Man up BCAA
By Melvin J. Howard
It didn’t take long for BCAA to cave in from the labour unions for a plan to offer private medical insurance http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.htmlid=f551ce2b-dfed-4afd-99a0-c2d877a8b22f. The 800,000 members of the B.C. Automobile Association (BCAA) were being offered a chance to purchase Canada's first "medical access" insurance. The insurance would have let them get expedited medical treatment in private Canadian, Washington state or other U.S. clinics if they are put on a 45-day or longer wait list. According to the B.C. Health Ministry's surgical waiting list website, there about 75,000 B.C. residents waiting for non-emergency or non-urgent (elective) surgery, many of them for far longer than 45 days. Hate to say it but BCAA you should have consulted me first. To bad I thought it was a good plan get your fender fixed and get a hip replacement. That tells me a lot about the state of affairs when a automobile association is trying to help its clients with its health care needs. If things don’t change soon I am afraid Quebec is going to get crowded with Canadians flocking to the Province seeking health care. That’s because in June 9, 2005, the high court struck down a Quebec law that prohibited people from buying private health insurance to cover procedures already offered by the public system.
"Access to a waiting list is not access to health care," two of the justices wrote in their decision. The Quebec and federal governments asked the high court to suspend its ruling for 18 months. Less than two months after its initial ruling, the court agreed to suspend its decision for 12 months, retroactive to June 9, 2005.
In the provincial government's response in February 2006, Premier Jean Cherest said the private sector could play a role in health care in Quebec, but said he remained committed to public health care. He also said Quebec will introduce guaranteed wait times for procedures including some radiation treatments and cardiac surgery, as well as knee and hip replacements and cataract operations.
The unions say they don’t want two-tier medicine can someone please explain that one to me? Is it two-tier when a person gets injured on the job and WCB pays for them to go to a private clinic to get diagnostic tests done? Or if a policeman, RCMP officer gets hurt on the job and WCB sends him to a private clinic to get MRI done. Oh it must be this when military personnel get hurt doing manoeuvres they get flown to the states to get immediate medical attention. No no I got it now it must be when a Canadian pro hockey player, football player or NBA player gets surgery done at a private surgical center. Instead of waiting for 2 to 3 months for treatment. See how ridiculous that sounds the reason it does is because the longer these folks go without treatment the more it costs society in the long run yes even the professional athlete. If the team owner has to many players out for medical reasons what do you think is going to happen to ticket sales? Can you imagine Canada without hockey I don’t think so. Or the really big question is it two-tier for members of parliament to get their treatment right away. Instead of waiting in the hospital line-up of course not who would run the country.
To me two-tier is a made up word to spread fear because when you ask people what it means they really don’t know believe me I have debated this issue for years. I have kept quiet on the sidelines and watched how politics have been played back and forth with this issue. Listen no health care system is perfect just like humans there will be flaws. But using fear tactics to keep the status quo is playing God. Nobody really thinks about health care until they need it but when you need it you need it. I got into health care because I wanted to help people and I have done that. Until you had somebody that has called you to help them to get treatment outside of the country because the facilities are not available it becomes personal.You work day and night to make sure they get the treatment they need. But the downside is when you get the call that they waited to long through no fault of their own so they are sent home to die. With the downturn in the global economy how much more money do you think federal governments can pump into health care? My NAFTA issue is an important one. Because for the first time some serious issues will be addressed on a international level. I am not only an investor but I am deeply passionate about health care the world over. From India to Romania, Spain, Bulgaria, Hungry, Africa I have consulted in health care. This is not only about health care it’s also about trade fair trade free trade. Which hasn’t been and here is just one example I received a letter from the Mayors office in the City of Parksville endorsing the proposed hospital we were building. I even met with the Health Authority. We even started a feasibility study you make click on the link to view a copy http://sites.google.com/site/thehowardgroupagenda/ what do you think happened? Well you will have to wait because that’s the juicy part!
