15 Responses to “If Socialist Health Care Was So Great Outside The Us, Then Why Didn’t Kennedy Get Treatment In Outside?”

1. 

   Dante said on Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 6:56

   First, I think you should be ashamed of yourself asking such a question.
   Second, Kennedy didn’t take his chances with the US medical system; he had one of the best medical care systems in the world. He was a U.S. senator. The American health care system is awful compared to many in the industrialized world. Believe me, I’m currently living in Japan. The U.S. government run health care, which provides medical services to Congress (their families) and other top level officials, is one of the best in the world. Even the GOP, who are doing all they can to stop health care reform, use the system. They aren’t even paying for it; you are.
   Kennedy was wealthy but he was also terminally ill. And when you are terminally ill, it doesn’t matter if your health care is government run or private.
   Start using your brain.
2. 

   Steve D said on Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 12:59

   You are confusing health care and health insurance/coverage. For those covered by health insurance in the US, we have the best care. For those not covered by health insurance, they are fortunate enough to be able to afford aspirin. Kennedy was not looking to change health care – he was looking to change health coverage so we all have equal access to the system.
   As for all the comments, members of Congress do pay for health care – they are under the same plan as federal government workers and pay on average 27% of the annual premiums – about on a par with what the average worker covered by employer-sponsored health care pays for similar coverage.
3. 

   Bamford1 said on Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 19:17

   The Drug used to treat Ted Kennedy’s Brain Cancer Temozolomide (Temodal™) was developed at Aston University in Britain..http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/7081…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temozolomid…
   The MRI and CAT Scans used to diagnose and help treat Senator Kennedy’s Brain Cancer were developed with British expertise.
   Sir Peter Mansfield – Noble Prize for his role in developing Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Mansf…
   Sir Godfrey Newbold Hounsfield who was awarded a Nobel Prize for his part in the development of X-ray computed tomography (CT). His name is immortalised in the Hounsfield scale, a quantitative measure of radiodensity used in evaluating CT scans. The use of such CT scanning allows radiologists to determine the exact size and shape of tumours and has led to the development of further radiotherapy techniques.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godfrey_Hou…
   London’s Royal Marsden Hospital and its academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research have discovered or developed more new anti-cancer drugs than the National Cancer Institute in the USA.http://www.royalmarsden.nhs.uk/RMH/priva…
   Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “Years of research are behind the dramatic progress being made in the fight against Britain’s common cancers. Survival rates have doubled in the last thirty years and the work of Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of that progress.
   “Our research is behind 19 of the top 20 drugs used to treat cancer patients worldwide today. Our work has underpinned the huge progress we are now seeing in preventing more deaths from lung cancer. And our progress over decades has helped to develop radiotherapy as a major form of treatment for half of all cancer patients.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/health…
   Whilst just the other day it was announced that researchers at Imperial College London had managed to halt the growth of cancerous tumours, in what could be an important step towards the eventual eradication of breast cancer, whilst Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Childdren are pioneering new pionnering paedatric chemotherapy methods.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_an…http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/health…
   It should also be noted that Britain has a thriving Pharma and Bio-Techs Industry, with British Companies such as Glaxo Smith Kline (GSK) and Astra Zeneca being amongst the top pharmaceutical companies in the world, whilst Pfizer and other such companies have major research facilities in the UK.http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Medic…
   In terms of UK Cancer treatment the vast majority of NHS patients with suspected cancer (94.5%) see a specialist within two weeks and 98.2% of NHS patients diagnosed with cancer receive their first treatment within one month, however these targets are now set to be mandatory and any patient not seen within the 2 week period will be entitled to a private consultation payed for by the NHS.http://www.unison.org.uk/file/US_factshe…
   Professor Darzi, Chair of surgery at Imperial College London has recently written an article in the Washington Post in defence of Britain’s National Health Service.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con…
   Cancer Research UK have recently responded to the figures regarding US/UK Cancer Statistics being quoted by some less credible media souces and you can read their response here -http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/…
4. 

   prekinpd said on Wednesday, September 30, 2009, 21:48

   He already has very good health care. He was lobbying for those who don’t. It’s not that our health professionals and the care they provide are awful, the problem is a system that denies it to part time workers and the unemployed. Should loss of a job be compiled with the further loss of health care??? What kind of system is that? How in the world is that just or fair?
   If I’m in the hospital getting a 17,000 dollar surgery because of my health insurance and a floor below is a woman who cannot have the same surgery because she is not covered by health insurance, then that’s not the world I want to live in.
5. 

   Yo it's Me said on Thursday, October 1, 2009, 1:31

   Tedward scoured the earth looking for the best treatment, he didn’t find it in Boston, Baltimore (Johns Hopkins), Cleveland (Cleveland Clinic), Minnesota (Mayo Clinic) or even every Liberals favorite, CUBA, he went to Duke. But he didn’t want you to have the same right. Very interesting, and VERY SLEAZY.
6. 

   merlin said on Thursday, October 1, 2009, 6:25

   Your logic is quite twisted. It is the denial of coverage and the tyranny of the insurers he fought. P.S. Just heard about one insurance exec. who just spent $1.3 million of your insurance dollars to have his office renovated. I REPEAT , 1.3 MILLION DOLLARS TO HAVE AN OFFICE RENOVATED………Wish I had known. Could have done it for 1.2 and made a bundle……..1.3 million for an office renovation and how does he feel about turning down someone who needs chemo ??????????
7. 

   g said on Thursday, October 1, 2009, 9:19

   care for the wealthy is very good in the U.S… and he is wealthy…
   I am not wealthy… so I am less concerned about care for the wealthy… and my care would probably be similar to that of socialist care… except I would pay more for it…
8. 

   Chewy Ivan said on Thursday, October 1, 2009, 16:18

   Why would Kennedy go outside the nation when members of Congress already get the best socialist health care in the world? You don’t think members of Congress pay for their health care themselves, do you?
9. 

   Anonymous said on Thursday, October 1, 2009, 17:53

   i lived in canada before, and if your an american you can’t get free health care, and i’m assuming it’s similar in other countries. Don’t know if it’s still like that though.
10. 

    TB2 said on Thursday, October 1, 2009, 22:12

    He was a U.S. senator, theirs is the best health care in the world.
    Interesting isn’t it, the very people doing everything they can to prevent health care reform already have free health care for life.
11. 

    Anonymous said on Friday, October 2, 2009, 2:22

    he never said he hated it-he said only the wealthy could afford it-like you said, he was wealthy. maybe his interest was humanitarian?
12. 

    penguin said on Friday, October 2, 2009, 6:30

    He wanted to live and He did not have to pay for his health care, we did so cost was NOT a factor.
13. 

    carmenla said on Friday, October 2, 2009, 11:55

    He wanted to stay in Mass. and DC as much as possible for his job and sailing and family.
14. 

    Hussein the Trojan Horse said on Friday, October 2, 2009, 14:18

    it’s terrible
15. 

    IChee said on Friday, October 2, 2009, 16:23

    Good doctors have little to do with your insurance plan