Re: OT: Canada is severely insulted by US official.

Bryan writes:

>I don't know if this is going to make any headlines, but I came
>across the following from UPI:
>
>"Meanwhile, FDA Commissioner Mark McClellan, who also addressed the
>conference, reiterated his agency's opposition to efforts to make it
>easier for consumers to buy drugs from Canada at that country's lower
>prices.
I'm by no means a political beast, but health care in the US seems to
me ridiculous. You start talking health care here, and people cringe
and talk about "evil" socialist empires like Sweden and the UK. Japan
and Taiwan, two of the Asian "tiger" economies, epitomes of
knock-down-drag-out capitalism and hardly bastions of European-style
socialism, both have efficient national health care systems in place
(without a bone-crushing burden on one's personal income). I,
thankfully, never had need to utilize Japan's health care system, so
I can't speak to cost there, but in Taiwan, before NHC kicked in
(about three or four years into my stay there), I considered my
"health insurance" to be the fact that you could be checked into a
hospital, examined by a physician, given the drugs you needed, and
checked out all for under US$40. You couldn't look askance at a
doctor in the US for that. After the implementation of Taiwan's
national health, you only paid for hospital registration and
everything else was gratis (circa a whopping US$4). I don't know if
I'd want to have quadruple bypass surgery in Taiwan, but I do
remember having a tooth recapped in Taiwan (at US quality standards)
for under US$100; it was estimated by a US dentist at $1200. Hmm,
tough choice.

Ooooo, Caaaaaanadaaaaa~~~~. I remember back in the early 80s, when my
parents lived in Buffalo, crossing the border to buy gasoline at
significantly cheaper prices. The lame excuses one came up with for
entering the country (I'm visiting a friend). I doubt Canada is
paradise, but why rag on the Great White North for espousing sensible
policy?

Kou

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