The one thing everyone in America is agreed upon is that the Americans have an awful health care system, while the Canadians have an admirable and desirable one.

Or perhaps not:

An unapologetic Danny Williams says he was aware his trip to the United States for heart surgery earlier this month would spark outcry, but he concluded his personal health trumped any public fallout over the controversial decision.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Williams said he went to Miami to have a “minimally invasive” surgery for an ailment first detected nearly a year ago, based on the advice of his doctors.

“This was my heart, my choice and my health,” Williams said late Monday from his condominium in Sarasota, Fla.

And of course, this is perfectly true. But as usual, we have a dripping wet “progressive” who decrees how everyone else has to live their lives, while blithely using their surfeit of taxpayer-extorted funds to live their own lives the way they want to.

“I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics.”

No, you didn’t. But I’m quite sure you’ve moved heaven and earth to sign that right away from everyone else.

But it’s all so very curious. I had been led to believe that Canadian health care really was outstanding. So what could those awful Americans, with their hideously expensive health care system, offer him that he couldn’t get in Canada?

His doctors in Canada presented him with two options – a full or partial sternotomy, both of which would’ve required breaking bones, he said.

He said he spoke with and provided his medical information to a leading cardiac surgeon in New Jersey who is also from Newfoundland and Labrador. He advised him to seek treatment at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami.

That’s where he was treated by Dr. Joseph Lamelas, a cardiac surgeon who has performed more than 8,000 open-heart surgeries.

Williams said Lamelas made an incision under his arm that didn’t require any bone breakage.

“I wanted to get in, get out fast, get back to work in a short period of time,” the premier said.

And that’s fair enough. But curious that the awful Americans have a better procedure and the state-governed Canadians still do things the old fashioned way.

Williams said he didn’t announce his departure south of the border because he didn’t want to create “a media gong show,” but added that criticism would’ve followed him had he chose to have surgery in Canada.

“I would’ve been criticized if I had stayed in Canada and had been perceived as jumping a line or a wait list. … I accept that. That’s public life,” he said.

He’s not bothering to deny that he would have jumped the queue. Much like a certain Tony Blair did.

Once again, it’s clearly one rule for us, quite another for them.

1
bil February 27, 2010 at 18:59

Hmm, have to correct the the assertion in the first para re Canada’s health service.

Used to work for a Canadian (BlackBerry actually), and not one of my Canadian colleagues had a good thing to say about their health service. Almost all wished they had a private health system closer to the American than the NHS.

Should point out that there is no notion of private health care in Canada. It is all provided by the State. So the rest of your story should be viewed with that context. A queue jumper in Canada using private health services is seen in significantly worse light in Canada than someone in this country would be viewed using private health care.

Bugger, did I just stick up for Bliar?