We can get free sex changes here and pay millions of dollars for certain unemployed people to visit, but health insurance doesn’t cover dental, wisdom teeth (something nearly everyone gets done), chiropractors (very important!), and most drugs and health aids. This country is not a monarchy, and we need our priorities straightened out.
—Kars
This article appears in Nov 26 – Dec 2, 2009.
Free sex changes – really?! I’d so use that info the next time someone asks me for spare change.
Actually sex reassignment surgery is not covered – it’s not ‘free’ by any means. Although even if it were, it’s not less legitimate than other health concerns. Why do you have to pick on the trans people?
Ohnogogo: exactly.
I’m afraid that I have no idead what the OP is talking about re: “millions of dollars for certain unemployed people to visit”. Could someone enlighten me?
jennier – I think OP is talking about the royal visit. However as much as people love to talk trash about royals, Prince Charles actually does a lot of charity work and oversees an organic farm that produces some of the finest shortbread. As far as I know none of them collect EI either.
I do agree with the OP about dental not being covered though… really. You’d figure after being taxed 55% of your income here, the least they could do is cover one dentist visit a year with our public insurance… I guess then the private insurance business here would be in big trouble! lol.
Almost 40% of our provincial budget already goes to health care. Toss in dental visits (which are already covered for kids) and chiropractors (that’s a tough sell) and prescription drugs and we will have to raise our already high taxes even higher. Unfortunately it’s just not feasible to cover ALL health care costs. Now, maybe a not-for-profit government run supplemental insurance plan would provide a cheaper alternative to private insurance. You would still have to pay to join the plan, but hopefully you could get more coverage for less money than with private insurance.
Given the link between tooth decay and heart disease, I would say dental care ranks higher than some of the care items we fund for free.
I don’t mean that tooth decay causes heart disease, but that one may indicate the other.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/…
You know, I’ve always wondered why hospitals and MDs in general cover so much of the human body, but for the most part leave teeth to a completely different profession Especially given the above, dentists and allopaths (MDs) should definitely be sharing records with each other, if not merging completely.
There is certainly room for discussion about where that public health care cut off line should be, my point is only that there HAS to be a line somewhere.
Wisdom teeth are covered by the way; you just need to go the hospital for it and your GP needs to give a referral, essentially stating you cannot afford to have the procedure done at a dentist’s office.
Chiropractic medicine is an outdated, over simplistic and dangerous procedure. It was invented by the guy who came up with Phrenology (the study of bumps on your skull that show you tendency towards certain jobs, criminal activities, etc.). It should not be covered, in fact it should be abolished. Imagine, somebody with a 2 year education in “Upstairs Medical College” working on your spine… If anything, physiotherapy should be covered. Or at least make the requirements more stringent.
Finally, people who get gender re-assignment surgery usually feel they need it (in fact, if they don’t get it, they sometimes commit suicide as they don’t feel noraml in society and the depression that is caused by it is too much to bear). I love it when people make split-second judgments on LGBT subjects.
I thought more than half of the provincial budget went to health care? I understand what you mean Miles… I just think with the amount WE ALREADY PAY that all that should ALREADY be covered. It shouldn’t take a hike to cover those things – I think our taxes are hiked as much as humanly possible already. Well don’t tell the NDP that, I’m sure they will find a way to squeeze a few more dollars out of all of us.
Dental care and general well being are inextricably linked AFAIK… so I’m sure we could move the line to include dental visits… People over 12 need their teeth too.
But yeah, I don’t want to have to pay any more for it – with the taxes I pay here I could get a Cadillac all-frills insurance package from the states… for me and my three closest friends! Sheesh. And I wouldn’t have to wait six months for an MRI to boot, imagine that.
I paid 1500 cash to have my wisdom teeth removed at the QEII – obviously referred there. Never heard of anyone having it covered before.
Eye care isn’t covered for the general population either, unless you’re diabetic, than all your opthalmology needs are taken care of a la MSI (in NS anyway). You’re only supposed to have one visit covered/yr for an optomatrist, however, if you go to an opthalmologist, they will cover multiple visits/yr. I go every six months and don’t have to pay at all for my eye care.
Ewwww sex changes. Now that’s messed up.
RB, if you paid 1500 cash up front to remove your wisdom teeth, you can obviously afford it. You need to file paperwork with your GP to prove you cannot afford the procedure, and then it’s covered.
jennier, next year one of the princes and the queen are coming to Halifax… Woot. I believe that’s what was meant.
Thanks for trashing chiropractics. My scoliosis certainly has NO effect on my health. Nevermind my kidneys, my intestines, migraines, pain, hemorrhoids, etc, and the fact a 70% irregular curve in the spine can kill you. My mother nearly died from it. Having your crooked spine put unnecessary strain on muscles and organs, and cut off nervous communication between your organs is no big deal. Meanwhile, I’ve gone to a physio, and they told me to stretch sideways, as if that would solve my problems, and then proposed I get a scooter. It doesn’t matter who it was invented by; if you know any anatomy and psychology, it makes sense. (I suppose a lot of psychology is bull to, since some of the first minds behind it in our era are crazy sounding people like Freud.) Your body is symmetrical, and it will not function well being asymmetrical. As far as I know, chiropractics is the only form of medicine focusing on skeletal and mechanical issues in the body. I suppose you will tell me your car drives well with imbalanced suspension, tires, and whatnot as well.