Grass Not So Green in Canada

We all know the American health care system is a mess. Too many underinsured. Insurance premiums too high. (I speak with some authority here. Judy and I are paying almost $20,000 per year for medical insurance.) Lots of other problems as well.

As do many other people I have looked at Canada as a model for what our health care system should be. Taxes (albeit high ones) cover everyone in Canada. There may be a wait for some surgeons and other specialists, but everything gets taken care of in a timely fashion.

Not so fast!!!!!!

On our way through Vancouver we met up with Bobby & Susan, two of the guests from our trek who happened to be staying in the same campground. We had enjoyed their company and looked forward to spending some time with them, but that wasn't to be.

A couple of years ago Bobby had had both knees replaced. As a result of the surgery he acquired a staph infection that took several more surgeries to get rid of. The complications could have been fatal.

In Vancouver Bobby started not to feel well, and his calf started swelling. After a couple of days Susan took him to a walk-in clinic who in turn sent him to an emergency room. The ER did a couple of blood tests and gave him some Tylenol 3. Susan, who has worked through these problems with Bobby before, asked for an antibiotic. She was told that their policy was not to use antibiotics because their overuse can lead to resistant strains of bacteria.

The next day his knee started to swell and became very hot. She went back to the clinic who told him to stay off his feet. Meanwhile Bobby had a blinding headache and his leg was swelling, hot, and painful. Susan, being sure that this was related to the knee surgery, asked to see an orthopedist. She was told there would be a ONE YEAR WAIT!!!!!!

Susan insisted that they drive across the border and have a US doctor take a look. They drove to Bellingham, Washington which is only an hour (plus border crossing time) away from Vancouver. The ER took one look at his leg and admitted him to the hospital.

He has a staph infection in his leg that is antibiotic resistant and it has spread to his bloodstream. Had they let it go it could have proved fatal. As it is Bobby may have to spend up to a month in the hospital.

We met a man up in the Yukon last year who made his living carving items from burled wood. His work was beautiful. He had to stop because he developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome from the work. He was able to get the surgery done but he had to wait over six months. During that time he was unable to work.

So these stories makes you stop and think. Our health care system has its problems, but Canada's sucks! If these stories are representative of their system they have major problems.

What's the solution? Beats the hell out of me. It's way above my pay grade. But the next time I complain about our system I will certainly remember Bobby.