Acid Travel » Health And Fitness

Seven Reasons Why Canadians Love-Hate Their Health Care Program

admin — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:52:27 +0000

A couple of years ago the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation held a television series attempting to nominate the most influential Canadian ever. The winner would earn the title The Greatest Canadian Ever. Many names were put forth over the weeks leading up to the final, and in the long run the winner was Tommy Douglas.

Tommy Douglas was the premier of Saskatchewan for 17 years but never Canada’s Prime minister. Among his many accomplishments was the establishment of Canada’s Universal Public Health Care. Among his claim to fame is the fact he is the grandfather of Kiefer Sutherland the actor.

Canadians have him to thank when they are suddenly taken ill or must visit their doctor for an ailment.

Here are the seven reasons why they love/hate it.

The plan is universal. Canadians are covered wherever they live in Canada.
Each province has it’s own care card. Once a resident moves from one province to another all they need to do is to register, have their photo taken and they are issued a new card.

It is very inexpensive. No it is not free. A tax of 7 or 8 percent is collected on nearly everything we purchase. Automobiles and homes are exempt as well as children’s clothing and some food products.

Show your health care card and you are into the hospital now. Arriving at a hospital or medical clinic Canadians are asked for their hospital care card. This will act as proof of coverage and the admittance procedure carries on.

Almost every medical test and procedure is covered. Not everything is covered. For instance if a person is hearing impaired and requires extensive testing by an audiologist before being fitted for a hearing aid, this in exempt. A portion of the aid may be covered. However, if the problem has resulted in the patient being profoundly deaf they may be a candidate for a cochlea implant. This procedure can cost as much as $50,000. And is provided free under the program.

Cosmetic procedures such as wart removal, breast implant, plastic surgery are not covered. Certain blood tests are not covered. If a specialist requires sophisticated testing procedures in an attempt to discover the reason for a pulmonary emboli they may ask for eight or more complicated blood tests to be carried out. Some of these are exempt.

Coverage works in strange ways. A friend had contracted glaucoma. Over the years she required many visits to the specialists. Eventually she required a cornea transplant. All of these procedures were covered. She then developed a cataract on her other eye. The plan covered the operation and the new lens. The lens coverage was based upon provision of an older type. The new and improved type cost was $300. And was not covered.

Because the health care plan is regulated by the government, bureaucracy shows it’s ugly head. Waiting lists are long and wait times for certain procedures are equally long. For instance, in New Brunswick, a person requiring heart a bypass procedure may wait for up to six months. A knee replacement in Ontario takes about the same. These waiting times are expected and those in need should prompt their doctors to be proactive in diagnosing the problems and gaining access to the waiting list at the earliest possible instance.

The Canadian Universal Health Care Plan may not be perfect but it is one every Canadian citizen can be forever thankful.
About the Author:

Check out more information on studiopress templates

The Shrinking Penis Panic

admin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:23:12 +0000

In September 2003, news sources documented numerous accounts of mysterious foreigners (origin and description varying with each retelling) in Khartoum, Sudan who were causing penises to disappear by shaking the hands of their victims in public. Details were rarely consistent but media accounts told of victims who reported that their penises began to “melt into their body” either after shaking hands or using a “penis-melting cyborg comb” that had been given to them by a mysterious stranger. One Sudan based columnist went as far as reporting in a foreign-based newspaper that “”Even though what I write today will harm ‘tourism’ in Sudan, I consider it my duty to warn anyone who wants to come to Sudan to refrain from shaking hands with a dark-skinned man. Since most Sudanese are dark-skinned, he had better avoid shaking hands with anyone he doesn’t know…”. The mysterious hand-shaker (often referred to as Satan`s Friend) was said to drain men`s virility through a handshake and then extort money from victims to regain their lost manhood. The accusations and recriminations were directed against numerous convenient scapegoats including Zionist agents attempting to exterminate the Sudanese by preventing men from procreating. Despite medical examinations that determined no indication of sexual abnormalities in victims, it took an active intervention on the part of the Sudanese government (including numerous arrests of alleged victims and others accused of practising sorcery) to bring an end to the hysteria. While it was ultimately deemed to have been a hoax that got out of hand, the furor took a while to subside.

Despite being the most widely reported outbreak, what occurred in Khartoum was only part of a epidemic of genital shrinking hysteria reported in six West African nations between January 1997 and October 2003. There appears to be superficial resemblances to the cultural psychosis known as Koro, but with a significant twist given the nature of the accusations that were leveled against mysterious others who were attempted to emasculate African men. Cases of perceived genital shrinkage have been primarily reported in South-east Asian males although similar cases have been reported in non-Oriental cultures and seem to be associated with a fear of losing sexual potency.

What then are we to make of what happened in Khartoum in 2003? It seems likely that the epidemic was fueled by media coverage but the political turmoil resulting from a long and bloody civil war (which has since escalated) probably played a part as well. There seems to be little available information on psychological or demographic factors that may have made the victims more vulnerable to suggestion. While mass hysteria is a convenient label for outbreaks of unusual symptoms, it seems to mask the very legitimate fears that people in a given time or culture may experience and which may emerge in an exaggerated form with the right provocation. For the Sudanese males who were affected, the fear of ethnic cleansing (including the very real ethnic cleansing occurring in Darfur) may well have driven the epidemic with various scapegoats (domestic or foreign) being proposed as targets of potential retribution.

While the idea of penis-shrinking hysteria may make for entertaining reading, the paranoia that can be triggered during mass hysteria outbreaks shouldn’t be dismissed so easily. The violence that can erupt as a result of mass hysteria has led to some tragic episodes over the years.

Witch-hunts (sometimes literally so) have claimed countless lives through the centuries and even “civilized” people can form lynch mobs under the right circumstances.

In other words, don’t believe everything you hear (especially if it involves penis-melting combs).
cake toppers

Save Money With the Assistive Devices Program (ADP)

admin — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:38:03 +0000

Earlier this year, I took part in a seminar at a library; as I was about to leave, I heard the presenter talking about a program called the Assistive Devices Program (ADP). If you are like me, you want to know of any way in which you can save money. I was therefore intrigued by the little I heard about this program and vowed to get more information on the topic. As I thought about it more, it occurred to me that, surely, people who could benefit from this program must know about it. Recently however, I came across a letter from a diabetic patient, stating that she could have saved $1,500 “had she applied for the ADP coverage sooner”. I know how difficult times are for some people these days, so really feel obliged to spread the word on how people who need help can save some money.

WHAT IS ASSISTIVE DEVICES PROGRAM (ADP)?

ADP helps people with long-term physical disabilities get needed equipment and supplies. In some cases ADP pays for 75% of the cost of the item; in other cases, there is a fixed contribution up to a maximum.

Beneficiaries of Ontario Works (OW), Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP) or Assistance to Children with Severe Disabilities (ACSD) may be eligible for a greater contribution.

WHO CAN APPLY FOR ADP?

Any resident of Ontario with a valid health card is eligible for ADP if s/he has a long-term physical disability (6 months or longer), chronic illness or dysfunction that requires long term oxygen therapy.

There are NO income limits. Applicants must not be receiving benefits under WSIB or Group ‘A’ Veterans for their pensioned conditions.

WHAT IS COVERED UNDER ADP?

The ADP covers a wide variety of devices including the following:

• Hearing Aids
• Visual Aids
• Communication Devices
• Home Oxygen
• Diabetes Equipment & Supplies
• Entering Feeding Supplies
• Insulin Pumps & Supplies
• Orthotic Devices
• Ostomy Devices
• Pressure Modification Devices
• Prosthetic Devices
• Respiratory Supplies & Equipment
• Wheelchairs, Positioning & Ambulatory Aids

HOW TO APPLY FOR ADP

Applying for the ADP is quite simple.

1. Visit your doctor for diagnosis and referral to an authorised health care professional registered with the ADP program.

2. The authorised professional will do an assessment to determine if you meet funding criteria. Assessments may be done at home, at a private practice or at a hospital.

3. In some instances the authoriser gives approval for the equipment. At other times, ADP must give the approval.

4. Take the approved form to a vendor registered with the ADP program to purchase your equipment.

Some important points to note are:

1. You may not be reimbursed for equipment already received. Resist the urge to purchase, rent or borrow an item from a supplier before applying for ADP.

2. You can purchase from any registered supplier, even if the authoriser specifically recommends one.

3. Not all equipment within a category is covered by ADP. For example, not every walker is covered; generally the less expensive ones are not.

4. ADP will not pay for replacement of lost, stolen or damaged equipment. You are advised to insure your equipment.
wedding countdown timer