Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Just how powerful is government health care?

It is so powerful, it can force even Canada to stop being nice:
An elderly couple that has called Canada home for years is now under orders to leave the country, so they won't be a burden to the health-care system.

Michael and Janet Hollingsworth decided to move to Canada from Britain, after visiting their daughter in Saskatchewan in 2006 and 2007.

In 2012, they settled in Havelock, N.B., where they quickly grew to love their new community.

...

But now they may have to leave.

About a year-and-a-half ago, Michael's kidneys failed, and when they re-applied for a new visitor's visa, they were denied.
"(On) Christmas Eve, we received it in the mail stating that because of his health and everything else they wouldn't grant us a visitor's visa and we were to leave Canada immediately," Janet said.
If the government pays, this sort of thing is probably inevitable.  Way to go, "compassionate" Canada!

Bootnote: I only snark at Canada because so many people up there like to tell us how backwards and uncompassionate we are because we don't (yet) have national health care.  Sure, our system has problems (as they so often point out).  But if "Government is the things we choose to do together" then all y'all are choosing to throw an old, sick man out of your country because he's old and sick.  Not nice.  There's quite a difference between a sin of omission and a sin of commission.

(via)

4 comments:

Brad said...

As far as I can see, they are in Canada illegally. They have been abusing tourist visas for years; they have never officially lived in Canada.

If they wanted to live there, they should have long since applied for a residency permit. Really, why should Canada pay for the guy's dialysis, when he's not a resident?

Rev. Paul said...

So if Canada's system is so wonderful, then why have their residents been coming to the U.S. for care, for years?

Oh. Right.

Glen Filthie said...

Hmpffff.

Our dedicated Canadian commies and socialists will still defend the Canadian system but anyone with an IQ over freezing is watching it implode.

5 years ago if you needed to see your doctor over a routine matter you booked an appointment and went to see him. Today you will spend AT LEAST two hours in the waiting room and probably more. Things must be really bad if they are finally sending immigrants back home for care. It was inevitable...but even I didn't expect the system to crumble this fast. I have no sympathy for the people in question, they paid nothing into the system and shouldn't be allowed to take full benefit from it. Stuff like this is why our system is crumbling in the first place.

As a Canukistani I've seen Americans singing the praises of our system (usually democrats shilling for Obamacare) - and I want to club them with a clue bat.

In another 5 years the horror stories you hear about the NHS in the UK will be commonplace here. If you Yanks were smart, you would get a good grip on Obama care and shove it straight up the same hole it came out of.

Anonymous said...

Canada can only afford national health care because our country is right accros the border and we have a law that says our emergency rooms cannot turn anyone away, even if their ambulance comes from canada. They can have waiting lists for hospital procedures because anyone with money can bypass that and get what they want, when they want it over here. They can pay below market prices for drugs because we pay the drug companies above market rates. Without us paying for it, there are no new drugs.

Let them be truely independent and then talk to us about their health care. And while we are at it, let's mention how they are getting a free ride on national defense. being next to us means never having to worry about being invaded.