Newfoundland premier travels to U.S. for heart surgery

Source: The Globe and Mail

The heart and soul of Newfoundland politics is in for repair – and it's not in his home province or even in Canada, for that matter.

Newfoundland Premier Danny Williams is scheduled for heart surgery in the United States, a move that throws into question his province's and his nation's health-care system.

A source confirmed to The Globe and Mail late Monday that Mr. Williams has left St. John's for an undisclosed destination in the U.S. to have heart surgery later in the week.

The 59-year-old Conservative left Monday morning, spokeswoman Elizabeth Matthews said, without disclosing his location. While some of his critics were tight-lipped Monday night, the online public questioned his exodus – why the care he needed was not available in Canada, or whether he preferred treatment in the U.S.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/danny-williams-travels-to-us-for-heart-surgery/article1452524/

Odd. Queue jumping with his dough.

Well, thousands of Americans are medical tourists, so I guess a Canadian here and there won't hurt

If you need it, you get it. Fast.

Williams CHOSE to go to the States. Why, I don't know.

His fellow Newfoundlanders will have some questions to ask the premier.

:shrug:

Under stringent guidelines of the federal Canada Health Act.

The funding is by the provinces, but there is federal legislation (The Canada Health Act) to set minimum standards and and supplemental federal funding for poorer provinces (transfer payments). Danny Williams could have had his surgery in Halifax, Montreal and Toronto and probably many other places. The issue is not where one multimillionaire chooses to spend his money to get health care. The issue is that the average person in Canada has far better health care than a comparable American has. The average Canadian (i.e.non millionaires) would never touch inferior American insurance-run and rationed health care with a ten foot pole and similarly, never want such an inferior American style insurance-run and rationed system for Canada. Depending on the poll you look at, 92% to 97% of Canadians want to maintain the single payer system we have now, and a similar number would NEVER touch an American style insurance-run and rationed health care system.

He doesn't take a salary as Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.

... as in 12 to 24 hrs, if need be. I know, because five people I've worked with over the last few years have all had major heart surgery in VERY SHORT periods of time.

We have two major hospitals in my city (Victoria):

Victoria General, and the Royal Jubilee. The RJH handles all of the heart surgery.

And only that long because the cardiologist wanted to stabilize her, thinking that she would likely die on the table if they didn't take time to stabilize her further. She lived 10 years a month and a week after the bypass and died of congestive heart failure at age 82.

who woulda thought?

+1

And economically unsustainable. He's grandstanding
as all Canadian Conservatives do on social issues
and especially social programs like Universal Health
Care which they have always viewed as socialist.

There is no limit on 'Tory cynicism'. And like a poster said upthread, these empty gestures only highlight the differences between public health and private interests.

.

when they can buy a perfectly good Cadillac?

Choice..and of course he has a political agenda too..

health care system of Canada into question?

Nope, no agenda here.

The truth is that the average Canadian (excluding a millionaire or two) has far better health care in Canada than a comparable American has in the US.

:rofl:

The Canadian health system will usually pay for treatment in the US if it can't be obtained in Canada.

I had a friend who used to work OB/GYN in a hospital in Buffalo and she said usually 25% of her patients were from Canada, all paid by the Canadian Medicare.

Where they lived was closer to Buffalo than it was to Toronto, and so, much less cost to get to Buffalo than to go to Toronto. It likely was totally determined by distance, not quality.

According to my friend, it was that, plus a space issue. They did not have any beds at their local hospital, and it was closer to Buffalo than Toronto, so they sent them to Buffalo.

a move that throws into question his province's and his nation's health-care system....bwhahahahahahaa....what horse-doo-doo

Despite the fact that Danny Williams is a Premier and a multimillionaire, he is just one Canadian, and depending on the poll, 92% to 97% of Canadians would never touch US insurance-run health care or want inferior American-style health care, run and rationed by insurance company bureaucrats to have any place in Canada.

looks like a cool place.


Just kidding, but that show IS crazy funny (in a sophomoric, almost American way).

And the average non millionaire Canadian has far better health care than a comparable American has.

This is coming from someone who lived in the US for seven years and has used both American and Canadian health care. There is no question in my mind that Canadian health care is far better than American health care for the average (middle class or especially lower class) person.

This is out in the boonies of Saskatchewan. Not sure why Williams is going to the USA,when there are plenty of heart specialists in Canada.