JERRY AGAR

Public health care an embarrassment

Posted By: Jerry Agar · 6/11/2012 8:46:00 PM

A little boy is losing his eyesight and OHIP and Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews don’t seem to see the problem.

Christina Blizzard reported last Friday in the Sun, “Little Liam Reid (almost three) has a rare disorder that’s causing him to go blind.

“Surgeons at the Hospital for Sick Children have told him there’s nothing further they can do, so Liam’s last hope is for surgery with Dr. Michael Tracy and Beaumont Hospital in Detroit.

“You’d think it would be a no-brainer, in a province that prides itself on its healthcare system.” But the government department of eHealth says, “No.” Matthews is perhaps too busy petulantly explaining why she shouldn’t take ministerial leadership responsibility for Ornge.

When a government that monopolizes health care says no to a vital operation, where does a family go?

They have been given no option other than to bankrupt themselves in a bid to save their boy’s sight.

Wasn’t socialized medicine supposed to save people from such an eventuality?

Read the rest here.

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  1. Bigdaddy7777 posted on 06/11/2012 09:51 PM
    Again, Agar in his shallow journalistic approach responds with blanket statements and more sickening rhetoric. Instead of investigating why some of the world's leading doctorsat Sick Kids would have determined that there's nothing more that can be done when it can possibly be done outside of the country, he not surprisingly plays the evil socialized medicine card. I, like countless of others, rarely read or listen to this wingnut and believe me its just a matter of time before he's off to spread his vitriol somewhere other than Toronto
  2. SteveB_10 posted on 06/12/2012 08:40 AM
    There is no argument you could make as to the superiority of the US system over the Ontario system. Name one outcome better in the US than Canada? The US spends double on health care with terrible basic results in infant mortality and cancer survival. Then bring in the whole immortality of the system, akin to slavery. Where 50 million have no health care, and the argument no emergency ward can deny them is so phony even you should be ashamed to parrot it. The point is do not let perfection get in the way of the possible.

    The orange scandal has more conservative hats, and just like E health started under a conservative government. Yes the Liberals have been incompetent cleaning up all the mess left behind by Harris.

    As the facts about this little boy are presented, I would agree with Ms. Blizzard. I hope her actions lead to quick reversal. However there may be more to it than her biased view.
  3. Jerry Agar posted on 06/12/2012 08:52 AM
    eHealth and ORNGE both started under McGuinty. And slamming American health care in this debate is only a way of demonstrating that you have no argument. I didn't bring up the American system in this debate. Your argument Steve is devoid of facts and, by going immediately to hating America, analogous to saying. "So is your Mother."
    1. DM posted on 06/12/2012 09:19 AM
      @Jerry Agar Jerry. Your arguments, like now, never have facts either. You take one incident and make blanket statements about social medicine. Well, this is not surprising. It just seems to be the way you approach most of the topics you cover.

      More often than not, you are the Jerry Agar who is completely uninformed.

      You should take direction from the two John's. Not always do I agree with everything they say, but usually, they have their facts straight and are, more often than not, quite rational in their approach.

      Again. Something you are not. Rational. You are just angry and you attack most things with no real sense of what you are talking about.
      Proven every time you enter into a discussion with one of your coworkers at the round table.

      ;)

      If our health system is so bad, then why aren't more people dying all around us? Are they Jerry?

      Sure the system needs some work. But it is definitely not the mess you go on about. Not at all.
    2. SteveB_10 posted on 06/12/2012 10:43 AM
      @Jerry Agar I know facts are stupid things to conservatives. But the fact is orange was started by conservative harris goverment
      http://warrenkinsella.com/2012/05/ornge-and-the-cons-a-continuing-series/
      E health was started by the Harris goverment, but I am not going to do all your google for you.
      You are saying Ontario health care is an embarrassment, compared to what Jerry? Do you think the Germans would send a child to Detroit?

      The case of this child is a tragedy and I do not understand why he does not get the treatment paid for by the government. However someone has to make tough decisions, and I am surprised Jerry you are not on board with that, because you are always railing about government expense.
  4. Jerry Agar posted on 06/12/2012 09:33 AM
    DM, what facts are wrong in my column? Specifically, which ones? And if "people dying all around us" is your standard, your standards are too low. That isn't happening in any Western system. But we are way behind in measures of success with European systems, and why would we not want to be better?
    1. enix posted on 06/12/2012 10:02 AM
      @Jerry Agar What are you talkign about jerry? This kind of stuff happens all the time in the States. Take for example the costs that the family of that canadian ski jumper had to go trough a couple of months ago!!! Just like that there are thousands of other cases.

      I'll do some research and get back to you.
    2. SteveB_10 posted on 06/12/2012 10:54 AM
      @Jerry Agar So now Jerry your an expert on Western European governance. So how many kids have they sent to this doctor in Detroit? How many Jerry?
  5. Nora Trudgian posted on 06/12/2012 10:20 AM
    It was my understanding that if the treatment was not available in Ontario or Canada and it was recommended by the physcian to go State side that OHIP would cover this. Now another point if Canadians think that we have a universal health care system, they are wrong. Some procedures not covered in one province is covered by another one.
  6. d2x posted on 06/12/2012 10:34 AM
    Conformation bias aside. What is the family to do? Sick Kids told him the ONLY option is to go to Detroit. What would you do for your child? If Canada's health care system is the best in the world then why has no other country in the world adopted it?
    1. SteveB_10 posted on 06/12/2012 10:52 AM
      @d2x Every other civilized country in the world except the USA has some form of single payer system. So the moral world is universally adopted the Canadian system. But actually it was the other way around.
  7. proton posted on 06/12/2012 01:49 PM
    sick kids is one of the top hospitals in the world. i don't see an explanation anywhere why that procedure isn't offered. there may be a good reason for it.

    US spends more on health care partly because of their litigious nature. they'll do 50 tests to cover their asses whereas here they may only need 5. their malpractice insurance premiums are very high for the same reason

    our hospitals in major canadian cities are excellent; the problem is delayed access due to socialist ideals of "universal health care".

    one day our governments will finally come to again allow for people to pay or top up payments for medical care. this will free up money for the system to ensure reduced wait times for all and to continue to cover those who can't afford to pay for health care.

    it is one of the most mismanaged portfolios in ontario and one of the most important.

    to those who continue to blame mike harris get over it. he's been gone a very long time and we've had many governments since who've had plenty of time to "fix" what you think is wrong.

    why not blame prime minister mackenzie king; it's just as stupid
    1. SteveB_10 posted on 06/12/2012 01:57 PM
      @proton It is much easier to destroy something than to fix it. Harris destroyed the education system, ohip, and Ontario Hydro, all portfolios that are not back to the standard pre Harris, and like humpty dumpty some things will never be fixed.

      Should the McGinty government moved in day one and done everything opposite of Harris yes, but that's not the way politics work.

      Dalton is not perfect but compared to Harris he is Winston Churchill.
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  8. Al posted on 06/12/2012 03:23 PM
    Hey Jerry, why don't you just cut them a cheque. You know, like you said Warren Buffett should.
  9. proton posted on 06/12/2012 04:18 PM
    @steveb

    you must be kidding....Winston Churchill!! Goes to show your complete ignorance of history.

    People like you will blame mike harris for the rest of their lives. it's time to move forward
    1. Enix posted on 06/12/2012 07:57 PM
      @proton Untill people like you and Jerry keep blaming the liberals, we will blame Harris. Fair is fair.
    2. SteveB_10 posted on 06/13/2012 09:07 AM
      @proton Winston Churchill never sold public property worth 12Billion for 3 Billion.
  10. proton posted on 06/13/2012 07:03 AM
    @enix
    perhaps you're not caught up on the news, harris has been out of power for over 15 years whereas the liberals ARE IN POWER NOW and have been for many years, but why would that FACT get in the way of your idea of whom to blame

    you're like shelley carroll and adam vaughan on the plastic bag issue. they voted against it not because they used the brains between their ears but because they wanted to vote against Ford, however ill thought of the idea was.

    the left loves to blame others, never themselves
  11. Deborah posted on 06/13/2012 11:38 AM
    We sure as hell can find millons of dollars to send to other countries in their time of need, we can donate money to the Herbie SickKids Foundation to help bring children to Canada from around the world but we can NOT HELP ONE OF OUR OWN.

    I'm ashamed to be Canadian!!
  12. Deborah posted on 06/13/2012 11:41 AM
    REGARDLESS OF WHO IS RIGHT AND WHO IS WRONG ... STOP THE BICKERING AND BE ANGRY AT THE HEALTH MINISTER FOR DENYING THIS LITTLE BOY!!!
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