Comments on: Will Ted Kennedy’s cancer set back liberal health reform? http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:04:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back.html#comment-86065 Anonymous Sun, 08 Jun 2008 06:16:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back-liberal-health-reform.html#comment-86065 Robert Bourassa, the former premier of Quebec, also sought cancer treatment in the US. The experimental treatment he received wasn't available in Canada, likely due to the expense. If Kennedy were Canadian, and the surgery that he received wasn't available in Canada, he likely would have gotten it in the same hospital the surgery was actually performed in. In the US. Robert Bourassa, the former premier of Quebec, also sought cancer treatment in the US. The experimental treatment he received wasn’t available in Canada, likely due to the expense. If Kennedy were Canadian, and the surgery that he received wasn’t available in Canada, he likely would have gotten it in the same hospital the surgery was actually performed in. In the US.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back.html#comment-86032 Anonymous Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:12:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back-liberal-health-reform.html#comment-86032 Kennedy is a powerful government figure. In a Canadian system, I suspect he would do exactly like Jean Chrétien did. Use the Canadian Air Force to very quietly bring him to Mayo. Would have worked except that King Hussein of Jordan died and everyone wondered where he was when he missed the state funeral.<br/><br/>And geez, no one would fault him for wanting the best for himself or his family. Why did he have to sneak around? Of course, we know why. Kennedy is a powerful government figure. In a Canadian system, I suspect he would do exactly like Jean Chrétien did. Use the Canadian Air Force to very quietly bring him to Mayo. Would have worked except that King Hussein of Jordan died and everyone wondered where he was when he missed the state funeral.

And geez, no one would fault him for wanting the best for himself or his family. Why did he have to sneak around? Of course, we know why.

]]> By: alexa-bluehttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back.html#comment-86021 alexa-blue Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:19:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back-liberal-health-reform.html#comment-86021 Well, it's not like Kennedy isn't going to die of this too (unless he dies of something else first); he's just going to waste a lot of money on the way down, something that explicit rationing in a government run system would avoid. Well, it’s not like Kennedy isn’t going to die of this too (unless he dies of something else first); he’s just going to waste a lot of money on the way down, something that explicit rationing in a government run system would avoid.

]]> By: Jenhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back.html#comment-86016 Jen Fri, 06 Jun 2008 10:28:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back-liberal-health-reform.html#comment-86016 Throckmorton-<br/><br/>I lived in small-town Ontario at the time, and when we found my daughter's germ cell tumour through an ultrasound at the ER she was in a pediatric oncology ward in a different city 4 hours later. She had her MRI about 15 hours later after she was admitted and stabilized. (They could have taken her by helicopter, I guess, but it made sense to me to use an ambulance). When it was discovered that my mother's melanoma had spread to her brain after a 3 year remission she had a CT scan within 2 hours of being admitted to a different regional hospital, where she started her radiation treatment a few days later. <br/><br/>There definitely are wait time horror stories, but a great number of those seem to be related to geographical area. I'm not saying that Canada's system is perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but after spending much too much time in oncology wards over the past 10 years I haven't yet personally met anyone that had to wait for treatment for a serious cancer. <br/><br/>There are huge problems with the Canadian health care system, but one thing that it does seem to do well (at least in our area) is treatment for serious cancers. Throckmorton-

I lived in small-town Ontario at the time, and when we found my daughter’s germ cell tumour through an ultrasound at the ER she was in a pediatric oncology ward in a different city 4 hours later. She had her MRI about 15 hours later after she was admitted and stabilized. (They could have taken her by helicopter, I guess, but it made sense to me to use an ambulance). When it was discovered that my mother’s melanoma had spread to her brain after a 3 year remission she had a CT scan within 2 hours of being admitted to a different regional hospital, where she started her radiation treatment a few days later.

There definitely are wait time horror stories, but a great number of those seem to be related to geographical area. I’m not saying that Canada’s system is perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but after spending much too much time in oncology wards over the past 10 years I haven’t yet personally met anyone that had to wait for treatment for a serious cancer.

There are huge problems with the Canadian health care system, but one thing that it does seem to do well (at least in our area) is treatment for serious cancers.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back.html#comment-86002 Anonymous Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:30:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back-liberal-health-reform.html#comment-86002 Rich people always find a way to get good health care. Even in Canada.<br/><br/>Frontline has dealt with this issue:<br/><br/><br/>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/countries/models.html<br/><br/>(I like the Bismarck model.) Rich people always find a way to get good health care. Even in Canada.

Frontline has dealt with this issue:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sickaroundtheworld/countries/models.html

(I like the Bismarck model.)

]]> By: Throckmortonhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back.html#comment-85999 Throckmorton Thu, 05 Jun 2008 23:48:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2008/06/will-ted-kennedys-cancer-set-back-liberal-health-reform.html#comment-85999 I wonder in Kennedy's problem had happened in Canada how it would be handled. Would there have been the helicopter? The rapid ct and MRI, the transfer to Duke for surgery? I wonder in Kennedy’s problem had happened in Canada how it would be handled. Would there have been the helicopter? The rapid ct and MRI, the transfer to Duke for surgery?

]]>