Top o'the week Spindle Clearing

“[M]ore than 63,000 Canadians left their country to have surgery in 2016.”

As Americans contemplate overturning our health system in favor of one similar to Canada’s, we must ask why so many leave.

Oh!

“After being advised that they need a procedure done, only about 35% of Canadians had their surgery within a month.”

Why do Bernie, Elizabeth and the rest of the field hate Canucks?

2 – This isn’t really “news” to those of us who’ve been paying attention, but:

“End of ‘individual mandate’ hasn’t killed Obamacare“

It’s always been about the Benjamins (both premiums and cost-sharing).

3 – The Much Vaunted National Health Service© continues to cover itself with glory:

“GP surgeries in England ordered to stop half-day closing  Practices will have to seek permission to close during working hours, or risk losing funding worth more than £40,000.”

Heh.

The backstory here is that it turns out that [WARNING: Spoiler Alert ahead] nationalized health “care” schemes aren’t very good at actually providing medical care.

#ImagineThat

4 – Bonus Item: Meanwhile, back here in flyover country, insurers and hospitals are beginning to meaningfully address “shock claims” to employers with group plans:

“St. Elizabeth Healthcare is the first hospital system in Greater Cincinnati to partner with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield to help patients and their employers limit so-called shock claims, which can cost $1 million or more to treat a catastrophic illness such as cancer.“

As regular readers know, in recent years the “number of million-dollar medical claims has nearly doubled, with cancer care remaining the most costly health condition.”

So this new collaboration is welcome news, if only for folks covered under certain group plans.

[Hat Tip: FoIB Holly R]