Mr. Libertarian Goes to Socialist Canada for Surgery
Remember when Rand Paul’s neighbor beat the crap out of him over landscaping? Well, Sen. Paul, Mr. Libertarian Socialized Medicine is Slavery is going to…wait for it…Canada for surgery to repair a hernia suffered in the melee. His spokesman stated that the hospital he’s going to is a private one, but the fact is that said hospital, Shouldice Hernia Hospital, receives the bulk of it’s funding from the Province of Ontario, and accepts funding from Canada’s Provincial Ministry of Health. In other words, the hospital exists primarily from single payer funding, but will accept actual dollars from those who don’t have insurance, just like in the states.
It must be nice to be rich enough to fly to Canada to pay cash for surgery instead of staying in the States where you would be nickeled and dimed to death by private insurance.
Best laugh of the day. But seriously, Paul should have signed up for Obamacare during the open enrollment period. I believe it still requires coverage for pre-existing conditions like hernias.
Hypocrisy much, Senator?
1One of my favorite authors, Neal Stephenson, has something to say about hypocrisy in his novel, “Diamond Age.” The view expressed by his character, Lord Finkle-McGraw, struck me as off when I first read it but I think of it whenever I read about hypocrisy.
The_Duck at lesswrong describes the discomfort I have with the passage – and includes the text – in a 2014 post: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/MhNZaa7wWWZrGjHdn/be-comfortable-with-hypocrisy
“Diamond Age” is well worth the read and I think Stephenson is poking subtle fun at his character and the group he belongs to rather than taking his side.
Regardless, I loathe hypocrisy and believe it is a sibling to lying. Have I always been consistently true to the values I hold now? No. But I fess up to what I did back when that doesn’t jive with the moral compass I’ve spent years developing.
Rand Paul ought to know better. This isn’t a mistake he made when he was a callow youth. He’s making it after he’s spent years Ayn Randing the rest of us.
2One can neither embarass nor shame Republicans by pointing out their hypocrisy — it only puzzles them, because for conservatives, it’s a core competency, first learned in Sunday School and reinforced daily at their mother’s knee.
Today’s American “conservatism” cannot exist without hypocrisy; it’s one of the fundamental underpinnings.
3@Buttermilk Sky #1
I read a comment over at Daily Kos that Mitch McConnell also went to Canada for medical care. But couldn’t find any specific info on it. Don’t know if its valid. Of course, when your filthy rich, you can go anywhere for the best care money can buy.
The hypocracy goes deeper. If Congress wasn’t afraid get real blow back, they would make buying legal prescription medicines by American citizens illegal from Canada.
Personally, I think since the members of both houses are all filthy rich, why in hell should they get “free gold plated healthcare” that we as tax payers fund and can’t get?
4It was a happy day when I was eligible for Medicare. I can totally understand the desire for Medicare for all. And the supplemental policies are nothing compared to regular insurance.
5The Washington Post had a feature article yesterday about the price of insulin having increased tenfold in the past decade or two, focusing on a young man (not the only one) who died because he was trying to stretch out his insulin doses, and you can’t do that. They never did say why the price is so high, except that the three companies making it, one US and two in Europe, all raised the price in lockstep.
6Canada is where pregnant rich girls will go if Roe is overturned.
7I have a neighbor who is spending $700 a month for oral diabetic medication. This amount is after the insurance discount. She, like a lot of seniors lives on a fixed income. She is looking at buying it from Canada.
@$$holes like Rand and McConnell would love to prevent Americans from buying meds from Canada.
8What would Canada charge us to keep Runt Paul?
9I wish this story was picked up by some of the major news websites out here. People need to see this.
10Jane & PKM#9
I’d chip in. Maybe on a melting ice floe waaay far north until mid summer of this year?
11@ Malarkey – In a way, he is still Ayn Randing it – she grabbed Medicare and Social Security when she needed it, after years of railing against it.
@ Rhea – The drug companies were able to do that because they spent over 215,000,000 in lobbying just last year.
12Papa, in some respects Canada owes us, after shipping Teddie Crooze our way. Maybe a border stand-off. If they keep the irrelevant Runt, we won’t insist Crooze be deported to his “home” country. We can forgive them for Shania Twain and Justin Bieber, thank them for Jennifer Granholm and being one of the best allies in recorded history. Not to be rude but it would be irresponsible not to mention Dotard45’s grandpappy who made his illicit living in Canada, before descending here. Have great respect for the Canadians having served alongside them in the USAF. But dayum they owe us for Teddie Crooze.
13Cheryl, great idea to send onto Senator Warren. If big pharma can afford 9+ $digits for lobbying, plus their rancid advertising budgets, they sure as hell can afford to provide reasonable cost drugs to Medicare, Medicaid and those who are destitute after paying hyper inflated drug costs.
14Speaking of hypocrisy, Republicans have stripped Steve King, the admitted white supremecist, of all leadership positions, decrying his racism. Not too long ago they were all treating President Obama like an illegal alien. What a bunch of whited sepulchers!
15He should have gone to a proctologist and gotten a face lift.
16Sam in St. Paul #16,
If you’re talking about Teddy, I have a strong a suspicion that something awful happened to Romney’s poor dog. Somebody partially shaved it’s butt, taught it to walk backwards, and made it a senator from texas.
17My Canadian girlfriend’s (honest!) son got his hernia fixed at the Shouldice Clinic (where Rand went) a few years back. Cost to him:$0. And that’s $0 Canadian.
Canadian hospitals can, and do, take US patients. They’re happy to get them because they get to charge them inflated prices for services. Because we’re suckers, chumps.
18My daughter went to McGill.
19Got a first class education for less then the local state university.
Her health care cost me 500.00 a year included medications, dr visits.
When my mom was alive I ordered her asthma meds from Canada. Same exact meds she was getting from her local pharmacy. Saved her 160.00 month.
Epi pens were 500.00 cheaper a few years ago.
It is a crime what we pay for medication.
Before I forget.
Thuglicans use the mantra that they are not against immigrants they just prefer “documented immigrants”,who follow the rules, instead of undocumented immigrants who try to “cheat”.
They say this is only fair.
Then the head of their party makes fun and insults people who obey the rules and laws.
Pretty much his attitude to all us “little people” who actually pay taxes.
So according to the head of the thuglican party those who try to follow the thuglican mantra of “following the rules”, like dreamers as an example, by legally trying to navigate an arcane, complicated, purposefully obtuse and difficult citizenship procedures are “stupid” and deserve to be immediately deported as punishment for their “stupidity”.
Ignore the rules and that “disqualifies” one of the right to ever become a citizen.
Follow the rules and be deported immediately.
Such discordance makes my head hurt.
20Diane #19,
I also have ordered rx asthma inhalers from a Canadian pharmacy in BC. Much cheaper, same identical thing as available here. And the med is manufactured in India. My sister used a heart med that only available by the brand name. $850 a month! In researching Canadian pharmacy, I found out that there was a generic that was sold in Canada. So she was able to get a 100 day supply for $165 dollars. The Pharms have astronomical profit margins in the US. We are getting ripped off!
21I think that this might be a medical first.
A pilonidal cyst getting a hernia, I mean.
22Canada is totally really nice to accept him after the way Trump treated Trudeau. I hope Paul the Twerp actually learns something out of this.
23