small scale) But in reality, we already have socialized medicine.</p> <p> </p> <p>Canada has their up sides to their medical care and we have our up sides. Both have down sides as well.

</p> <p>I'm as anti-socialized medicine as you are Wassa!!!!!!! agree100%</p>

[DerickM 1]

the biggest problem(s) I have with socialized medicine is:

A) that I do not trust the politicians with my medical decisions.

:Banane30: what incentive is there for doctors to provide competitive and quality care?

C) What incentive is there for drug companies to provide new drugs and treatments?

D) uses my money to pay for your health care, why should I?

[WASaBubbleButt 41]

the biggest problem(s) I have with socialized medicine is:

A) that I do not trust the politicians with my medical decisions.

:cool: what incentive is there for doctors to provide competitive and quality care?

C) What incentive is there for drug companies to provide new drugs and treatments?

D) uses my money to pay for your health care, why should I?

A: I agree.

B: It is already an issue.

C: None, however they really aren't working on stuff we need anyway but lately they are coming up with more and more of the same drugs. Such as one company just takes old drugs and turns them into once daily dosing. More and more of the newer drugs are turning into flops. Regarding antibiotics they are doing it all wrong IMHO. The newer generations of older drugs are so strong they are killing the patient. That's not the ideal way to kill the bacteria. They need to look at the other completely different approach such as what Dr. Gary "I forget his name" is doing but that's another topic.

D: That is happening today.

[ELENATION 0]

the biggest problem(s) I have with socialized medicine is:

A) that I do not trust the politicians with my medical decisions.

:cool: what incentive is there for doctors to provide competitive and quality care?

C) What incentive is there for drug companies to provide new drugs and treatments?

D) uses my money to pay for your health care, why should I?

Totally agree, I grew up with socialized medicine, yes it was in a third world country, Cuba...but still, I know how the whole process is.... it may still be better here than there, but the common general flaws will always be there and those are big important flaws.... I DO NOT trust politicians making my medical decisions for me either....Just look at our government agencies....poor service in most of them.... no incentives.... no competition = bad service....plus everything else you said..totally agree!

[anonemouse 1]

Totally agree, I grew up with socialized medicine, yes it was in a third world country, Cuba...but still, I know how the whole process is.... it may still be better here than there, but the common general flaws will always be there and those are big important flaws.... I DO NOT trust politicians making my medical decisions for me either....Just look at our government agencies....poor service in most of them.... no incentives.... no competition = bad service....plus everything else you said..totally agree!

They already make many of your medical decisions. Insurance companies tell you which doctors you can see, which hospitals you can go to, what treatments you can get, etc., etc., etc.

[Wheetsin 714]

I've experienced healthcare in a socialized system, not personally, but I've been there as a loved one was, and it was awesome. A lot of people think it wouldn't be because the doctors aren't getting rich, so what's in it for them, but IME it was the total opposite - because the doctors weren't making money hand over foot, they were there for love of the profession. They were so "in to" what they were doing, and their bedside manner was amazing. There was also a lot more medical monradery than I've seen in the states. Don't get me wrong, there was still a pecking order, but it was much less rigorously hierarchical.

[green 6]

There seems to be some misunderstanding about universal health care. In Canada, doctors do get paid by the patient and by the complexity of the procedure. They are not paid a flat fee by the government. Doctors with a heavy case load will make more money than other doctors. Family doctors are paid more for a full physical than they are for a drop in visit. The difference is that instead of private insurance or the patient himself reimbursing the doctor/nurses/medical technicians and hospital/clinic/labs for their services, the provincial government does.

There are both good things and bad things about our system. Patients with expensive diseases will never find that their insurance has been cut off, nor will they find that they must mortgage their houses and businesses in order to stay alive. Doctors here can order diagnostic tests and treatments without any financial interference from an insurance company. This, by the way, is what my brother has told me. He is a family doctor who has practiced both in Canada and the United States.

Medical treatment up here is excellent if you live in a major city. It may be not so hot if you live outside.

You should also be aware that universal health care is actually considerably cheaper on a per capita basis. Sometime ago I read that the country which operates the most expensive universal health care system runs this at roughly $2000 less than what health care costs are in America per capita per annum - and this figure is with millions of you going without any form of health insurance. This is the cost of the middle man, I guess.

To be fair, there are also problems which we are encountering at the moment. Our population is both growing and ageing. No planning has been done for the increased pressures on our medical system. Older doctors are retiring and our young grads are choosing to go into the higher paying specialties and they also want to practice in the big cities. This means that there are a whole lot of Canadians who are currently without a family doctor to keep an eye on their health. What do these people do when they fall sick? They go to a walk-in clinic or the emerg of the nearest hospital. Then they find themselves waiting......

An additional problem is that while our medicine is up to date, I have read that it does tend to be less innovative than yours. Americans are more likely to develop new techniques.

I hope that I have given you an informative and balanced overview of the Canadian medical system.

[ELENATION 0]

They already make many of your medical decisions. Insurance companies tell you which doctors you can see, which hospitals you can go to, what treatments you can get, etc., etc., etc.

They are already making some medical decisions for us and I don't like it, I definitely don't want them to make even more....

[green 6]

All doctore are not equal. In my case I shopped around for quite awhile for a family doc. I finally found a good one. When I had problems with the 1st shrink she found for me she found me a replacement. Universal health care in Canada doesn't mean that you must go to doctors whom you don't like and who treat you with a lack of respect.

I do suspect that the quality of your personal health care is as good as your family doctor is. If your family doctor will listen to you, is interested in your well-being, and is inclined to send you for tests if she views anything out of the normal, then you are in the hands of a good doctor. Some family doctors do tend to give their patients the brush-off.