Before reading the article I voted in favour of OHIP coverage under the presumption that when in the pool, he would be ranked on suitability anyway; if he ever became the most suitable candidate, he should obviously receive the transplant. That said, livers are a bit of a limited commodity, and if there is a more suitable candidate, they should obviously receive the transplant.
Anyone who believes that OHIP is universal is seriously deluded. There are all sorts of things that aren't covered by OHIP. The most serious short-comings that come to mind are lack of drug coverage and lack of dental coverage. In the first case, your visit to the doctor doesn't do a lot of good if you can't afford the medication they prescribe. Lipitor is common life-saving medication, and it's also prohibitively expensive. Dental health and hygiene is one of the basic and fundamental primary health measures, and yet has absolutely no coverage. If my wisdom tooth isn't fully erupted, I hardly see how that is less a risk than a hang nail, yet one is covered and the other costs hundreds of dollars to fix. The reality is, we should all have private health insurance anyway to cover our asses when OHIP fails - which is more often than I'm comfortable with.
I agree with Jamincan -- there's no reason not to put him on the transplant list; it's definitely not a guarantee. I also agree that private health insurance is a regrettably necessary supplement. I'm not sure what the law is regarding an employer's responsibility to offer/co-pay health insurance for their employees -- if it isn't required, it ought to be.
In the case of England, he should definitely have to pay, unless he's paying taxes there.
If he is not a suitable candidate for transplant, isn't this a trick question? Even if you go to England, don't they have a transplant waiting list, irrespective of cost? Wouldn't his lack of suitability still keep him from getting a timely transplant, if ever?
Perhaps this betrays how long I've been in the US, but I say he should go to England (or wherever) and then sue the Red Cross for his costs for giving him the tainted blood in the first place.
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momijizukamori
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no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 12:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 01:17 pm (UTC)Anyone who believes that OHIP is universal is seriously deluded. There are all sorts of things that aren't covered by OHIP. The most serious short-comings that come to mind are lack of drug coverage and lack of dental coverage. In the first case, your visit to the doctor doesn't do a lot of good if you can't afford the medication they prescribe. Lipitor is common life-saving medication, and it's also prohibitively expensive. Dental health and hygiene is one of the basic and fundamental primary health measures, and yet has absolutely no coverage. If my wisdom tooth isn't fully erupted, I hardly see how that is less a risk than a hang nail, yet one is covered and the other costs hundreds of dollars to fix. The reality is, we should all have private health insurance anyway to cover our asses when OHIP fails - which is more often than I'm comfortable with.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 02:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 02:20 pm (UTC)In the case of England, he should definitely have to pay, unless he's paying taxes there.
no subject
Date: 2007-01-19 08:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-01-20 12:48 am (UTC)