[Newsbot]

Title: 'How do you not try'': B.C. man sells everything to pay for surgery in U.S. | CTV News
Category: Health
Posted By: Robair
Date: 2015-11-12 07:10:04
Canadian

[Freakinoldguy]

Another win for our "free" Medicare system. But, here's a question. Why is this gentleman paying 250K for a surgery that a woman got 3 years ago for 100K. Seems to me he's being assraped by the American system as well as the Canadian one.

[Thanos]

Because we're going to being doing other things with the money like pay $135K each to settle Syrian "refugees"?

[DrCaleb]

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:

Another win for our "free" Medicare system. But, here's a question. Why is this gentleman paying 250K for a surgery that a woman got 3 years ago for 100K. Seems to me he's being assraped by the American system as well as the Canadian one.

It's our population that's the problem. Many conditions are so rare that any Doctor specializing in them wouldn't get enough cases per year to earn a living. With the US population being ten times ours, rare conditions are that much more common.

Normally our system pays their doctors to perform on our patients in such circumstances. It the failure of our system to pay for these surgeries, and the nature of the US system to 'charge all the market will bear'.

[andyt]

The failure seems to be that our doctors don't think the operation is warranted, and that they won't refer him to a neurosurgeon for a final word. The first is understandable, the second inexcusable. It's not as straightforward as our system won't pay. I think we all agree we don't want our system to pay for surgeries that are not indicated.

[DrCaleb]

andyt andyt:

The failure seems to be that our doctors don't think the operation is warranted, and that they won't refer him to a neurosurgeon for a final word. The first is understandable, the second inexcusable. It's not as straightforward as our system won't pay. I think we all agree we don't want our system to pay for surgeries that are not indicated.

Quite true. But this guy's pain is real. If our system fails to address his pain, then his only recourse is to do what he feels best.

[BartSimpson]

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:

Another win for our "free" Medicare system. But, here's a question. Why is this gentleman paying 250K for a surgery that a woman got 3 years ago for 100K. Seems to me he's being assraped by the American system as well as the Canadian one.

He's paying $250k in order that Democrat voters (and illegal aliens from Latin America) in the US can get free healthcare.

See, someone has to pay for all that free healthcare and now you know a name that goes along with that particular fact.

[andyt]

DrCaleb DrCaleb:

andyt andyt:

The failure seems to be that our doctors don't think the operation is warranted, and that they won't refer him to a neurosurgeon for a final word. The first is understandable, the second inexcusable. It's not as straightforward as our system won't pay. I think we all agree we don't want our system to pay for surgeries that are not indicated.

Quite true. But this guy's pain is real. If our system fails to address his pain, then his only recourse is to do what he feels best.

We should allow him to see a neurosurgeon for final word. The thing is, some conditions just don't have a solution. The question is how far the public system should go to try any treatment, even if the likelihood of success is very slim. I think this would apply even in a private system - the insurers won't just pay for anything and everything. I'm torn between the anecdotal evidence of others who have found relief from this operation, and the word of doctors who have no reason to deny the surgery unless it's really not effective.

Maybe he should try psilocybin before he embarks on this venture? There are people with migraines who have had good success with that.

[BeaverFever]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Freakinoldguy Freakinoldguy:

Another win for our "free" Medicare system. But, here's a question. Why is this gentleman paying 250K for a surgery that a woman got 3 years ago for 100K. Seems to me he's being assraped by the American system as well as the Canadian one.

He's paying $250k in order that Democrat voters (and illegal aliens from Latin America) in the US can get free healthcare.

See, someone has to pay for all that free healthcare and now you know a name that goes along with that particular fact.

That doesn't make sense Bart. If Obamacare provides insurance to more people, then doctors and hospitals will have more customers and make more money, not less, and prices would go down.

[housewife]

andyt andyt:

We should allow him to see a neurosurgeon for final word. The thing is, some conditions just don't have a solution. The question is how far the public system should go to try any treatment, even if the likelihood of success is very slim. I think this would apply even in a private system - the insurers won't just pay for anything and everything. I'm torn between the anecdotal evidence of others who have found relief from this operation, and the word of doctors who have no reason to deny the surgery unless it's really not effective.

Maybe he should try psilocybin before he embarks on this venture? There are people with migraines who have had good success with that.

Doctors may have no reason to deny that you can see but really unless your lucky and have a good one they don't seem to care for learning the why. Why bother figuring it out when you can write a script and have them out the door in 5.

Is that a problem with how they are trained? how our system is run? or something completely different who knows