The Vent - Part 2

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

I am ranting about the stupid Waterdown Ontario woman Shona who is on CNN ranting her head off about universal healthcare.

What the heck is she thinking?

My parents know her personally.....she had a brain tumor and was misdiagnosed in Canada.

She ended up going to Texas and got treatment for a huge amount of money...

Now she's on CNN telling everyone to stay far away from Universal health care in the States.

Is she a moron or what??? As my Dad would say "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater"

Yes it's horrible what happened to her...but lady, this could have happened anywhere in the world.

I don't get why the U.S. can't get with it. They are so busy holding onto their freedom and independence but they are not taking care of their own people...unless those people happen to be loaded.

It's an uphill battle and we just took two steps back.

sigh.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I am ranting about the stupid Waterdown Ontario woman Shona who is on CNN ranting her head off about universal healthcare.

What the heck is she thinking?

My parents know her personally.....she had a brain tumor and was misdiagnosed in Canada.

She ended up going to Texas and got treatment for a huge amount of money...

Now she's on CNN telling everyone to stay far away from Universal health care in the States.

Is she a moron or what??? As my Dad would say "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater"

Yes it's horrible what happened to her...but lady, this could have happened anywhere in the world.

I don't get why the U.S. can't get with it. They are so busy holding onto their freedom and independence but they are not taking care of their own people...unless those people happen to be loaded.

It's an uphill battle and we just took two steps back.

sigh.

Interesting to note - I hate this ad personally - they get 1 Cdn to sound off and poison everyone's thinking down here. They didn't bother reporting on the other folks who got interviewed bythe CBC in response to the American ad who commented on how quickly they received care in their province.

I cannot pinpoint why it disturbs some Americans so much - you throw in someone saying you'll lose your freedoms and they get their nighties in knot before they know the facts. God forbid someone suggests changing something that is considered a God given right in this country. Time to think in a more modern way, I say. I heard something good on CNN this morning with Sanjay Gupta where he pointed out that many people here are satisfied with their Medicaid and essentially this is an extension of a Medicaid type plan.

Right now, we pay about $500 or so per pay for our health insurance for a family of 5 through my husband's company. If the Gov't can take expense away and then work it into my taxes for the same amount of $$$ or less, I sure wouldn't complain.

It's a crying shame when you realize how many little children aren't covered for basic things through no fault of their own, or elderly people who worked hard all their lives who now can barely afford their medications or have to make a choice between food and medication.

Don't even get me started.

[Krikit 1,163]

I am ranting about the stupid Waterdown Ontario woman Shona who is on CNN ranting her head off about universal healthcare.

What the heck is she thinking?

Yeah. I was rather offended at the Canadian woman who spoke against Canada's system in an advertisement paid for the anti-universal healthcare lobbyists (probably insurance and pharmaceutical companies) immediately prior to President Obama's address on health care reform. I am baffled by people who make pronouncements and draw conclusions without experiencing both sides of the fence. Yes, absolutely the US has outstanding health care if you go to the right people. The same holds true for Canada, or any other country for that matter. But you are always going to have proponents and opponents in any given situation. You just have to have faith that logic and intelligence will win out in the end. It is always good to have a healthy debate when making major decisions. It helps to bring out all the issues and cover the bases, so it's not always a bad thing.

[The_Dude 1,142]

I am of two minds on public healthcare in the U.S.. On a personal level, I have incredible health insurance through my employer. They pay for me and my family with no deductions off my paychecks. I know, I am one of the few who are this lucky. But truth be told, if this were put to a referrendum, I would have a very tough time voting for it. I know that it is to the benefit of millions, but from my personal point of view, it would decrease my standard of living, and inevitably lower my standard of care. But some things are bigger than just yourself.

[JillA 2]

I am of two minds on public healthcare in the U.S.. On a personal level, I have incredible health insurance through my employer. They pay for me and my family with no deductions off my paychecks. I know, I am one of the few who are this lucky. But truth be told, if this were put to a referrendum, I would have a very tough time voting for it. I know that it is to the benefit of millions, but from my personal point of view, it would decrease my standard of living, and inevitably lower my standard of care. But some things are bigger than just yourself.

You're lucky to have such great HC through your job... but what would happen if you lost your job, and lost your HC? Would you change your opinion

[Ban Hammer 13,110]

My vent is about ..... ME! I'm annoyed with myself. I usually think I am pretty nonjudgmental and tolerant of others. But I just got off the phone with my dad and he told me he just started dating someone who happens to be 2 years younger than me. My dad is 71 and normally dates people close to his age. I'm 34. For the most part, I think I don't really care, as long as he is happy .... but I am really pissed off at the part of me that JUST KEEPS THINKING ABOUT THIS AND FEELING A BIT WEIRDED OUT!!! Grrrr. I just want to make my brain shut off.

go grandpa!

[The_Dude 1,142]

I am of two minds on public healthcare in the U.S.. On a personal level, I have incredible health insurance through my employer. They pay for me and my family with no deductions off my paychecks. I know, I am one of the few who are this lucky. But truth be told, if this were put to a referrendum, I would have a very tough time voting for it. I know that it is to the benefit of millions, but from my personal point of view, it would decrease my standard of living, and inevitably lower my standard of care. But some things are bigger than just yourself.

You're lucky to have such great HC through your job... but what would happen if you lost your job, and lost your HC? Would you change your opinion

Depends upon the coverage I'd get from my next job. Like I said, I know that universal healthcare is something that benefits everyone in the long run. It is just hard for people like me who would be adversely effected here and now by this to support it. I guess I will need to see more details about the funding and scope of the proposed system.

[Sprailenes 47]

I can't take the noise.

There is jackhammers and saws and everything else and I tried to smile but now its just making me miserable.

[Bern. 3]

I'm going to maim someone. This was my only day off this week so I wanted to sleep until about 2pm. But no, I woke up at 6am because some lunatic decided to scream bloody murder by running behind my house.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I'm going to maim someone. This was my only day off this week so I wanted to sleep until about 2pm. But no, I woke up at 6am because some lunatic decided to scream bloody murder by running behind my house.

Sucks - although it sounds like you haev some excitement in your neighbourhood

[Bern. 3]

Too much excitement if you ask me, especially when my neighbors decide to party until 2-3am in the morning and then I have an elementary school behind my house too..I live in a decent part of town in Calgary, I can't wait to leave. Dx

[JillA 2]

Too much excitement if you ask me, especially when my neighbors decide to party until 2-3am in the morning and then I have an elementary school behind my house too..I live in a decent part of town in Calgary, I can't wait to leave. Dx

You're leaving, and Tmix is coming!

[Autumnchik 6]

Thanks everyone for the words of support. My dad is THA MAN (LOL Nev)..... and has always had an active social life. He has just never dated anyone before with such an age difference. I think the biggest age difference before this was maybe 15 years.

Deadpool -

[DeadPoolX 9]

I am ranting about the stupid Waterdown Ontario woman Shona who is on CNN ranting her head off about universal healthcare.

What the heck is she thinking?

My parents know her personally.....she had a brain tumor and was misdiagnosed in Canada.

She ended up going to Texas and got treatment for a huge amount of money...

Now she's on CNN telling everyone to stay far away from Universal health care in the States.

Is she a moron or what??? As my Dad would say "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater"

Yes it's horrible what happened to her...but lady, this could have happened anywhere in the world.

I don't get why the U.S. can't get with it. They are so busy holding onto their freedom and independence but they are not taking care of their own people...unless those people happen to be loaded.

It's an uphill battle and we just took two steps back.

sigh.

I don't know if this is true or not, but I've heard that Ontario doesn't allow any private health care options. Given that Ontario has the largest population, I can see how getting treatment might be very difficult if private options don't exist.

Something else to consider is that the Texas Medical Center (the largest concentration of medical facilities in the world) is housed in Houston, TX. I don't know if this woman went to Houston and the TMC, but if she did, that's probably why her treatment was so good. It's not unusual for people all over the world to go to the TMC for health care.

Yes, it'll cost a lot of money, but the treatment is fantastic. Having said that, there are many places within Texas -- and every other state -- that have poor health care, as well. It really depends on the location and the medical staff themselves. Having good health insurance also opens up many more opportunities.

I am of two minds on public healthcare in the U.S.. On a personal level, I have incredible health insurance through my employer. They pay for me and my family with no deductions off my paychecks. I know, I am one of the few who are this lucky. But truth be told, if this were put to a referrendum, I would have a very tough time voting for it. I know that it is to the benefit of millions, but from my personal point of view, it would decrease my standard of living, and inevitably lower my standard of care. But some things are bigger than just yourself.

You're lucky to have such great HC through your job... but what would happen if you lost your job, and lost your HC? Would you change your opinion

Depends upon the coverage I'd get from my next job. Like I said, I know that universal healthcare is something that benefits everyone in the long run. It is just hard for people like me who would be adversely effected here and now by this to support it. I guess I will need to see more details about the funding and scope of the proposed system.

I can definitely see your point. The health coverage I had in Texas made me feel the same way. Maybe I was exceptionally lucky, but then again, I had a PPO instead of an HMO. There's a big difference there and in fact, many physicians have stopped seeing patients who're only covered by HMOs. The reason for this is that HMOs are too difficult to deal with when treating the patient and receiving payment.

I agree with basic universal health coverage (for doctor visits and so forth), but anything beyond that should not be the responsibility of the tax payer. Canada's main problems are a lack of funding and overall efficiency. That's not the health care program's fault, but how government runs it. Money is often extracted from health care to pay for other projects and that leaves health care hurting. If health care lacks the appropriate funds, treatment will suffer and wait times will extend.

There are more MRIs in most U.S. cities than all of Canada. I realize not everyone needs an MRI, but the point is that if someone requires it and there's only a few, whoever needs it might have to wait a long, long time. That's just about as inefficient as the U.S. system where it costs a ton without insurance. Both systems hinder access to something that a patient needs.

[Bern. 3]

Too much excitement if you ask me, especially when my neighbors decide to party until 2-3am in the morning and then I have an elementary school behind my house too..I live in a decent part of town in Calgary, I can't wait to leave. Dx

You're leaving, and Tmix is coming!

Nah I'm not leaving until March 2010. My husband gets back from his deployment in April 2010. No real point in going until then.