Another look at Socialized Medicine

Some people in the USA are clamoring for a Socialized health system much like that of Canada or England despite the fact that many of these patients are traveling to other countries to get health care as they cannot spend the months and years to wait for diagnosis and treatment. Talk about unintended consequences. Here is one metric that really drives home the disparity: Here is a story of how an MRI correctly diagnosed an ailment that had been incorrectly diagnosed, treated with major surgery and the problem was never fixed. After two years, the English patient finally had an MRI done... In Japan... From the UK Telegraph:

Man who suffered hiccups for two years diagnosed with cancer
Christopher Sands, who has suffered from a constant bout of the hiccups for more than two years, has been diagnosed with a brain tumour, it has been disclosed.

Mr Sands, of Timberland near Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, hiccups persistently every two seconds when his condition is at its worst.

The musician, who is 25, has tried every cure possible, including hypnotherapy, Reiki and yoga.

A backing singer in a band, he has even had an operation to try to cure his hiccups, which at times have prevented him from sleeping and eating properly.

Experts at the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham have previously said his condition was down to a damaged valve which had caused an acid reflux condition.

Doctors have managed to create a new valve linking his oesophagus and stomach to try to alleviate the problem.

But Mr Sands now thinks a Japanese doctor has found the cause of the problem - a 12mm tumour at the back of his brain.

The discovery came to light during an MRI scan in Tokyo after Mr Sands was flown out to Japan by a television station to see a hiccup specialist.

Baby Jebus -- I am not a Doctor but I have had a bunch of biology in college and even I can tell you that there can be multiple causes for a given symptom. If there is something reflexive like a hiccup, it can be neurological or it can be a physical irritation. If I were attending this person, I would stuff him to the gills with Prilosec for a week or two to eliminate any chance of GERD and then take a look at the brain. I found another article dated from March of this year; same poor soul, same Fscking Hiccups (which started in February 2007), same brain tumor. He was being admitted into surgery soon after the article's publication. Talk about incompetent diagnosis. There is no mention of what television station sponsored Mr. Sand's trip. Take the soul of the Department of Motor Vehicles with the efficiency of Amtrak and the speed of the Post Office and you tell me that you want the same people handling your Medical care?