And the Gurneys Continue to Stack Up in Canada...

As we celebrate our long Independence Day weekend, I thought about the increased number of accidents and ER incidents typically predicated by usual holiday activities, and how life would be different if we, in the US, were subject to a socialized, government-run health care system.

The ObamaCare Health Care Reform Plan has long been compared to the government-run Canadian Socialized Health Care Program. There are some facts that we, as Americans, may not know.

Before we get into the down and dirty, I'll start with a true story as told to me by my friend, Mark. This incident occurred four years ago:

Mark's American aunt married a Canadian. They maintained two residences, one in Florida and the other in Toronto, Ontario. Mark's aunt was diagnosed with cancer while in Florida. They decided to have her tests performed there, but move to their Toronto home for treatment, as they qualified for Canada's socialized health care.

So off they went to Toronto. They took the required steps of first seeing a 'Primary Care Physician" to obtain the required prescription to see a Specialist. Even though they had the test results from Florida in hand, they had to satisfy Canadian law. Yes, LAW. The wait to see the specialist was 5 weeks...a wait time regarded by Canadian health care to be one on the 'short' side.

Mark's aunt died three days before her scheduled appointment with the specialist.

We don't have 5 week wait times in the US. In an emergency situation, a simple call to your doctor's office can get you seen the same day. In a US hospital ER, those more serious injuries are seen more quickly than those less seriously injured -- not necessarily so in the socialized medicine world.

I recently went to hear a Canadian-educated MD speak about both sides of the health care issue. He used to practice in Canada, but since moved to the US for many reasons. Let's just get right down to it.

Facts about the Canadian Health Care system:

1. Single payer system - government

2. Comprehensiveness

3. Universal

4. Portability - you can use it wherever you are in Canada

5. Accessibility - "reasonable access"

What is covered:

1. ALL hospitals are publically funded (by taxes, and are government-run)

2. Physician costs (are not set by doctors, but are determined by removed, non-medical parties)

What is not covered:

1. Prescription drugs - 10% of health care costs (CURRENTLY A CO-PAY IN MOST US HEALTH CARE PLANS)

2. Medical equipment - wheelchairs, etc. (CURRENTLY PAID FOR IN US BY MEDICARE)

3. Allied health providers - physical therapy, podiatrist, chiropractor, independent living help, etc. (CURRENTLY COVERED OR A CO-PAY IN MOST US HEALTH PLANS)

Common Fallacies:

1. The number of US uninsured has not changed since the 1970's. The population has grown, but the percentage is still between 16-17%.

2. There are actually more insured Americans than ever, but currently 14M legal Americans are without insurance, not by choice.

Points of interest and concern:

• Costs for pharmaceutical drugs have doubled, and represent 10% of current US health care costs.

• US government currently pays 45%* of medical costs.

• Canadian government currently pays 70%* of medical costs.

Participating in the Canadian health care plan requires a primary care physician, but there is a shortage of doctors in Canada due to restrictions because:

• Canadian government decides where doctor will practice, depending on their specialty.

• Government imposes ratio. When it's reached, it's capped.

• Government imposes restrictions on hospitals, based on funding. No funding, no care, and the hospital will close.

• Government rationing of ER and all other departments -- gurneys stack up in hospital hallways if there are not enough (funded) beds in the hospital.

• CAT Scan, PET Scan, radio therapy, etc., requires first seeing a primary care physician, then inside specialist 8-16 week wait. Then 4-8 week wait for tests. Total wait time can be 6-12 months for the scan.

• The doctor/patient relationship is key to well being, but has been disrupted by the Canadian health care plan.

• Significant caps on fees.

Socialized health care is dictated by the system (budget), and not the needs of the patient.

Once a highly regarded and respected position, Canadian doctors are now regarded as government employees, and no longer garner the respect doctors in other countries enjoy. There has been a significant reduction in Canadian medical school enrollment, creating a shortage of doctors. The 'best and brightest' no longer are attracted to this career choice, so the 'lesser qualified' are gaining entry to medical schools -- and graduating. The end result is lower quality of care.

There's even more decline in Canada:

• Crippling diseases still exist in Canada -- and they shouldn't.

• There are no longer research or drug companies in Canada, and only two manufacturers of vaccines in the world (one in the US).

The Law and Costs:

• Private insurance is ILLEGAL in Canada -- Doctors are fined, jailed and will lose their license to practice in Canada. Patients are fined and jailed.

• Care is not free, and has no known value (you're not writing the check).

• The less doctors do for you, the more money is left in the 'pot' for them to continue to work before reaching the cap.

• Cost shift from medical care to disability -

10.1% Canadian GDP (gross domestic product)

16% US GDP

Disability and unemployment costs are not figured into GDP.

• Canadian government charges values to keep budget balanced, meaning if one month has high costs, the available funding will be reduced the following month in order to keep the budget balanced.

Question:

If this system doesn't work for 33 million Canadian citizens, who would think it would be viable for 307 million US citizens?

*Suggestion to fix US Health Care: Eliminate the 3rd Party

US bureaucracy/administration/regulatory micromanagement is responsible for 1/3 of our medical costs. If we cut the micromanagement of our current system, our costs would be in line with those of the Canadian socialized health care plan -- and we would still enjoy high quality of care.

Oh, and the doctor who provided this information has been asked to return to Canada to practice. He has less than zero motivation to do so. He enjoys freedom to practice in the US, to get paid his self-determined fees, to live a high quality of life, to enjoy respect of patients and peers, and to be grateful for the privilege of living and working in the United States.

Happy Independence Day!

OC

Repeal ObamaCare Today

As a nation, we are very concerned about the cost and availability of healthcare, which, when we think about it, really starts with the each of us....and the individual choices we make during our daily lives. We may think they're small --- for instance, what we have for lunch may not be as earth-shattering as finding the money for our kids tuition -- yet the truth is, many poor decisions may add up to make one costly health disaster.

I'm all about freedom....if you want health care, you should have it. And yes, it should be affordable to everyone. That said, I do not believe that socialized medicine is the answer. ObamaCare, as it's currently written, is NOT a viable, sustainable plan, and would prove itself a disaster on all levels if put into practice.

If you are pro-ObamaCare, please don't judge me too quickly...I'm on your side, too.

Below is the letter I sent to my representatives with my thoughts. As you can see, it's nothing fancy, and only took about 8 minutes to compose....not a lot of time in the big picture, as I've spent more time choosing which shoes to wear.

The vote is today.

I urge you to put your fingers to the keyboard and/or call your representatives...NOW! They're in the process of voting today.

********************

Repeal ObamaCare

We've been offered a poorly written, under-researched and outrageously expensive plan which will prove to be a failure of epic proportion if signed into law.

The cornerstone to ANY viable health plan is self-education. Let's face it...the public has become lazy and irresponsible for their own health over the last 50 years, expecting a "magic bullet" to fix all of their problems -- from obesity to GERD to Type II Diabetes, which are all largely preventable conditions. It's an unrealistic expectation, and has already proven itself ineffective and expensive in terms of money AND human lives. It is estimated that 100,000 Americans die each year from the use of prescription drugs -- that's 270 a day. NO ONE has died as a result of eating organic fruits and vegetables, getting proper rest and drinking pure water.

People have learned to rely on a medical model of pharmaceuticals, which only treat symptoms and do not offer the body nutritional support to heal itself (which it's designed to do).

Most medical school educations do not include nutritional education, but do include pharmaceutical training -- diseases are given names so that they can be more easily identified with a pharmaceutical drug (think "Geranimals" matching system). Therefore, it makes sense that allopaths do what they are trained to do --- prescribe drugs, which are limited to treating symptoms, but not provide vital nutrition to the body so that it may heal itself.

Allopaths/Medical doctors have a vital role in saving lives....that's what they are trained to do. But they are not well trained in optimizing daily lifestyle choices, unless they have gone off on their own and taken additional natural health related courses of education.

There is room for both schools of training -- allopathic and naturopathic -- we need both, and we really need to be looking at what is best for our people on every count, not just industry revenues. Aside from pharmaceutical and insurance, there are others.....

The food industry has offered up many processed foods which are void of valuable nutrition, yet are loaded with toxic food additives which have shown to cause reactions in the brain to 'want' these toxic foods more, much like causing an addictive response --- and we wonder why obesity is one of our top 3 national health problems -- which is COMPLETELY PREVENTABLE.

Aside from herbicides and pesticides, chemical companies have created very expensive GE and GMO seeds, which produce crops void of valuable nutrition, but high in toxic chemicals which create more health problems.

Question: If food is void of nutrition, why are we eating?

Another question: Why spend trillions on a health care plan when the top three and most costly diseases are PREVENTABLE? It just seems to be punishing those who live balanced, healthy, optimized lives for those who opt for fast/junk food, soda and sedentary lifestyle.

My Plan (off the top of my head):

• Nutrition education programs will be written, executed and mandated in school curricula.

• Parents will be required to participate in nutritional education program.

• Food industry will be required to clearly label all products containing any and all chemical food additives.

• Food manufacturers will be bonused for providing organic and whole foods to their product line.

• Food manufacturers will be assessed a fee by the insurance industry for producing fast foods, and those with chemical food additives. If these manufacturers produce products which make people sick, they need to 'pay the piper'.

• That said, those manufacturers will pass along the extra charges to their customers. Again, if these are the people who are driving up medical costs across the board, they need to be held accountable for their decisions.

• Industrial farms which use chemical herbicides and pesticides will be assessed a charge, as it has been proven that people become sick from these toxic chemicals in their food source.

• Factory farms (meat, poultry) and farmed fish companies will all be assessed charges for using chemical feeds and injecting foods with antibiotics/hormones and any other substance.

The bottom line here is responsibility and accountability. It's imperative to the sustainability of our nation and it's people to revisit the health care revision plan.

Respectfully, and in the very best of health,

Kristin Mills, ND, CNHP

New Poll Confirms IBD's '09 Finding Of Doctor Exodus Under ObamaCare

Four in nine doctors responding to an IBD/TIPP poll sent out in August 2009 said they "would consider leaving their practice or taking an early retirement" if Congress passed what has become known as ObamaCare. That means as many as 360,000 physicians have plans to be doing something other than treating the growing number of patients in this country.

The doctors also told us — 67% to 22%, with 11% not responding — that they expected fewer students to apply for medical school in the future if the plan became law.

Given these views, it's no surprise that 71% were doubtful that the government would be able to cover the 47 million uninsured Americans with better care at lower costs, which ObamaCare supporters have promised.

source: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article/556398/201012091905/New-Poll-Confirms-IBDs-09-Finding-Of-Doctor-Exodus-Under-ObamaCare.htm

OC's Note: There's been much talk about Health Care Reform --- and the news still isn't as good as it could be. The results of this poll are disturbing and disappointing. We can do better than this.

.

Business Group Joins Massive Suit Against Health Care Reform

May 18, 2010 — A national group representing small businesses has signed onto a federal lawsuit filed by officials from 20 states that challenges the constitutionality of the new healthcare reform law, particularly its mandate for individuals to obtain insurance coverage.

An amended complaint filed last week in a federal district court in Pensacola, Florida, adds the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) to the list of plaintiffs. Two other new plaintiffs are the owner of an auto repair shop in Florida and a resident of Washington State, both of whom object to the requirement to carry health insurance beginning in 2014, according to the complaint.

In a press release, the NFIB stated that it seeks to increase healthcare coverage for more Americans, but not at the expense of constitutional freedoms, which it accuses the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of doing.

"The individual and employer mandates, onslaughts of new taxes, and onerous paperwork requirements in this unconstitutional law will devastate small businesses," the NFIB stated. It added that the individual mandate is "the first time the government is telling individuals they have to do something simply because they are alive."

The plaintiffs are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Washington and the governors of Arizona, Georgia, Mississippi, and Nevada. In addition, the attorney general of Virginia has filed a similar suit in a Virginia federal court. All of the state officials are Republicans except for James Caldwell, the attorney general of Louisiana, who is a Democrat.

Read more here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/721981?sssdmh=dm1.617419&src=nldne&uac=139477FJ

OC

Health Care Reform Update - Vote NO! Today

There's no doubt we need to make some changes to our current health care system. That said, the current health care reform bill that is before congress today isn't going to help us the way people WISH it would. It will, rather, have a deleterious effect on our economy -- can we really take any more of that? It will also drop the quality of care we have in our current system.

Those over the age of 40 should really take this seriously, as they stand to suffer the most.

The current health care reform plan is a poorly and quickly revised version of a poorly written original bill. More time, thought and research needs to go into such an important proposal. Health care is crucial to every citizen, and deserves more time and attention. What's the rush anyway? Seriously. For some reason, this administration is rushing this bill through the system. That, in itself, makes me wonder......

I don't believe it's fair that US citizens get a lesser health care than congress, presidents, vp's, et al. They will not have to suffer through this health care reform, as they have their own special insurance...for life....that's paid by the taxpayers.

Think 'deli scene' from 'When Harry Met Sally" -- "I'll have what THEY'RE having!"

After all, citizens don't deserve any less than the public servants who represent them.

We need to take a step UP, not a step back. Think about it. Not only is this a quality of life issue, how about those financial ramifications! Long after we're gone, our grandchildren's grandchildren will still be paying off the socialized/national/universal/what have you nightmare reform plan of 2010. Is that the legacy you want to leave? I don't. We can do better.

There are more creative ways we can help people be well in this country that don't cost trillions of dollars we don't have to spend...or will have to borrow from China (again). I know tons of brilliant people (and you do, too) who can help put a plan together that makes sense, that won't break the economy, that won't break big insurance and won't break the medical communities. It's a little thing called "integrative healthcare". Ta Da! Everyone just needs to get a little less greedy and all Americans need to become more educated about self-treating, and taking responsibility for their health.

Many hard-working people who take care of themselves don't appreciate having to pay into a system to benefit those who eat junk, don't exercise, smoke, use substances excessively, and have caused themselves totally preventable health issues....heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Man-up, people! Take responsibility! Your kids are watching.

Please call or email your congress people TODAY and vote "NO" on this health care reform bill. Give 'em a break so they can take more time to think a little longer about what's best for ALL Americans.

Simply google the names of your senators, go to their sites, and click on 'contact'. If you don't know their names, just google congress members for your state, and go from there. It's very easy. If you can read this information, you can do it. Just tell them how you feel.

The few minutes you take right now could mean preserving the future of our health freedom.

OC

Larry King Interviews Dr Andrew Weil Regarding Health Care Reform

These are the best and most valuable 18 minutes I've listened to regarding health care reform:

http://www.drweilblog.com/home/2009/9/11/discussion-with-larry-king-sep-10-2009.html

Mr President, are you listening?

Health Care Reform Update from George Stephanopoulos

"The President said (July 29) that in the “best-case scenario,” a health care reform bill will not get voted on or signed until mid-fall.  

But key negotiators on both the House and Senate sides told me that I shouldn't be surprised if the deal didn't get this settled until Christmas.  There was some progress on the House side where a deal was struck with the seven moderate Blue Dog Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.   

Watch http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8206293 to find out what they agreed on and for the news Senate negotiators got from the Congressional Budget Office."

--George Stephanopoulos

Be Part of the Solution to Change US Health Care

We all now have the unique opportunity and responsibility to do our part to change health care in the US.  Many changes are currently underway in Washington, DC, including the impending senate vote for a new FDA commissioner.  

President Obama is aware of the many problems in our current health care system, including escalating costs versus the dramatic decline in the general health of our citizens, and intends to make changes to improve our system.  And, he has asked for direction.

The CWC (Consumer Wellness Center) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to nutrition and disease prevention education.  They have launched the Health Revolution Petition, authored and organized by Mike Adams, editor of NaturalNews.com, with the considerable help from health freedom attorneys and advocates, including Scott Tips, Bill Faloon, Jonathan Emord, Jim Turner and Byron Richards who kept it aligned with the principles of liberty and freedom. 

Laguna Natural Health is a supporter of this petition which suggests making revolutionary changes to create true health care initiatives and freedoms for our nation's citizens.  Crisis is this the time when change is most probable and possible.  

We invite you to join us.  Read and sign the petition at:

http://www.HealthRevolutionPetition.org/index.html?ID=21622 

ocnaturaldoc

URGENT: Oppose Fast Track of Healthcare Reform by April 29, 2009

Contact your Senator by this Wednesday, April 29, and ask him or her to oppose a budget resolution that includes reconciliation instructions. 

This budget reconciliation process is utilized when Congress issues instructions or directives as part of the budget bill in order to legislate policy changes in mandatory spending (entitlements) or revenue programs (tax laws) to achieve the goals contemplated by the budget resolution. Basically, it is a way of “packaging” many different budgetary concerns. In a normal budgetary process, each budget area’s spending will be debated and considered in separate committees. This process allows Congress to consider the budget as a single entity, a sweeping economic program that gets accepted or rejected as a whole.

The hot topics in the annual budget this year are energy independence, education reform, and healthcare. Our concern is that we don’t yet know what the healthcare reform part of the budget will entail, and these decisions are too important to happen without careful consideration—or without health freedom advocates being able to weigh in on the issues so important to us.

Democrats currently hold 58 seats in the Senate, and most legislation needs 60 votes in order to pass. The budget reconciliation process, however, allows the Democrats to move forward with this economic package with a simple majority of 51 votes instead of the 60. 

“A reform of our healthcare system—a massive legislative undertaking that will impact every American—should be done through the normal debate and amendment process,” Sen. Judd Gregg (RNH) said in a statement. “To circumvent that process in favor of ramming through a partisan plan that needs only a simple majority to pass is a far cry from the bipartisanship that has been promised.”

As an organization that advocates for limited government interference in one’s healthcare decisions, we believe that healthcare reform is an item that unquestionably warrants open debate and extensive input from all stakeholders—which includes every American citizen. 

The use of the budget reconciliation process as a means to fast track healthcare reform—one of the most important issues facing our nation today—is about the most undemocratic maneuver a party could employ. 

Please contact your Senators and Representatives immediately to voice your opposition of using the budget reconciliation process for national healthcare reform.

https://secure3.convio.net/aahf/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=356

LNH