When Newspaper Editors Read Lefty Blogs

Here, I had hope for Matt "Jerry Sandusky" Ward and he came to senses when he started to write some editorials that actually made sense and he didn't rip on anyone.
Well, that hope didn't last to long.
From the PVT: Greedy corporations. Greedy doctors. Greedy lawyers. Uninsured people who lead unhealthy lifestyles, or who engage in activities that create messes for everyone else to clean up. Or, sadder, people who are born with genetic predispositions for disease or other medical calamities.
Oh, and don’t forget the politicians — yup, they certainly played their pathetic role doing just about nothing.
What I’m talking about here are the ingredients that when mixed thrust upon us and our children and probably our grandchildren and great-great-great-grandchildren an out of control albatross of a healthcare system.
I will recite here a litany of examples none of which should be at all surprising to any American who’s been paying attention over the last 30 or so years. These come from Ezra Klein’s Washington Post Wonkblog, posted on March 26.  http://pvtimes.com/opinion/editor-welcome-canada-need-hip-replacement.html
For some reason, apparently thinks that if a blog comes from a newspaper, why it has to be true and gives an accurate report.
From the PVT:
Klein recites some of the annual findings of the International Federation of Health Plans, which each year publishes the actual costs of popular medicines, devices and procedures paid by 100 health insurers in 25 countries. As Klein writes, and I repeat here, the information is shocking.
Take the angiogram, an x-ray exam that charts blood flowing through your body’s major arteries. In 2012, the cost of an angiogram in Canada was a mere $35. In Spain it cost $125. In France, it cost $264.
In this country? Well, depending upon where you lived and what type of plan you had, it could cost as little as $173. But that bargain basement price was unfortunately reserved for only about 25 percent of patients.
The average U.S. price was $914. And if you were unlucky enough to pay the top rate, this test cost as much as $2,430. Whoa.
And the editorial continues with costs, except Ward and the blog fail to mention one very basic thing:  The wait times in Canada are out of this world.
Need a hip replacement, you can get one tomorrow in the United States.  In Canada, a few months.
Demand for hip and knee replacements is rising at a rate that outpaces the ability of health systems to keep up. The number of joint replacements in 2012 was 15 per cent higher than in 2010 but despite the higher volume and spending, the proportion of procedures that were carried out within the recommended time — 182 days — went down four percentage points from 84 per cent to 80 per cent for hips and from 79 per cent to 75 per cent for knees. http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/surgical-wait-times-not-improving-1.1404061
MRI's?  Immediately.  Non-emergency MRI's?  weeks to months.
This puts enormous strain on a system that many argue is in crisis. And with MRI wait-lists that are 12-18 months long, it’s hard to suggest otherwise. The solution, for some, lies in the private clinics that are able to provide an MRI scan within days
http://www.bcliving.ca/health/mri-scans-waiting-for-public-health-care-vs-paying-for-a-private-mri-clinic
There is a reason why Canadian flock to the United States for medical care.  It's not because of the costs.
This is what when you get a news editor who reads lefty nut job blogs and then reports on them.
So, my question to Matt Ward, would you rather pay more and get your treatment immediately or pay a deductible, like most Americans and get your treatment in several months?