According to new polling by Gallup done after President Barack Obama’s health care address, six in ten Americans say Obama’s proposal, if enacted, would not achieve his goals of expanding coverage to nearly all Americans without raising taxes on the middle class or lowering the quality of health care. President Barack Obama says his health care plan will not lead to government rationing of health care, but government run health care systems around the world have had to control costs by doing just that. One way governments are forced to ration care is by delaying treatment. In Canada alone, there are an estimated 875,000 Canadians currently on the waiting list for referrals to specialists or for medical procedures.
But Canadians still have some options. In 2003, Timely Medical Alternatives Inc. was formed to help Canadians, take personal responsibility for their own medical care and “Leave the queue”. Depending on the province, TMI can sometimes find private health care services in Canada, but not in all provinces and not for all services. TMI advertises to British Columbia residents:
We are able to facilitate virtually any medical procedure at one of our partner hospitals in the U.S.. Typical U.S. referrals include cancer biopsies/treatment, hip/knee/shoulder joint replacement, spinal surgery, sleep disorder studies, advanced pain management, cardiac procedures including angioplasties, ablation and by-pass surgeries. All of these procedures are available through Timely Medical, at first rate medical facilities in Washington State.
TMI even reassures their Canadian clients they will feel right at home in the US:
We have identified a highly rated hospital (one of the top 100 in the country) which is owned by the Catholic Sisters of Peace (originally founded in Nottingham England). They built this hospital in Washington State in 1890 and it has been in continuous operation since that date. Significantly, this is a not-for-profit organization. And, unlike most US hospitals, they know how to make a proper pot of tea! In other areas of the country, we have referral agreements in place with equally rated hospital in near-border cities.
They even make tea!
We just hope that under Obamacare an American version of TMI will find a hospital somewhere in the world that can make a good cup of coffee.
