There is one advertisement now being run on American television that is pure bullshit. It is about the Canadian woman who claims she was diagnosed with cancer and was told to wait for treatment.
This is NOT TRUE! The woman had a cyst in her brain that was pressing on the pituitary gland. a relatively rare cyst. The cyst WAS NEVER, IS NOT NOW CANCEROUS!
But, of course, the backers of this advertisement used this woman for their own purposes. It is a flat lie. She was NEVER at risk of dying, never was denied treatment, and did, in fact, have the facts given to her. She was told that if the condition progressed in such a way as to cause her even minor blindness in ONE EYE, the most possible outcome, then the surgery would be IMMEDIATELY performed to alleviate the pressure.
How do I know this? The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation did a full investigation on this advertisement and the woman involved. They did get the information on this type of cyst, did investigate the claims this woman made, and found that she was, in fact, using her own problems with glandular problems to try to get some kind of reimbursement for her costs in the U.S.
She mortgaged her home, paid $100,000 and was treated at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. She is currently suing OHIP to recoup those costs. This is the Ontario Health Insurance Program.
It was HER decision to choose to head to the U.S. when she did not want to wait, and as far as I know, the suit failed.
I am appalled at the deliberate use of this woman, her health condition, and the abuse of the Canadian health system as being uncaring, callous, and disregarding immediate treatment of any Canadian who needs it. This is a flat out lie that has become part of a very nasty scare tactic, and based on a lie.
Time to CALL them out!
The sponsor of the ad, Patients United Now, is an offshoot of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, a privately funded, Washington-based conservative group that believes in limited government and cutting taxes.
The group says it has spent nearly $1.8 million US running the ad in Washington, D.C., and 11 states with senators on committees writing health care bills or ones seen as wavering on the issue.
Among its directors are businessman and conservative activist Art Pope and James C. Miller, a top Reagan administration official.
