Canada

I just returned from a medical conference in Canada. Had a great time. One person made nasty comments about the TEA Party, which I found very bizarre, but other than that, most Canadians accepted my conservative personality. Only had a few people shake their heads at my bumper stickers as I drove through. One very liberal American doctor took the opportunity to slam the American government shutdown before asking one of her questions of the presenter. I found that to be a bit unprofessional at a medical conference. Can you image what would happen if a conservative did that?

From the conference, I gather that healthcare for sick kids isn't so bad in Toronto or Ontario, as a whole. I've heard many horror stories from families across Canada, so it was nice to know things at Sick Kids is a bit different. BUT, since I have no first hand experience, I can't say for sure.

Here's a sad story that was told to me firsthand. This dad explained that when his son became an adult, he was transferred into adult care. His wife couldn't keep her job because they ended up spending too much time at the hospital- they would show up for an appointment, sit all day and then be told at 4pm, no more patients would be seen, They'd try to squeeze them in the next day, perhaps...sometimes taking weeks to get in again, only to have a few moments with the doctor. He said this happened all the time, that it was the norm. Sadly, his son developed leukemia and passed away. He didn't have a matched donor. 

Since I was at a medical conference, I didn't get into politics. I just listened.  I was horrified at what I was hearing. I find the experience he described to me unacceptable. It's where America is headed. Soon, because of Obamacare regulations and doctor shortages, we will find ourselves waiting to be seen and then turned away. I found it amazing that he never blamed socialized medicine for this situation. I don't think it ever occurred to him that it should not be the norm. He was frustrated, but accepted it as if there really was nothing he could do to change it.

A free-market that creates an atmosphere where doctors want to practice would go a long way in correcting the flaws of socialized medicine. I'm afraid of where America is headed. It also scares me that Kool-aid drinkers keep posting anonymously on my blog and accept that 99.9% of Americans are harmed by Obamacare and rejoice that they find a .01% good story about Obamacare. And that's only .01% good on the surface...once that diabetic realizes the deductibles, OOP Maxes and copays are too high to afford, the lower premiums won't mean squat.