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Hi Barb and everyone, Just a couple of comments on your message about your sister's wait for an MRI in Canada. 1. I would still take the delay for a non-emergency service over no coverage at all (what is the current figure in the U.S.? - 17 million without any medical coverage?) 2. Alberta is a part of Canada that, for political reasons, is pushing the two-tier system -- a lower basic coverage for all and a better coverage for those who can pay. If I am not mistaken, MRI scanning in Alberta is an area where some private clinics provide earlier access to scans than the public system. Some specialists have stopped working within the public system resulting in longer waiting lists at public institutions. Just as in the United States, health care is becoming more and more a political issue. An unfortunate development. I am a strong advocate of universal health care with universal access. BTW, one of our chapter members has had a very rough year. He had eye surgery and then fell breaking his shoulder. He had shoulder successful replacement immediately with no waiting. Then, he fell again (again Parkinson related) and broke his hip. He had immediate hip replacement surgery (successful), but is currently suffering from a number of problems related to his Parkinson meds and the difficulty of his surgeries. All of this was standard basic health care here in Nova Scotia where we still have a relatively high level of health care delivery despite severe cutbacks. The real danger to Canadian health care, in my opinion, is not the longer waiting times for elective surgeries, etc., but the coming exhaustion of the heroic health professionals who have suffered constant cutbacks across the board as provincial and federal governments balanced the books (deficits) at the expense of education, social services and health. Sorry, that's three comments, isn't it, eh? Best to you and everyone, TTFN Peter ************************************************************************** Peter Kidd Learning Materials Consulting Services 62 Coronation Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3N 2M6 Canada Tel/FAX: (902) 443-4262 NOTE: New Email: [log in to unmask] URL: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~aa163/peterkidd.html