Weekend Question 3: Remind Me, Why Is Nationalized Health Care Described As “Free”?

“S.O.B.er” Interested-Participant, who clearly has his alerts set up for these types of things, has a story that’s outrageous on so many levels from two of Canada’s provinces, Ontario and Alberta:

Toronto hospital doesn’t have funds to operate device
Patient must travel to Alberta every 16 days for therapy
May 25, 2006

Tom Garrett, an 18-year-old leukemia patient, flies to Calgary every 16 days to receive a medical treatment no hospital in Ontario can provide — even though the machine needed for his photoimmune therapy lies collecting dust in Toronto.

It costs the Ontario government $1,600 for each photopheresis treatment for Garrett in Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre, and he’s had about 30 so far. And in 2004-05, the Ontario health ministry spent more than $1.6 million to send eight people to the United States for the same treatment at an average cost of $201,715 per patient.

Meanwhile, at Princess Margaret Hospital sits a machine about the size of a photocopier built by a Johnson & Johnson company called Therakos Inc. for the express purpose of providing photopheresis, a machine the manufacturer donated to the hospital five years ago.

The University Health Network, which includes Princess Margaret, says it doesn’t have the money to run it. The network submitted a proposal a couple of months ago to the government on how much it would cost and how many people would benefit if a photopheresis program were started.

….. Garrett’s mother accompanies him on his frequent flights to Calgary for treatment. Flights can cost $1,100 to $1,400 a ticket and are not covered by the government.

The two stay for three days of treatment before flying home. They had an apartment in Calgary for seven months but gave it up in April because the separation was too hard on the rest of the family, who live on a farm.

….. On Monday, Garrett and his mother flew to Calgary, where he’ll receive treatments for three days. The cost of flying to Calgary, accommodation and other expenses come out of his family’s pocket and the Peterborough and Windsor communities that have rallied around the teen. More than $100,000 has been raised to cover his medical expenses.

“It’s been four years of a battle,” Johnston said.

Garrett’s battle is a story of bravery. The bureacracy making the battle more difficult ought to be a source of shame.

When will Canada honestly examine its failed experiment sacrament of nationalized health care?