DebateGate
General Category => 3DHS => Topic started by: sirs on February 02, 2010, 11:29:52 AM
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N.L. Premier Williams set to have heart surgery in U.S.
Kenyon Wallace, National Post
Published: Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams will undergo heart surgery later this week in the United States.
Mr. Williams, 59, has said nothing of his health in the media. The premier's press secretary confirmed the report Monday evening.
Deputy premier Kathy Dunderdale confirmed the treatment at a news conference Tuesday, but would not reveal the location of the operation or how it would be paid for.
Ms. Dunderdale will become acting premier while Williams is away. He is expected to be away from four to six weeks.
For many, the Premier's need for heart surgery comes as a surprise, especially in light of the fact he is an avid hockey player and has shown no outward signs of illness as of late.
On Friday, Mr. Williams met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper and while speaking to reporters seemed healthy and in good spirits.
A decision to leave Canada for the surgery, especially if it is available here, raises questions about the Premier's confidence in Newfoundland's health care system.
But why would he possibly be coming here?? Hmmmmm (http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2510700)
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Well, obviously he's coming here to highlight the poor medical conditions that all Americans face. Call it a junket.
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ahhh, that has to be it. Taking it to the nth level by demonstrating just how bad it is, by actually undergoing Cardiac Surgery. Sneaky tactic, that socialist bastard. Thanks for the clarity, Ami. ;)
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where will he go IF obamacare happens?
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maybe not.
wouldn`t the real question be can americans get heart surgury too.
on the issue of healthcare the subject of quality is NOT the only issue,access is the primary drive behind UHC.
but on the subject of quality isn`t cuba ahead of us?
people do go on medical vacation there.
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My guess is that the surgery is elective, ie non emergency. And he can get it done faster here.
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But....Tee says that's the "grace" of UHC. Everyone has to get in line. If you have to wait months, if not years for an "elective/non-emergent" surgery, you should. Right?
Should not the Premier being setting an example of such a superior system?
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Not if he is willing to pay the surcharge to get it done here.
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So he shouldn't be setting an example for his people. Is that what you're implying?
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He is, isn't he?
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thiers no surcharge for him to get it.
but an interest point.
how does he pay for it?
canada system does not cover this at all.
he`s like the 2nd guys I`ve heard to get medical care in the states, but the issue of payment is never brought up
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He pays for it out of pocket, or he has coverage other than the Canadian Health system. And that is the surcharge i was referring to.
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He is, isn't he?
Ahhhhh.........sneaky little closet capitalist bastard ;)
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if the dude is paying it out of his pocket , then how is it anyones problem?
and if it`s a private plan that`s covering it.
then still it`s not an issue since lots of americans get flown over seas by thier insurance companies for cheaper and more ADVANCE medical care.
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You do grasp the irony here, right Kimba? ;)
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yeah, just I won`t fall for the whose better scenerio .
it`s simply the wrong approach.
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So, neither is "better"? They're both equal, in your eyes?
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equal no
but to say which is better is wrong also.
it gives the false impression one has no problems big enough to be addressed.
we`re talking about concepts here that directly effect our health here.
stating which is better will only mean using the lesser of 2 evil instead actually trying to solved the problem as best as we can.
I truely believe we can do alot better than the path we`re on right now.
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equal no but to say which is better is wrong also. it gives the false impression one has no problems big enough to be addressed.
*snicker*...I whole heartedly disagree. If one examines, very carefully, x & y, I see no reason why one can't make a judgement as to which is better, for them. It doesn't ignore the flaws of which is better. It in fact, takes that into account, when making a final assessment
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but that assumes (generally speaking) people are smart enough to do what you just stated.
I just don`t see it at this moment with all this polarization of parties going on.
individually I agree many people are smart and responsible but in group terms the bar gets lower ALOT.
I not only don`t want to pick sides, I want them to do it all over again and try to get it right
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I not only don`t want to pick sides, I want them to do it all over again and try to get it right
So true. If it is that critical, then do it right.
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'My heart, my choice,' Williams says, defending decision for U.S. heart surgery
By Tara Brautigam
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.
"I did not sign away my right to get the best possible health care for myself when I entered politics."
The 60-year-old Williams said doctors detected a heart murmur last spring and told him that one of his heart valves wasn't closing properly, creating a leakage.
He said he was told at the time that the problem was "moderate" and that he should come back for a checkup in six months.
Eight months later, in December, his doctors told him the problem had become severe and urged him to get his valve repaired immediately or risk heart failure, he said.
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.
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.
"(But) this is not a unique phenomenon to me. This is something that happens with lots of families throughout this country, so I make no apologies for that."
Williams said his decision to go to the U.S. did not reflect any lack of faith in his own province's health care system.
"I have the utmost confidence in our own health care system in Newfoundland and Labrador, but we are just over half a million people," he said.
"We do whatever we can to provide the best possible health care that we can in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Canadian health care system has a great reputation, but this is a very specialized piece of surgery that had to be done and I went to somebody who's doing this three or four times a day, five, six days a week."
He quipped that he had "a heart of a 40-year-old, so that gives me 20 years new life," and said he intends to run in the next provincial election in 2011.
"I'm probably going to be around for a long time, hopefully, if God willing," he said.
"God forbid for the Canadian public I won't be around longer than ever."
Williams also said he paid for the treatment, but added he would seek any refunds he would be eligible for in Canada.
"If I'm entitled to any reimbursement from any Canadian health care system or any provincial health care system, then obviously I will apply for that as anybody else would," he said.
"But I wrote out the cheque myself and paid for it myself and to this point, I haven't even looked into the possibility of any reimbursement. I don't know what I'm entitled to, if anything, and if it's nothing, then so be it."
He is expected back at work in early March.
How dare he make his own decisions.....the bastard (http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5h0QC7bditrEb3wYz_6_b-gsGGDxA)
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But I wrote out the cheque myself and paid for it myself and to this point, I haven't even looked into the possibility of any reimbursement.
would the question be ,can any americans be able to write that check also?
meaning can they afford to get that procedure.
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Begs the follow-up question.....does every American have a right to such a procedure?