Continued from a few days ago at this post….

There’s a part of me, the catholic-school-survivor-nice-girls-don’t-rock-the-boat part of me who wants to say nice things about these people who wrote this book. Mr. Decter & Ms. Grosso are, one assumes, educated people who have made careers in the service of their government (an endeavor the patriotic part of me wants to admire.) One assumes they are aware of all the big and small issues surrounding the delivery of health care in Canada. One would perhaps assume they are basically good and decent people and we might enjoy their company if we knew them. That nice Catholic girl inside me want to like them and day nice things about their book.

There’s another part of me–the bigger part it turns out–who wants to kick their elitist asses all up and down the street.

There are some good parts to this-book–some valuable information. I did learn that we can perhaps claim more of our out of pocket medical expenses on our taxes than we have done in previous years. As well, I am reminded that I should keep better track of my own health history. I think as responsible adults, we should all be doing that. That’s good advice. Point taken.

There are Resource pages at the ends of each chapter.

If you need to be told that obesity is bad for your health or that you should not smoke cigarettes, then this book is for you. If you need information on arthritis or cataracts or palliative care and you don’t have access to a library or aren’t smart enough conduct a web search, then this book is for you–but you will still need to go to the library or do a web search because the information given in this book is trite and superficial at best. Seriously, do you really need an inset “Tip” box that says,

“Your doctor can help you stop smoking by recommending stop smoking programs or suggesting medication that will help you.”

Really? Who knew? Wow!

I was only mildly annoyed by these silly, inane little boxes. I dutifully read, (ok, skimmed) the chapter on dealing with cancer, because I hoped there would be something–anything–new or thoughtful in a chapter about how to get cancer care in this country. Well how silly of me to look for newness or thoughtfulness from government employees. Silly me.

………

The part that really pissed me off though, was the last section on how to get the care you need–swiftly. One of the examples involves Mr. Decter’s teenaged daughter’s reaction to an acne medication and how this clever teenager was able to research the drug reaction online and further, how this remarkable young woman was able to reach her dermatologist on his cell phone (due to the cooperation of his office staff and their willingness to give out the doctor’s cell number. The Phenom was able to solve her own health care problem without a n office visit and without inconveniencing her esteemed father, and only missed one day of school.

Holy shit! How out of touch are these people in the bubble of their comfortable lives that they are so out of touch with what the rest of us content with?? Did that secretary give out the doctor’s cell phone number to everyone who called that day? Or just the ones named Decter? Or just the one’s whose daddy’s golf with the doctor? What are the odds of you calling your doctor’s office on Monday and getting him or her on the phone? Slim to none?

The chapter goes on to say that

“To Michael, there was a stark contrast between one view of the health care system, the old historic view that access meant visits by a patient to the doctor or hospital, and a more modern definition of access that unbundled the information from the visit.”

Yeah? My doctor–in fact, neither of the two I’ve seen, will not do ANYTHING over the phone. YOU MUST wait for the appointment. I had to wait three weeks for the OB/GYN tell me she didn’t want to treat me if I didn’t want the surgery–3 weeks to get the kiss off! She could have easily had the secretary do that over the phone but she wanted the BILLING!

Sorry you elitist rich asses! Until you policy jackasses get with the program and UNBUNDLE the doctor’s fees from the APPOINTMENT, the rest of us are still pretty much out in the cold.

The next section that pissed me off was the suggestion that you make a list of everyone you know who works in the healthcare industry and USE THEM to get quicker access to the diagnostics or care. Isn’t that the very definition of que-jumping? Isn’t that an anathema to the Canadian sense of fair play?

the thing that pisses me off the most about this book and its authors is this: these are among the people who have been making the health care decisions in the government. These are among the people who have plundered the system, who have devised the stupid asinine rules that guarantee the shortages of doctor and healthcare workers, of hospitals who see you as a drain on their budgets rather than as a human being in need of care.

These are the foxes who have raided the hen house. They’ve made handsome livings from the government coffers and from the mini-industry surrounding health care. They’ve set the stage for the current shorfalls in the system and now they offer this slop and expect us to buy it and buy into them as being helpful.

Please. Spare us.