This dust-up yesterday on MSNBC between Firedoglake’s Jane Hamsher and Jillian Bandes from Clownhall.com is a fine example of what’s been described as the “cosmic irrationality” of the ongoing health care discussion in the United States these days.
By the way, the patient shown in that advertisement from the anti-reform “Patients United” organization who decries the failings of our own healthcare system… Her name is Shona Holmes from Waterdown, Ontario. She’s been featured in the National Post, on Fox News, etc. There’s just one slight problem with her heart-rending story of “surviving a brain tumor” — it’s not true.
In fact, she suffered from “Rathke’s cleft cyst” which is a “benign cystic lesion that affects the mainly the pituitary gland” and may cause “visual disturbances” (and possibly other symptoms). “Relief of symptoms is common with operative management with resolution of symptoms in 78% of cases…”
Update: Bonus hilarity re Jillian Bandes from Sadly No!
6 Comments
July 10, 2009 at 4:54 am
quite simply, there is no greater wait time than refusal of care. the canadian medical system is by no means perfect but i’d be bankrupt and crippled if we lived under the american system.
i like the look on the wingnut’s face when hamsher tells her she doesn’t know what she’s talking about. it is made especially lovely when she starts pulling numbers out of her butt, my fave, ten million of those are illegal immigrants. bring us your huddled masses indeed.
July 10, 2009 at 6:20 am
I agree our healthcare system may not be prefect but I’m very grateful that we have it. My father had to have an emergency operation and he got it the same day he went into the ER. We were not asked for money going in or eight days later when he came out of hospital. Can you just imagine how much it would have cost under the american system for an eight day stay in hospital. I know we pay for our
health care with our taxes but I am happy to pay them knowing that if and when we
need medical care we get it.
July 10, 2009 at 9:46 am
Jillian Bandes? The same Jillian Bandes who demanded that all Arabs be strip- and cavity-searched at airports?
I love her hair. What year is this? 1978?
July 10, 2009 at 10:01 am
I think that Sadly No! piece nicely sums up the Clown Hall formula — not to mention about 96% of the Bloggin’ Tories. (And yes, I just made up that number…)
July 10, 2009 at 10:02 am
Har!
Thanks for the link, Ti-guy.
July 23, 2009 at 6:15 am
[...] You may recall that way back on July 10th I pointed out that Shona Holmes (the disgruntled Canadian featured in an advertisement by the anti-reform [...]