American/Canadian Health Care Costs

[Oscar]

American/Canadian Health Care Costs

April 17, 2009

To the Editor,

Total average health care costs for all Canadians are approximately $2500 annually [2007 figures].

Of that amount, about 70 per cent is paid by the federal and provincial governments through our Canadian Medicare programs. The remaining 30 per cent is borne by the person requiring care, or by other programs.

In the US, total average health care costs for all Americans are over $7000 annually [2007 reports].

This, of course, includes private health care insurance premiums. Despite that high average cost, 15 per cent of American citizens, about 45 million individuals - the majority of low or no income families - have no assured health care provisions.

During his campaign for the presidency, Barack Obama promised better health care for all Americans.

But, now, some influential Americans and corporations are telling President Obama that, due to this devastating recession, the American economy cannot afford to provide better health care services.

That, I would respectfully suggest, is unmitigated nonsense.

If your readers are interested in doing the math - that may be a little difficult; my calculator does not come with enough space for the number of zeros required - you may be surprised to find that, if the US adopted the Canadian Medicare system, even though it is not totally comprehensive or perfect, the US would have about 70 per cent of all their health care costs covered by federal and state programs.

By doing so, the American economy could save somewhere between $900 billion to $1 trillion dollars annually!

But, of course, the private health insurance and other private health care providers worrying about their profits would rise up and cry blue murder.

This, they would say, is socialism and will lead to communism etc., if not worse.

It is time to forget about poisonous labels, like left or right, capitalism or socialism, and simply judge a program on whether it works for people or works in the interests of investors.

The purpose of this letter is to ask your readers to consider the fact that there are influential Canadians and Americans, including powerful corporate interests - also involving military personel from both sides of the 49th parallel - who, for years, have been engaged in building the base to have our precious country Canada become part of the proposed NAU[North American Union].

We also know that our Prime-Minister, The Honourable Stephen Harper has, in the past, stated that he does favor American political policies.

Leo Kurtenbach,
Box 268, Cudworth, Sask., S0K 1B0
Phone 256 3638

[Oscar]

Health Care in the USA

August 28, 2009

To the Editor,

The dullness and deviousness of some interests in the American health care debate escapes rationality . . . or maybe just Canadian rationality.

Apparently there is not a single Samaritan in this group, where individual or corporate wealth allows them to buy for themselves top of the line health care from private insurance companies.

Heaven forbid that anyone in the US with an annual income of over $250,000, would be required to pay more than 28% of their net income to help fund a government plan, [the public option] that could provide basic health care to the 45 million Americans who presently do not have health insurance.

If private funding for health care insurance is such a good deal, then why not have the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the 700 to 800 American military basis in foreign countries funded by the private sector?

However, the US does have a private military force. It is named "Blackwater" and headed by one Eric Prince, And who funds this cadre of mercenaries? Of course, the American taxpayers.

Can you imagine that the Blackwater leaders had the unmitigated gall to suggest to the Bush administration that they, Blackwater, as a private military force could be more efficient and at less cost than the present US military forces and thereby save American taxpayers money?!

At a recent town hall meeting in the US on health care, a woman holding up a photo of President Obama with a Hitler moustache, confronted Congressman Barney Frank with the comment that America could not afford health care reform.

The exasperated Congressman responded, "Who do you think pays for our wars - Santa Claus?"

Leo Kurtenbach,
Box 268, Cudworth, Sask., S0K 1B0
Phone (306) 256 3638