The friend who wrote this letter was passionate about finding ways to tell this story to as many US citizens as possible. I couldn’t bring myself to delete it.
My friends,
In the US there is a battle raging about health care. In the wake of my dad’s death a month ago, I compiled a letter highlighting a little of the fantastic health care that he received here in Victoria. In memoriam for Colin Scobie, read this, and if you could fan this out to your American friends who just might be wondering whether or not a more socially equitable form of health care might work for their country, I’d appreciate that. My dad was a great guy right up until the last few weeks, always willing to give “life” a chance. Maybe this letter could make a difference for someone else down the road.
Best wishes to all my friends,
Connie
“My dad died a few weeks ago, July 25/09, at the ripe old age of 86, in Victoria, B.C., Canada. He had a great life as a pharmacist in Canada, and paid his monthly dues into our health system. For him and my mom, it cost $96 a month these last few years, less previously. So what do you get for $96 a month in Canada? Here's my Dad's medical history.
Starting back when he was a teenager in Saskatchewan before Medicare, his dad traded mechanical work on the doctor's car for dad's acute appendix operation. Canada's first health insurance plan began in Saskatchewan in 1962 and for all of Canada in 1969--over the hysterical opposition of the CMA and private health insurers in and of course their American twins.
Dad was in his young adult years then and in great health. Along came middle age, and odd-ball problems, specifically for dad, a benign testicular tumor, treated easily with surgery.
The next health scare was way more serious, colon cancer in about 1985 when he was still youngish at 62 or so. Successfully treated with radiation and chemotherapy and followed by our Canadian Cancer Agency, at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, dad had pretty good health for a while. Then he developed painful kidney stones which necessitated some more time in hospital while they passed.
My friends,
In the US there is a battle raging about health care. In the wake of my dad’s death a month ago, I compiled a letter highlighting a little of the fantastic health care that he received here in Victoria. In memoriam for Colin Scobie, read this, and if you could fan this out to your American friends who just might be wondering whether or not a more socially equitable form of health care might work for their country, I’d appreciate that. My dad was a great guy right up until the last few weeks, always willing to give “life” a chance. Maybe this letter could make a difference for someone else down the road.
Best wishes to all my friends,
Connie
“My dad died a few weeks ago, July 25/09, at the ripe old age of 86, in Victoria, B.C., Canada. He had a great life as a pharmacist in Canada, and paid his monthly dues into our health system. For him and my mom, it cost $96 a month these last few years, less previously. So what do you get for $96 a month in Canada? Here's my Dad's medical history.
Starting back when he was a teenager in Saskatchewan before Medicare, his dad traded mechanical work on the doctor's car for dad's acute appendix operation. Canada's first health insurance plan began in Saskatchewan in 1962 and for all of Canada in 1969--over the hysterical opposition of the CMA and private health insurers in and of course their American twins.
Dad was in his young adult years then and in great health. Along came middle age, and odd-ball problems, specifically for dad, a benign testicular tumor, treated easily with surgery.
The next health scare was way more serious, colon cancer in about 1985 when he was still youngish at 62 or so. Successfully treated with radiation and chemotherapy and followed by our Canadian Cancer Agency, at Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, dad had pretty good health for a while. Then he developed painful kidney stones which necessitated some more time in hospital while they passed.
He had some great years rediscovering his love of motorcycle riding, then had a major accident and was almost killed. The orthopedic surgeons did a fine job of putting together his femur, however it didn't take, and over the next few years he had various bone patches, a rod, and eventually needed one hip replaced - that was after another fall off a smaller motorbike.
Somewhere along there he developed the inevitable bane of older men, prostate problems - so he had a TUPR and did well. Eye problems were next, macular degeneration, also necessitating numerous out-patient visits to the hospital for expert evaluation with world-class ophthalmologists.
Then he decided that since motor-cycle riding was out (mom sold the bike while he was in hospital the second or third time) - he went to a bicycle and then fell off it, and fractured 5 ribs - another hospital admission.
The last two years were more of the same - he found he had difficulty with recurrent urinary tract infections, usually not a problem in men. After extensive tests he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, plus in the course of the X-Rays and so on, his major blood vessel going down from the heart to the legs, the aorta, was found to have an aneurysm in it - an AAA. If it bursts you die, so after the bladder cancer was reamed out, in the summer he had major cardiac/abdominal surgery & had the AAA repaired. After that they had him in acute care for 3 weeks, then rehab for 4 weeks, then geriatric rehab after that where he learned to walk, dress, get up for meals etc. - all in the very decent, wonderfully-staffed hospital in my city of Victoria.
That was last summer. This winter, the bladder cancer came back, then dad had a TIA (transient ischemic attack - or a mini-stoke) - so then he had work-up after work-up, EEG, ECG, CT scan and MRI of the head, and 24-hr Holter monitor to check out his heart. He was in to the emergency department many times for bladder-related problems, culminating in a bladder removal surgery May 10/09 for a modified ileal-conduit repair. Post-op he had every complication known to man, but was wonderfully supported by the whole health-care team until the surgery eventually healed well. Dad just couldn't get his Mojo back though, and after again, numerous cat scans, X-rays, drainages, therapy, ... the final CT scan revealed lung metastases secondary to his very aggressive bladder cancer – a cell type which wouldn’t respond to chemotherapy, and he died a few days later.
So what did he get for his $96 a month? Terrific family physicians, amazing specialists, and from dedicated and caring nurses, top quality everything.
Dad never had to worry about hospital coverage, lab test coverage, the only thing was drug costs where he had to pay up to his deductible as he didn't have extra drug plan coverage. He certainly never had to worry about losing his house.
It all works because everyone pays into the same medical plan from which no profit needs to be extracted, so the cost for each Canadian is modest because the cost shared by all, monthly premiums in some provinces, or from higher taxes as in Ontario. This may not mean much to young people, but soon enough most will appreciate as my Dad did that the insurance is available when you need it, or in the case of my own little newborn patients, when you’re very young and vulnerable.
My Dad was a funny, happy man, and would appreciate it if his long story of health battles could be used so that someone else could get the care that they need. Medicare is the one social policy and government program approved by a huge majority of Canadians across the political spectrum. My Dad's story illustrates just why.”
Connie Harris, Pharm.D
Perinatal Clinical Pharmacist
Victoria General Hospital,
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
conieh@shaw.ca
Somewhere along there he developed the inevitable bane of older men, prostate problems - so he had a TUPR and did well. Eye problems were next, macular degeneration, also necessitating numerous out-patient visits to the hospital for expert evaluation with world-class ophthalmologists.
Then he decided that since motor-cycle riding was out (mom sold the bike while he was in hospital the second or third time) - he went to a bicycle and then fell off it, and fractured 5 ribs - another hospital admission.
The last two years were more of the same - he found he had difficulty with recurrent urinary tract infections, usually not a problem in men. After extensive tests he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, plus in the course of the X-Rays and so on, his major blood vessel going down from the heart to the legs, the aorta, was found to have an aneurysm in it - an AAA. If it bursts you die, so after the bladder cancer was reamed out, in the summer he had major cardiac/abdominal surgery & had the AAA repaired. After that they had him in acute care for 3 weeks, then rehab for 4 weeks, then geriatric rehab after that where he learned to walk, dress, get up for meals etc. - all in the very decent, wonderfully-staffed hospital in my city of Victoria.
That was last summer. This winter, the bladder cancer came back, then dad had a TIA (transient ischemic attack - or a mini-stoke) - so then he had work-up after work-up, EEG, ECG, CT scan and MRI of the head, and 24-hr Holter monitor to check out his heart. He was in to the emergency department many times for bladder-related problems, culminating in a bladder removal surgery May 10/09 for a modified ileal-conduit repair. Post-op he had every complication known to man, but was wonderfully supported by the whole health-care team until the surgery eventually healed well. Dad just couldn't get his Mojo back though, and after again, numerous cat scans, X-rays, drainages, therapy, ... the final CT scan revealed lung metastases secondary to his very aggressive bladder cancer – a cell type which wouldn’t respond to chemotherapy, and he died a few days later.
So what did he get for his $96 a month? Terrific family physicians, amazing specialists, and from dedicated and caring nurses, top quality everything.
Dad never had to worry about hospital coverage, lab test coverage, the only thing was drug costs where he had to pay up to his deductible as he didn't have extra drug plan coverage. He certainly never had to worry about losing his house.
It all works because everyone pays into the same medical plan from which no profit needs to be extracted, so the cost for each Canadian is modest because the cost shared by all, monthly premiums in some provinces, or from higher taxes as in Ontario. This may not mean much to young people, but soon enough most will appreciate as my Dad did that the insurance is available when you need it, or in the case of my own little newborn patients, when you’re very young and vulnerable.
My Dad was a funny, happy man, and would appreciate it if his long story of health battles could be used so that someone else could get the care that they need. Medicare is the one social policy and government program approved by a huge majority of Canadians across the political spectrum. My Dad's story illustrates just why.”
Connie Harris, Pharm.D
Perinatal Clinical Pharmacist
Victoria General Hospital,
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
conieh@shaw.ca
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