Yes, we have problems here in the US. But going to a single-payer system may be even worse than what we already have. It’s safe to say Michael Moore didn’t interview this patient:
David Malleau awoke in hospital with a gaping hole in his skull.The 44-year-old Hamilton truck driver had suffered a devastating car accident in 2004 that forced doctors at Hamilton General Hospital to remove a fist-sized piece of bone from his skull to relieve pressure on his brain.
Once the swelling subsided and he was ready for surgery in March 2005, Malleau was sent home and placed on a waiting list.
Three months passed. Then six. He waited at home, a prisoner unable to leave the house for fear something would hit the exposed side of his brain ““ for him a potentially fatal incident. In the end, it took nearly a year before he could get skull replacement surgery.
(via Health Hog and On The Fence Films)
Related posts:
- Brain surgery in a day
- Brain surgery for schizophrenia
- Surgery residents vs the attending
- Brain surgery canceled six times
- Scheduled for knee surgery, had a brain operation instead
- Free surgery gone awry
- A six-year waiting list in single-payer Canada
{ 3 comments }
um. where is hamilton? ontario??
So the man chose to not go elsewhere (he could have changed doctors) and waited a long time. Adam Fira in Texas and Brianna Lane in Utah had similar frustrating experiences.
Let’s talk about anecdotes…. they are just that. We can find horrible stories in every system every day because people are involved, and people are not perfect.
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