[twstws]

This is truly a wonderful story. But it makes you wonder how many others in a similar situation weren't so fortunate.

I lived in the US for two years, and I never understood the aversion to government healthcare. The Canadian system is far from perfect, and I know there are failures. But it's still a lot better than soliciting for online charity on a case by case basis.

I'm impressed and humbled that it worked in this case. Just a little disturbed that it was necessary at all.

[Klinky]

I am not sure this story is really about the need for socialized medicine. This is more about the need of specialist care and second opinions. If most doctors he saw determined that he most likely would not survive treatment, a socialized medical program may have very well denied payment for such treatments, and he would have had to resort to fundraising anyways.

Maybe if the system was flexible, nimble and could make judgement calls on the side of compassion, it might work, but this is difficult in both public or private sector institutions.

[twstws]

Good point. I do think the frequency of cases where the only option is private fund raising is much reduced under public systems.

[Crake]

When I was obviously ill and in pain in class the other day (I have some ongoing health issues), I had one of my classmates tell me that Obamacare was going to "destroy the entire country" (exact words) because people like me having health insurance would make doctors become underpaid. I mentioned that my health insurance paid $40,000+ to a certain hospital lately, and he complained that it all went to the hospital, not the doctors.

Then he went on some rant about how all the Canadians have to come down here for health care, and that was why you never hear of Canadians having surgery up there. I mentioned I had a Canadian friend who had a 3 part bowel surgery done recently, with very reasonable waiting times, and that of my several dozen Canadian friends, all but one was satisfied with their system, and he was just like, well, that's anecdotal, the statistics don't bear that out. That's not true at all, but he wouldn't hear of it.

Even before my health problems started, I was pro-single payer. But people like my classmate are everywhere, and seem to think that health care SHOULD be expensive and hard to get. It's inordinately cruel.

I've lived here all my life, but I'm actually moving out of state next month partially because my state's refusing to accept federal funds to cover my demographic next year, and I can't live without the medication I'm on. (Plus going to college out of state is cheaper than going to college in state (!). And they wonder why they have such a brain drain problem...)

[drpgq]

Would this have worked out in Canada? I'm not sure. This seems like a special case where the US system works better.