Architect of Canadian Healthcare admits it is a Failure.

Canadian Claude Castonguay, other wise known as “the father of Quebec medicare,” was the architect for the Canadian Healthcare System. Back in the 1960s, Castonguay was the chairman of the Canadian government committee studying health reform, and he’s the one that suggested the province of Quebec adopt a government healthcare system covering all citizens through taxes.

Today Castonguay is an advocate for contracting out services to the private sector, and he sits as chairman of a government committee reviewing Quebec health care this year. He concludes the system is in “crisis.”

"We thought we could resolve the system's problems by rationing services or injecting massive amounts of new money into it," says Castonguay. But now he prescribes a radical overhaul: "We are proposing to give a greater role to the private sector so that people can exercise freedom of choice."

Wow! “Freedom of choice!” What a concept from the creator of Canada’s government healthcare system.

So what’s going on? Why has Castonguay jumped ship on socialized medicine? How about a healthcare system that has left hundreds of thousands of Canadians in desperate need of medical attention and all they can do is wait for care, any care. Some towns actually hold lotteries to win appointments with the local family doctor.

One woman with a 13 inch, fluid filled, 40-pound tumor got tired of waiting and came to America for her care. A surgeon in Michigan removed it, estimating the woman would not have lived longer than a few weeks. She was denied care by her homeland, because she did not properly fill out a form! Isn’t government just dandy!

Here in this country, the above situations are unusual, and Canadians send numerous patients to the U.S. for medical care every year to alleviate their overburdened system.

Canada is not the only nation facing a government ran healthcare meltdown. The British has a system that is similarly plagued with the same problems.

Now I know a lot of people do not like our current system, but more government is not the answer. The fact is the US has the best healthcare money can buy in the world, because we still, to a certain extent, allow a free market system. Both Canada and Britain trail behind the U.S. in five-year cancer survival rates, transplantation outcomes, and other measures.

This is something to consider for all you Barack Obama supporters who hope in overwhelming excitement the government takes care of your healthcare needs. I can hear you now.

“He is for change! He is going to change the healthcare system and solve America’s healthcare needs!”

It will definitely be a change… I just want to know one thing. If socialized medicine comes to America, where the hell are Canadians going to go for their healthcare needs? Mexico? The Bahamas?

Hillarycare II: the sequel

OK…first off this is straight off the rumor mill. I have not been able to find anything concrete about this, but rumor has it if Barrack Obama he will either give Hillary Clinotn a cabinet position or put her in charge of his healthcare initiative.

Hillarycare II: the sequel. If this doesn’t scare the life out of you then maybe you don’t remember Hillarycare I. In 1993 Bill Clinton let Hillary propose a health care plan. (Probably to distract her from his extra-curricular activities with interns, but that is another story.) Anyways, in Hillarycare I it was illegal for you to use your own money and see a doctor of your choice. You could actually go to jail for such a crime! I can only imagine what Hillarycare II would bring to the table.

The main reason I even mention any of this is to just let you know thanks to the dumb masses of the government educated nationalized health care is on the way whether you like it or not. Give the democrats control of the White House, Senate and House this November; it will be here a lot earlier than you might think.

For whatever reasons the majority of Americans do not feel they should be responsible for their own healthcare. This thought is just idiotic to me. Your health is the most important thing in your life and you have no responsibility for its care? Just doesn’t make sense to me.

Anyways, under the circumstances John McCain actually has some fairly good ideas for handling the “health care crisis.” These ideas would involve private sector options and not government. For instance, give the same tax breaks to workers or individuals when they buy their own policies that businesses get when they buy health insurance for workers.

When it comes to healthcare liberals want to empower government and politicians. Conservatives want to empower the free market and individuals.

I am not a doctor, never played one on TV, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express!

I am not a doctor, hell, I am not even smart enough to play one on TV, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once. Apparently, that makes me qualified to play doctor to my own health needs under the National Health Service (NHS) in Britain.

The British government has come up with a brilliant plan to save a whole lot of money in the NHS budget. If you have a health problem, just take care of it yourself!That is right, No consulting a doctor or going to a hospital, instead patients in Britain’s socialized, national run healthcare system will be encouraged to carry out “self-care.” Oh, but not to worry…this is just until they can figure out a way to curb the spending.

It’s really all right; the NHS is just trying to get rid of those not so important trips to the doctor and emergency room. You know, like people dealing with arthritis, asthma and heart failure! Yeah, it says heart failure. These types of patience will be treating themselves with self-care.

Some of the self-care patients will have to apply includes using equipment placed in the home to monitor heart activity, blood pressure and lung capacity and then relay that information to doctors by phone or computer link. Patience will also administer their own drugs and other treatments to manage pain.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown claims this is an improvement that will allow patients to “play a far more active role in managing their own condition.” How about allowing patients to take a far more active roll of their healthcare by privatizing the system and letting market forces determine where people can get the best care for the best price. Now that is what I call self-care.

Oh yeah, The British Department of Health calls their situation an “exciting opportunity.”I wonder how the citizens of Great Britain feel about their “exciting opportunity” to be forced into a broken universal health care system and told you’re on your own.

Just the thought of government controlled universal healthcare gives me a headache…