[Ipg-smz] Medicare

[Marcel Gagne]

I live in Canada. We have universal health care. 15 years ago, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer during my physical. The doctor felt around my neck and asked,"How long has this been here?" to which I replied, "How long has what been there." A week later, I was getting tested at the hospital with radioactive tracers, followed by more ultrasound tests, followed by a visit to an oncologist who took a biopsy of my neck by inserting a needle in my throat. 

"Hold still, Marcel. This will only take a minute."

For the record, when someone inserts a needle in your neck, you hold still. Perfectly still.

A week or two later, I had the results. Thyroid cancer. We discussed options, and in less than three months since my physical, I was being wheeled in to the operating room to have my thyroid removed by an awesome surgeon. A few weeks after later, I went in to a leaded isolation room for radioactive iodine therapy where I spent three days without human contact while the radioactive iodine killed off any thyroid cancer cells stupid to have around. 

Then, over the course of several years, I had numerous additional tests, blood tests, ultrasounds, and regular visits with oncologists, and more. Two years ago, I was declared officially cancer free after a final round of tests. 

Total bill handed me for all these procedures was $0. Because, in Canada, as in many civilized countries throughout the world, we have universal health care. Don't tell me it's baloney or a myth waiting to be busted. Universal health care is what civilized nations do to take care of their citizens.

-- 
Marcel Gagné
Writer and Free Thinker at Large
Note: This massagee wos nat speel or gramer-checkered.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Christine Hall" <christine at fossforce.com>
To: "ipg-smz" <ipg-smz at netpress.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 26, 2019 10:58:41 AM
Subject: Re: [Ipg-smz] Medicare

This is getting political, but that's not true. Social security fell 
apart when the funds kept being used to fund other services.

Christine Hall
Publisher & Editor
FOSS Force: Keeping tech free
http://fossforce.com

On 6/26/19 9:43 AM, Stephen Satchell wrote:
> On 6/25/19 8:04 PM, Kishore Jethanandani wrote:
>> This idea of universal care or Medicare-for-all is such baloney--a myth
>> waiting to be busted.
> 
> One size does NOT fit all.  In some respects, we have baked
> communisism/socialism into government institutions with the idea that
> "if you make more, you can pay more" instead of charging a flat fee
> (tax) for services.  Social Security went further -- it was a Ponzi
> scheme that fell apart when the Baby Boomers came of retirement age on
> one hand, and the raiding of the trust fund by Congress on the other.
> 
> Reminds me of unions and pension funds -- "the money was just sitting
> there."
> 
> Minimum wage?  What a bad idea.  How about "minimum profit
> participation" instead?
> 

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