USA HEALTH BILL LOOKS LIKE IT'S HERE!
It looks like history will be made on the "health bill" during
President Obama's term. It's not the first shake rattle and roll
for the USA health matters. But the last one was in 1966 for
"Medicade" which from what I understand is fine with everyone
today, especially those over 65.
Let me first say this: I would have voted against Obama's health
bill IF public money was going to go to abortion on demand. Obama
fixed that issue with saying/writing such would not be the case,
no public tax money will go to federal abortion.
Now, with that to one side, the new bill still does not put the
USA system ANYWHERE CLOSE to what we have in Canada. In a recent
previous meltdown I showed you the folly of the argument that
just because one of our Province Governors chose to go to the
USA for an operation, does not automatically mean the USA had
a better health system before the new laws, so why tamper with
with a "good thing" as some tried to use that example. That is
silly reasoning, for as I showed many people came to me for
hand made shoes and orthotics (when I was in that trade) because
I had more skill and experience, a proven track record, over others -
they told me so, as their feet problems were not solved by others.
The people I had who walked out with big smiles saying, "This is
incredible, my feet are already feeling 100 percent better" - I could
fill a book with photos and happy delighted people. They would have
come from planet Pluto for my skill and knowledge.
What do we have in Canada? Well of course most know it as Federal
run health care - and yes it is. Then there is much mis-
information in the USA on the Canada health system.
I will give it to you from my vantage point. I do not pay a dime
for health coverage per se. There is still private insurance
companies here for things that the basic "Government" health plan
does not cover, say the "frills" if you want them. The doctors
and nurses here, while yes, being kinda Government employees -
well getting their money from out of "tax payers" money, they get
a very good income for their strata of expertise (obviously the
"specialists" getting more than the family M.D. doctor), and they
seem to be happy enough to live and work here in Canada. When I
was in the "orthopedic shoemaking" trade, it was like a sub-
contractor, to the Government, the people needing special shoes
and/or orthotics covered by the Federal or Provincial Government,
my employer billing the Government and they sending the check.
I was a skilled tradesman and I received a pretty darn good pay for
what skill I had (I was blessed to be taught by two of the finest
in the trade - I did a four year apprenticship) in fact compared
to people like police officers and firemen, and what they got paid
for life and death work, I could feel I was getting paid too much
(I mean such workers as police and firemen should be getting maybe
3 times as much pay as they get).
So overall it seems the doctors and nurses in Canada are
satisfied with the pay they get, and do not seem to be threatened
with "Government" - I sure was not threatened with "Government"
as an Orthopedic Shoemaker/Ortholic maker.
Let's face it some jobs and the pay people get from some jobs
does come from "tax payers" - a little thought and you can think
of many jobs that people have that are "tax paying" jobs. The
police and firemen just being two of them.
I can under the Canadian health system still choose my doctor, or
change doctors. I can still get a second or third opinion about a
condition.
Sure, I have to wait to see a specialist, or some operation, but
I can tell you this, IF it is a matter of life or death, you do
get looked after RIGHT AWAY. Yes sure the emergency rooms may
have a long wait at times, but again I can assure you IF it is a
matter of life and death you get looked after immediately. Now of
course there are the times when some slip through the cracks, but
that happens, sad to say, under ANY health system, when dealing
with humans mistakes happen, so obviously I'm here talking about
the overall of things.
The Canadian system is NOT a blank coverage of everything. So
there are private companies that take up that coverage. Example
in my life: As being self-employed for the last, well basically
35 years, My prescription drugs (which I needed not for my excellent
health, except one to kill my cancor sores) I had to pay for, full
payment, no Government coverage.
My dental work, no government coverage, I had to have a private
insurance plan, or out of my pocket. My eyes and glasses, no
Government coverage, I'd have to have a private insurance, or it
all came out of my pocket. So there is plenty of "private
insurances" for this and that, for things not covered by a
Government health plan, or if you have no "company" that you work
for giving you coverage for things like "dental" work etc. And
being self-employed there was no company paying for such things
as I've just mentioned.
So what are the things of basic coverage in Canada. Space does
not allow me to list everything, but things like "emergency room
treatment" is covered; so is "ambulance" moves; basic hospital
stay; operations; family M.D. visits; specialists visits; having
delivery of babies in hospitals; accidents like setting broken
bones etc. of your children or you. Air ambulance is covered.
There is so much covered, which we do not pay a monthly fee for,
sure it all comes out of our taxes. But I can tell you I doubt if
you can find many Canadians who would ever want to go back to the
way it was before a Government health plan, and by the way, it was
AFTER I arrived in Canada at age 18 in 1961 that a Government plan
came into being, before that it did not exist, It was like you have
in the USA, I was here to see it all take shape. I can tell you few
here would want to see it reversed. It's not perfect, but my oh my
people in Canada think in the overall, it's one of our "cat's meow"
blessings.
Now, because I'm over 65 years old, I only have to pay 10% for
any "prescriptions" (if I need any) - I get 5,000 dollars worth of
dental every 5 years - I get 50% of my eye-glasses paid, and free eye
exams. So that I guess you might call that "medicare for 65 and older."
Which I understand you have the same kind of thing in the USA, brought
in by in the middle 1960s.
You know it's okay to be your brothers keeper - it's okay for
certain things to come out of tax-payer's money, so your neighbor,
especially if poor, a widow, fatherless, a new immigrant that
needs a hand-up to get started, those who hit a bad patch in life
maybe out of their control; so they can have a helping hand from
the overall of us. It's okay you know for the Government to
provide for its people. It's okay for laws to be put in place by
a Government for the benefit of all its people. Freedom, true
freedom, does not mean lack of law, true freedom comes from
WITHIN law. Yes of course it means a sensible law making
Government. We are not here talking about "dictatorships" and the
old communist crazy stuff.
Laws should have been in place from the Government that would have
prevented those Wall/Fall Street guys from taking down the economy
of the world. Canada didn't fall anywhere near as far as most nations
BECAUSE we had laws to prevent such a Wall Street fall, in our banking
and finance sectors. Now Canada is being held up as a fine example of
doing it right. Freedom is good but only to a point. It's like saying
"Allow your brain to be open minded, but not so open that it fall
out."
Ancient Israel for one example had a NATIONAL law that was for
all farmers and land owners that involved planting and harvesting
a crop. The corners of the fields could not be harvested! Yes,
that is right, the corners of the field could not be harvested, a
national law it was; the corners of the field had to remain for
the poor and needy to partake of. God becries our lands for not
looking after the widow, the orphan, the fatherless, the poor,
the needy. He pulls no punches in some prophecies as to how
He thinks of us not doing a good-enough national job in ereas like
this. If you have any doubts, then you need the read the prophetic
books of the Old Testament, you may have forgotten a lot of verses.
Yes, God says we are our brothers keeper. And Jesus said that
whatsoever you would like men to do for you, you should be
willing to do for them.
I'll tell you this my friends and brethren in the USA, once this
new "health law" comes into being, five or ten years from now,
you'll never want it any other way. Just for the sake of 30 odd
million who are un-insured right now, this health bill should be
law. And frankly still more reform is needed. The Podiatrist I
worked for in the early 90s in Florida, his health coverage cost him
$750 a month for Himself, his wife, and two children, with a THOUSAND
DEDUCTABLE, meaning he paid the first 1,000 dollars of anything
requiring medical care. Up here in Canada, he would have paid a big
fat "0" for all important coverages. Yes, of course it comes out of
all "tax payers" but maybe we should get some priorites straight;
sending men back to the moon at the cost of billions of dollars,
to pick up some dirt, find some ice, take some pictures of our, yes,
very pretty blue planet, is just not worth those billions. I think we
have a few priorities screwed up and upside-down and inside-out.
We do need to be our brothers keeper in many way. And while we
think of that, remember those in other parts of the world (yes
like Haiti) who still need our love and care in material ways.
Give as you are able to your fellow brothers and sisters,
everywhere. Maybe now is a good time to read once more Matthew
25.
Keith Hunt
March 2010
..........
|
