In the past few days, the Los Angeles Times and The Wall Street Journal have both highlighted the plight of Canadians denied coverage by the very health system that purports to save them.
I had the pleasure of meeting several of these patients on Monday, as part of a fact-finding trip organized by the Independence Institute of Colorado. Independence Institute President Jon Caldara said that he had dreamed of hosting such a meeting for years.
Christina Woodkey, featured in the LA Times story, was one of the patients who shared her story. Crippled with pain, she endured years of doctors visits before finally being diagnosed with a spinal condition that required surgery. She was told to “take more pills,” and received an estimated time frame for surgery: one and a half years. Another Canadian we met, Cheryl Baxter, faced a similar wait time for hip surgery.
Lin Gilbert, a 27-year-old mother of two, faced debilitating pain due to a congenital spine condition. She was told by specialists that she was too young and “hadn’t suffered long enough.” Forced to wait three years for her surgery, Gilbert lost her job because of constant, unbearable pain.
Unfortunately, the other thing she lost in the process was her dignity. Gilbert was reduced to a walker and diapers – needed because of a loss of bowel function. The government, in its infinite kindness, “allowed” her to stay on welfare past the allotted time frame due to her special circumstances, and picked up the tab for her incontinence products. They also paid for her morphine – to which she became addicted.
Lindsay McCreith suffered through multiple seizures each day. He needed an MRI, but was told he'd have to wait 4 ½ months for the scan. McCreith flew to the United States for the procedure, which revealed a golf-ball sized tumor on his brain. When shown to his doctor in Canada, an appointment was made with a neurologist – 6 months down the road. Returning to New York for a biopsy a week later, the surgeon removed the entire growth – which was already at grade 2. Had McCreith waited the full six months, the prognosis likely would have been grave.
McCreith never set out to be an activist. But his experience, and that of a friend, convinced him that someone needed to speak out. His coworker, feeling ill, went to the doctor, and was told he needed a triple bypass. He could not be seen immediately, and returned to work. The surgery, scheduled for several weeks later, was pushed back another 6 weeks. He died three days before the rescheduled date.
McCreith is currently suing the government of Ontario for denial of his charter rights – specifically, his security of person. It seems the Canadian founders, much like the framers of the U.S. Constitution, believed in a (now arcane) individual right to self-preservation. Ah, the good old days. McCreith argues that Canada's health system, by restricting treatment and outlawing private providers, prevents citizens from exercising this basic right.
All tragic stories, to be sure – but what message would a group of Canadian patients, from disparate locations and backgrounds, have for a group of visiting American policy wonks?
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