www.ChrisLaBossiere.com

I was amused to read the article this morning about Newfoundland Premier, Danny Williams, accessing heart surgery in the United States. Folks, this happens all the time.

My previous boss, from a past life; long, long ago, is a very wealthy man. He also lived a fairly unhealthy life for much of his first 69 years. Luckily for him, late in life, he met a nice lady who taught him about healthy living. Part of what that meant for them, was the ability to access privatized health services at a specialized clinic in California, which for lack of better words, did "full-body scans".  In his words, you could pay $1500 for a full day set of  scans and tests, and the physician could see anything and everything wrong inside of you. So he has this done, and he is told that he has artery blockage so bad, that it would be an exception for him to live more than 6 months.

So, in a chauffered sedan he goes, from LA to the Mayo Hospital in Scottsdale Arizona, where he receives a major bypass surgery for the heart condition THE NEXT MORNING. I never asked the question, but was led to believe that this costs nearly $175,000 for him to access. I have no doubt that now at 78, he can count at least a half-dozen years of his life to that decision.

So, Danny Williams may well have gone and done the exact same thing. I hope it works out for him as well as my old bosses did. It doesn't sound like the taxpayers of Newfoundland will be paying for it, so it really is none of their business. But of course some people are mad for a number of reasons.

Firstly, there are those economically challenged idealists (I respect these folks), who think that everyone should get whatever they might need from the health care system, exactly when they want it, and of course with no costs attached. Even if that was physically and logistically possible, how could we pay for it? Health care costs today are SKYROCKETING due to changing demographics, increased drug costs, and ironically from new advancements in medicine that actually allow us to treat what was largely untreatable. If we don't find a balance here, the tax structure stretches to a point where it is impossible to maintain a competitive economy.

Secondly, there are those who think that Danny Williams should have to stay in Canada and risk a worsening condition or even death, because of some kind of fairness ideal (these folks drive me mad). I can guarantee you that Danny Williams is not getting free heart surgery in the US, nor is he accessing it because he is the Premier of a Province, he is getting it because he can afford to pay for it. Mr. Williams was a financially successful lawyer and because of the time and investment he made in himself and his career, he can now spend some of that hard earned money to hopefully find health again. If you are a hard-working average Canadian, and wanted the same you could have it. You may have to sell your house to get it, but you could have it.

Don't get me wrong folks, if we could achieve a utopian balance between universal healthcare for all (which is a must), services that are world-class in every discipline (which is harder), and then unlimited capacity in a system, so any service can be accessed at any time (impossible to everyone but the completely crazy), then I would be it's biggest supporter. But we can't.

We MUST demand from our government highly efficient healthcare systems, first rate funding to ensure that ALL CANADIANS get equal access to health care in a timely fashion, and a comittment that no one person should ever suffer or die from waiting or lack of funding.

BUT, if I have the ability to access the same or better care, and are not preventing another Canadian from accessing something withing the Canadian healthcare system, then so be it.

It may seem unfair, but unless you have a magic bus or some fairy dust, and can stop the ways of modern economies, then life is unfair. (Taxes and Death... baby). Of course, holding our government acountable to give us a working and efficient health care system is a reasonable goal. So, since most of us are stuck here, having to rely on our system, we should get started with that.

NOTE: If the chips are down, and I was dealt some kind of medical blow by God, Yahweh, Allah, The Great Spaghetti Monster, or more likely in my case the simple scientific effect of laziness and fat; I reserve the right to do whatever it takes. That includes even using my much beloved Canadian Tire Money to go wherever it takes to get whatever I need.

In this picture, I have enough Canadian Tire Money to purchase a root canal, a his and hers body scan package, or a lifetime supply of Cialis. Instead, I am hoping for a lawn-tractor.