Sen. Rand Paul Is Having Surgery in Canada

[_Kevin Graham]

Sen. Rand Paul Is Having Surgery in Canada, Where Healthcare Is Publicly Funded



Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is traveling to Canada for hernia surgery, according to a court filing from his attorneys.

The surgery, which is connected to injuries Paul suffered when he was attacked by a neighbor while doing yard work in 2017, will be done in Ontario, the Associated Press reports.

The choice to undergo treatment in Canada—where health care is publicly funded and universally provided—is ironic considering Paul, a Republican, is a staunch opponent of Obamacare and champions free-market principals.

Medical tourism, however, can offer savings between 20 and 90 percent, Market Watch reports, depending on which country you choose. Patients Beyond Borders estimates that 1.4 million Americans took advantage of more affordable healthcare systems abroad in 2017.

The neighbor who attacked Paul, Rene Boucher, reportedly tackled the senator when he became frustrated with Paul repeatedly stacking debris near their property line, leaving Paul with broken ribs.

Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress and was sentenced to 30 days in prison in June 2018. Federal prosecutors are appealing for a longer sentence.

[_subgenius]

Except he is paying cash...oh, and -
Paul is not leaving the U.S. to receive superior care in the name of socialism. Instead, the outpatient hospital where Paul is scheduled for surgery later this month — Shouldice Hernia Hospital — is a world renowned hospital known as the "global leader in non-mesh hernia repair."

What's more, the hospital is not owned by the Canadian government. Rather, the hospital remains privately owned

[_Kevin Graham]

It helps to not rely strictly on Right Wing sources like the Blaze. Your quote exists only on two sources on the web.

The Shouldice private hospital is an odd one. It’s been around since 1945. It only does hernias. It’s one of about half a dozen private hospitals in Ontario grandfathered in 1973 so they could still be run by their owners but be funded by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.

So Sen. Paul’s spokesperson didn’t have it exactly right when she told the Louisville Courier Journal “this is a private, world renowned hospital separate from any system and people come from around the world to pay cash for their services.”

https://albertapolitics.ca/2019/01/ever ... id-to-ask/

[_subgenius]

It helps to not rely strictly on Right Wing sources like the Blaze. Your quote exists only on two sources on the web.

The Shouldice private hospital is an odd one. It’s been around since 1945. It only does hernias. It’s one of about half a dozen private hospitals in Ontario grandfathered in 1973 so they could still be run by their owners but be funded by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan.

So Sen. Paul’s spokesperson didn’t have it exactly right when she told the Louisville Courier Journal “this is a private, world renowned hospital separate from any system and people come from around the world to pay cash for their services.”

https://albertapolitics.ca/2019/01/ever ... id-to-ask/

The source is irrelevant to the facts presented and just because Maddow said something does not make it true or false ya dolt. You should take the next class in adulting, it will really ease your nerves on most topics du jour.

But Shouldice actually is a private hospital, and it only receives partial public funding....which is irrelevant because Rand is paying cash for his treatment and he is going to renowned facility that was conceived prior to whatever yet-to-be-revealed-point you are childishly trying to make....ya know, he is making a choice where to get his care because he is not forced into limited options by a heavy handed big brother....you surely agree that options are a good thing to have when seeking health treatments, correct?

[_Kevin Graham]

Sourcing always matters when you're relying on the Blaze, an outfit run by a high school drop out who got an honorary degree from one of those fake schools (Liberty!) like the one you went to.

The fact is the school is managed privately but it relies on public funding like the rest of the Canadian health care system.

You still haven't explained how or why the best hospital for any specific field would find itself in such a socialist atmosphere as Canada! I thought we had the best health care in the world?

[_honorentheos]

Reason had an article on this a couple of days ago, and pointed out that the surgery center was established prior to the creation of the public health care system in Canada, that it was grandfathered into the public system, and it does take public payment for procedures under the public system but also continues to run as a for-profit business where people such as Paul can pay to go there. It's a hybrid, largely because it existed before the public system was created and continues to be a leader in hernia procedure surgeries. It's not really what subbie or Kevin are making it out to be.

What I do think it shows is how the fear-mongering over public healthcare over-simplifies what the health care landscape would actually look like if the US moved to a similar system. Instead of trying to use this as a chance to beat up on Rand Paul, it could be put to better use showing that just because a system is converted to a public system that provides healthcare to all of a nation's citizens doesn't mean the standard of care turns into some bleak eastern bloc communist model. It's a chance to shine a spot light on how the Canadian system actually works rather than the boogeyman version conservatives and libertarians call up to scare people into thinking only the current US for-profit, health-insurance based model is blessed of the gods.

[_DoubtingThomas]

Except he is paying cash...oh, and -

But for young people in the US is just better to go to a doctor in Canada.

[_subgenius]

Except he is paying cash...oh, and -

But for young people in the US is just better to go to a doctor in Canada.

Young people aren't supposed to go to the doctor, that is the reasoning for Obama charging them higher premiums, remember?

[_DoubtingThomas]

Young people aren't supposed to go to the doctor, that is the reasoning for Obama charging them higher premiums, remember?

Are you trolling?

[_Themis]

What I do think it shows is how the fear-mongering over public healthcare over-simplifies what the health care landscape would actually look like if the US moved to a similar system. Instead of trying to use this as a chance to beat up on Rand Paul, it could be put to better use showing that just because a system is converted to a public system that provides healthcare to all of a nation's citizens doesn't mean the standard of care turns into some bleak eastern bloc communist model. It's a chance to shine a spot light on how the Canadian system actually works rather than the boogeyman version conservatives and libertarians call up to scare people into thinking only the current US for-profit, health-insurance based model is blessed of the gods.

Most health care in Canada is run by the private sector even though most of what they do may be paid for by the government. Most doctors work for private companies and people can go see which ever doctor they like.