Updated below the fold
In a recent news package liberal journalists at CNN --in this case Dana Bash and Lesa Jansen-- attempted to discredit a Canadian brain tumor patient who received treatment in the U.S. after being told by Canada's health care system to shut up and take her place in line.
They were unable to actually discredit Shona Holmes of Waterdown, Ontario, but did manage to find another patient who claims to have received speedy treatment following a cancer diagnosis.
It should surprise no one that CNN ignored Canada's preeminent authority on government health care rationing, the Vancouver-based Fraser Institute, which has demonstrated time and time again that on average Canadians have to wait a long time before receiving medical treatment for serious ailments. (See PDF file of the Fraser Institute's "Waiting Your Turn: Hospital Waiting Lists in Canada," 2008 Report, 18th edition.)
Patients United Now, which is a project of Americans for Prosperity Foundation, is now running an effective TV ad (available here) opposing President Obama's socialist health care scheme.
It features Holmes, who came to the U.S.-based Mayo Clinic, to have a brain tumor removed. Canada's dysfunctional government-run health care system informed Holmes that she would have to wait for six months to see a specialist. "In six months I would have died," Holmes says in the spot. The Mayo Clinic where Holmes received successful treatment tells her story at its website. Mayo is also fiercely critical of ObamaCare.
CNN also managed to extract a quote from Canadian Sen. Hugh Segal. Segal is what's known in Canada as a "Red Tory." In other words he may belong to the Conservative Party but he's ideologically a liberal with very little in common with American conservatives. Not surprisingly, this soulmate of Lincoln Chafee defended Canada's universal health care system.
Segal, who would feel perfectly at home in America's Democratic Party, told CNN his "fellow conservatives" in the U.S. are dead wrong about Canada's health care system. "What you have is a longer life span, better outcomes and about one-third less costs. That's what you have," said Segal.
Note: I updated this post July 22 around 3 p.m. It was pointed out to me that the condition that Shona Holmes suffered from, Rathke's cleft cyst, is not cancer, so in the interests of accuracy I changed the description in the lede above from "cancer patient" to "brain tumor patient." I was also told that a patient suffering from this condition is not considered to have a brain tumor. This is an arguable technical point for scientists to debate and therefore there is no reason to change the description in this post. The Mayo Clinic referred to Holmes as having a brain tumor and I relied on that description. Holmes herself spoke of her "brain tumor" in the CNN report. The CNN report itself refers to her condition as a "brain tumor" in the second paragraph. The larger point here is that if the condition had not been dealt with promptly Holmes could well have gone blind. Her government-run health system was perfectly content to let this happen to her. -MV
—Matthew Vadum is Editor of Organization Trends and Foundation Watch at the Capital Research Center.
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Why the Long Face Dana?
July 21, 2009 - 19:42 ET by BW222To paraphrase Sarah Palin, "Why the long face, Dana Bash?"
Dana has the face of a Kentucky Derby loser.
BW222
Oh, Canada!
July 21, 2009 - 19:57 ET by northoneThe joys of government-funded health care:
(a) A routine colonoscopy to screen for colon cancer has a waiting list of 18-24 months. If your doctor thinks there might be something serious, they can bump the patient ahead. But a non-emergency procedure - wait up to 2 years to get it done!
(b) The government, via a "super health board", decides how much funding a doctor will receive for performing procedures. Once that funding is used up, the doctor stops performing the procedure for the rest of the year unless the patient pays for it out of his own pocket. Example: The government decides that Doctor X receives a certain amount to cover cataract surgeries. Once that amount is used up, the doctor cannot charge the Health System for anymore cataract surgeries for the remainder of the year. Consequence: It can take Canadian patients up to 5 YEARS to get Health-Care funded cataract surgery completed. Of course, the option is to go to the United States or find a private clinic and pay for the procedure out-of-pocket.
(c) FREE Health Care? They have to be kidding. Who do people think pays for it all? Taxes in Canada are significantly higher than in the United States. A good chunk of that high taxation goes to pay for the "Free" health care.
Long waiting lists. Having to book an appointment to see a family doctor months ahead of time. Rationing of procedures and surgeries to stay within a government-mandated budget. Waiting months on a waiting list to see a specialist, after being referred by a family doctor. Paying significantly higher taxes and paying a "Health Care Premium" to the government. The Canadian health care system is anything-but-ideal. If Obama insists on inflicting this type of system on Americans, RUN!!
Run?
July 21, 2009 - 20:05 ET by ParagrouperNo way man--this is just getting interesting. The Unibama's got a tiger by the tail this time. So grab some popcorn and watch the fireworks.
"Beware the fury of the patient man." - John Dryden
Oh, that would never happen
July 21, 2009 - 20:31 ET by motherbeltOh, that would never happen here, because we would have the "right" people taking care of it, you know!
\sarc off
And Obama plans now to reduce Medicare costs by...wait for it....reducing the amount paid to doctors!! What does that tell you about how costs will "controlled" in his plan?
Do the words "cost-effective treatment" mean anything to you?
One has to wonder what the
July 21, 2009 - 20:25 ET by motherbeltOne has to wonder what the differrence was, why one patient got speedy treatment and another was told to wait.
Maybe the difference was in the type of cancer. Maybe the one lady had stomach cancer and the backup wasn't as long as for the neurosurgeon. Who knows? One can always find anecdotal evidence to make any case. But the preponderance of the evidence, anedotal and otherwise, seems to come down on the side of long waits.
Segal is what's known in Canada as a "Red Tory."
In other words he may belong to the Conservative Party but he's
ideologically a liberal with very little in common with American
conservatives.
So a "Red Tory" is kind of like an "Even Republican."
Got it.
It's in the earlier article
July 21, 2009 - 20:52 ET by Tom1969caThe patient who had to wait had a brain tumor. The patient who as treated right away had a tumor in his leg. Which do you think costs less to operate on?
More like a RINO...
=====
Daily Sarah Palin fact:
Sarah Palin resigned so she'd have more time to hunt RINOs.
Such a plan!!
July 21, 2009 - 21:05 ET by pbthinkerDoes CNN actually believe this is a way to ingratiate themselves to the people seaching for truth in the news? They are presenting the news, they're little more than the Obama propaganda arm.
Election 2008-God's way of showing us that elections count.
no they di'nt
July 22, 2009 - 11:45 ET by AJBNow you know why they're referred to as State Run Media!
So, what happens if ...
July 21, 2009 - 23:12 ET by SentryDanSo, what happens if you don't buy into the Obama scam of healthcare? I guess the jails will be full of those of us who don't want governemnt run healthcare. But what are they going to do with all the real criminals? Oh, I guess they will become Obama's CNSF (Civilian National Service Force).
May be "We the People" need to get some of our friends together, you know Smith, Wesson, Glock, Colt, Browning, Savage, Beretta, Bennelli, Winchester, Remington, etc. Of course, "We the People" must use the system to get rid of all the politicians (who happen to work for us) who don't want to listen to us. 2010 isn't that far off.
Remember folks, Freedom isn't Free. It was bought with the blood and sacrifice of the men and women who are serving and who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
For those who fought for it, Freedom has a flavor that the protected will never know.
Also remember folks, that the way to SUPPORT THE TROOPS is to support their mission. Anyone who says that they support the troops but don't support their mission is lying about supporting the troops. And if you want to know, yes I do have a dog in the fight, he is a United States Marine.
I just saw a guy on local
July 21, 2009 - 23:18 ET by mattmI just saw a guy on local public TV complaining about government anti-terror surveillance programs - I'm not sure what this guy thinks of Obama-dont-care, but most libs are paranoid about Bush's anti-terrorism programs, but they somehow don't mind giving the government full control over their healthcare, which means their lives.
They're either hypocrites or they're idiots.
BTW - If Canada has longer life-spans, it's because America is open to them coming here for their healthcare. Once that option is gone, where will the Canadian's go?
"BTW - If Canada has longer
July 22, 2009 - 03:34 ET by ckc1227"BTW - If Canada has longer life-spans, it's because America is open to them coming here for their healthcare"
Canada has longer lifespan on average because, among other things, they have fewer people from groups that traditionally have shorter lifespans...like blacks, hispanics, etc.
The health care sytem does not determine life expectantcy. If it did, Italy, which is supposed to be the best system in the world, would have the longest lifespan. They don't.
Exactly
July 22, 2009 - 08:42 ET by northoneDon't buy into the bogus argument that Canadians live longer (on average, 2 years) than Americans because of the Health Care System. That argument is used only by the zealots determined to have the government run the health care system. There are any number of reasons, one main one being that on average, Canadians tend to be less obese than Americans. The link between obesity and early death is clear. The fact that the obesity rate in Canada is lower than in America has nothing to do with the fact that Canadians are taxed to the nth degree to pay for government-run, socialized medicine. Government Health Care has nothing to do with Canadians being more active and in better physical condition.
Obama is pushing the same system that Canada has
July 22, 2009 - 07:00 ET by c5thenMost people are stuck with the government health care but the well off and the wealthy can spend their own money to get better and faster treatment.
Throw 'da bums out!
no one re-elected who voted for socialism or debt
www.loyaltoliberty.com
WHO DO YOU TRUST?
July 23, 2009 - 03:57 ET by danybhoyThe story is about CNN trying to discredit the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN about the health care system Obama n' company are trying to impose on America. Here is the question...
Who do you trust on matters of health care information?
CNN? A failing news operation trying to hide the fact that they are big libs who like socialism.
Or the Mayo Clinic? Arguably 1 of the top 3 hospitals on the planet. People from all over the world go there for health care, & they do so because whatever health care system cannot or will not help them treat whatever health issue they have.
I have an aunt who got a lung transplant there & she continues to go back for related care. I'll tell Dana Bash, or ANYONE else, the Mayo Clinic knows healthcare as well or better then ANYONE. My advice to Bash & the MSM on this one-shut & listen.
"it's still "We the people" right?" megadeth
Dana bash
July 23, 2009 - 10:00 ET by RoloTis frightening.