Reform will make it worse, not better

Shona Williams of Ontario had failing vision. In May doctors told her she’d have to wait till July for an appointment. With her vision rapidly deteriorating, she went to Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. A tumor was pressing on nerves leading to her eyes.

Mayo clinic doctors operated;  her vision rapidly returned. If she had waited till July, she would have become blind. The Canadian government denied help with the bills. It wiped out their savings and her husband now has to work two jobs.

Canadian Lin Gilbert had excruciating back pain. When doctors finally took X-rays, they said she needed surgery. Four surgeons said she was too young for surgery, one said she “hadn’t suffered enough,” that there were people older than she who’d been waiting longer. The waiting list was nine months away. 

Dr. David Gratzer of Toronto said, “For every two people who require urgent cancer surgery, one will get it in a timely manner. … Canada, Britain and Sweden make people suffer by making them wait for care.”

In countries with nationalized health care the wait for treatment for serious conditions, such as cancer, can be disastrous. England has cancer survival rates at a Third World level.

Dr. Gratzer’s advice to Americans is, “Slow down, read the bill, be careful what you wish for.”

National pollster Scott Rasmussen says, “National health care will cause middle class tax increases … People are afraid of giving up their own coverage, even though the system may have problems. No matter how bad things are, Congress can always make it worse.”

EVALYN FINNEY

Sandpoint