Tens of thousands of Canadians died waiting for medical care in the past year: report

[Fiendish Thingy]

23. Did you bother to check the original source of the study?

Second Street is a Canadian conservative think tank- check out the bios of their board members, as well as the front page of the website featuring a puff piece on Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s disastrous, hate mongering policies.

Critical thinking requires the following questions be asked:

The people who died while on waitlists- what was their cause of death? Was it related to the reason they were on the waitlist, or were they in their 80’s, or in a car crash?

Also, how many people’s lives were saved who would otherwise have died without treatment?

And for comparison’s sake, how many Americans die each year from being uninsured, denied healthcare or deferring care because the costs are too high?

My experience in BC (both personally and professionally, as a retired therapist who worked for the health authority) is that, at least in Urban areas, life threatening issues such stroke, cancer and heart disease are dealt with in a timely manner, especially once a diagnosis is confirmed. Quality of life issues, such as joint replacement surgeries, typically have the longest wait times.

Of course, the Canadian Healthcare system has much room for improvement (which citizens are taking into their own hands by stealing, er, recruiting doctors and other healthcare professionals from the US), but having had experience with both systems, personally and professionally (and I had a “Cadillac” plan from my last US employer), I would take the Canadian system without question.

Just a reminder to always consider the source, as well as the methodology when reading about any study that makes claims of conclusive fact.