Reason TV: Will ObamaCare kill medical innovation?

posted at 8:48 am on November 23, 2009 by Ed Morrissey

Nick Gillespie and Reason.tv offer this look at the attempt to strip profits from the health-care field, especially from innovators who produce new technologies, treatments, and medications. Nick takes us to a typical ObamaCare advocacy protest, which contains all of the elements we’re used to seeing by now: drums, chanting, SEIU shirts (they’re out in force at this rally), and the obligatory and ubiquitous venom aimed at profit. “It’s disgusting!” yells one protester into Reason’s microphone, while another protester clearly has little idea how profit works.

Dave Christensen does, and tells Reason how innovation saved his life:

Protesters at a recent rally in downtown Los Angeles demanded universal coverage. They told Reason.tv that America is a cruel land where profits come before people.

“It’s disgusting!” said one woman. “There should be no profits in health care!” What about those who argue that profits drive medical innovation? “I think that’s kind of sick,” declared another protester, who wants the U.S. to be more like Canada, where government policy keeps drug prices, and drug company profits, lower than in America.

Many regard the profit motive as cruel, but it actually produces compassionate results. After all, America has generated vastly more medical innovations than other nations. Included in the long list is the innovation that saved the life of Dave Christensen, construction supervisor, husband, and father. After being diagnosed with cancer, Christensen was lucky enough to be given a then-experimental drug that probably wouldn’t have been developed or brought to market in any other country in the world.

If America follows the lead of the rest of the world and clamps down on profits in health care, who will make tomorrow’s wonder drugs?

It won’t be the people beating the bongo drum and chanting jejune organizing rhymes on the street. The US, as Reason explains, is the last frontier for many innovators. Most of the pharmaceuticals fled western Europe a generation ago when those nations did what Obama proposes to do now. Innovation takes a lot of failure to produce a single success — and if innovators don’t get an opportunity to recoup their losses on the failures, no one will put up the money to get to the successes.

When everyone becomes a “free rider,” then the ride comes to an abrupt halt.

Blowback

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yes yes it will

unseen on November 23, 2009 at 8:50 AM

10 years from now: Lifetime expectancy falls.Marxists ask why?

Haunches on November 23, 2009 at 8:53 AM

No profits in health care? Good luck finding doctors who will work for free, or anyone else in any field for that matter.

Bishop on November 23, 2009 at 8:57 AM

keep drinking that kool-aid folks…

*shaking the head*

totally clueless…what are they going to do when something truly horrible afflicts them or their family members

cmsinaz on November 23, 2009 at 8:58 AM

Yes it will. From earlier post:

300,000,000 dollars,ethics? Lets face it trading highways for federal buildings has become commonplace but please don’t tell me 300 mil to take over 20% of the economy and destroy Health care for Americans is ethical.These people think that if it’s done under the Dome of the Capitol that it’s just fine. Tell them it’s NOT.

tim c on November 23, 2009 at 8:47 AM

If it were done anywhere else it would be criminal.

tim c on November 23, 2009 at 8:59 AM

10 years from now: Lifetime expectancy falls.Marxists ask why?blame evil capitalists
Haunches on November 23, 2009 at 8:53 AM

unseen on November 23, 2009 at 8:59 AM

A few months back, some columnist — I think from Bloomberg — was lamenting that liberals cannot seem to see health care as a growth industry — they only see it as a cost.

BigD on November 23, 2009 at 9:01 AM

Totally O/T but man you guys got to see this one…

Official disclosure of extraterrestrial life is imminent

An official announcement by the Obama administration disclosing the reality of extraterrestrial life is imminent. For several months, senior administration officials have been quietly deliberating behind closed doors how much to disclose to the world about extraterrestrial life. Dissatisfaction among powerful institutions such as the U.S. Navy over the decades-long secrecy policy has given a boost to efforts to disclose the reality of extraterrestrial life and technology.

The impending disclosure announcement follows upon the secret implementation of a year long openness policy on UFOs and extraterrestrial life. Over the period February 12-14, 2008, the United Nations held closed doors discussions where approximately 30 nations secretly agreed on a new openness policy on UFOs and extraterrestrial life in 2009. The openness policy was implemented but never publicly announced due to threats against UN diplomats not to disclose details of the secret agreement. h The secret UN agreement was based on two conditions. First, UFOs would continue to appear around the world; and second, the openness policy would not lead to social unrest in liberal democracies. Both conditions have been satisfied making it possible for the next stage to begin – official disclosure of extraterrestrial life.

Obama’s September 24, 2009 chairing of the UN Security Council meeting on nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, signaled his emerging leadership role in tackling major global issues such as nuclear weapons. The Nobel Peace Prize was an important step in giving global legitimacy to President Obama in making an extraterrestrial disclosure announcement. Obama is therefore poised to play a prominent role in the increased global governance that will be necessary after an extraterrestrial disclosure announcement. The timing would most likely coincide sometime soon after his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech on December 10, 2009 in Oslo, Norway.

There have been various sources that have revealed deliberations are underway to make an announcement concerning the existence of extraterrestrial life by the end of 2009. These include, Dr Pete Peterson, a whistleblower who has recently emerged revealing high level discussions have taken place concerning announcing the existence of extraterrestrial life. In a Project Camelot interview, Dr Peterson revealed that “Obama is planning to disclose the reality of ET contact by the end of the year; and that most, but not all, of the ET visitors are friendly.”

Another source is David Wilcock, a prominent researcher of emerging scientific paradigms. Wilcock has been told by additional independent sources that extraterrestrial disclosure will take place by the end of 2009. He furthermore claimed in a Coast to Coast AM radio interview that “a 2-hour international TV special has already been booked that will introduce an alien species, similar to humans, to the world.”

In addition, popular NASA and space researcher, Richard Hoagland, has publicly come forward to reveal that the October 9, LCROSS ‘bombing’ mission of the moon, discovered an ancient base at the moon’s South Pole. Reviewing the scientific data achieved by NASA’s LCROSS mission, Hoagland concluded, also on the popular late night Coast to Coast AM radio show, that “LCROSS is part of a carefully constructed campaign to prepare the populace for imminent disclosure. The President of the United States will soon announce that scientists have discovered ruins on the moon, he added. Nobody saw the LCROSS debris plume because the probes struck a building which swallowed the effects of the explosion.”

Finally, two independent and confidential sources have revealed to me that face to face meetings have recently occurred between U.S. military officials with one or more groups of extraterrestrial visitors. This has allegedly led to confidence being built for future cooperation with the extraterrestrials that will be formally announced to the world public either at the end of 2009, or early 2010.

doriangrey on November 23, 2009 at 9:02 AM

I’ll never understand the inviduals who admit that we have the best health care in the world but yet they want to change it. Just like when individuals believe we are such an evil capitalist country; however, they want to stay in the states….I’ll never understand.

deidre on November 23, 2009 at 9:03 AM

No profits in health care? Good luck finding doctors who will work for free, or anyone else in any field for that matter.

Bishop on November 23, 2009 at 8:57 AM

Slightly O/T: I had my folks over for dinner Saturday and my dad who’s a doctor said that seniors are super PO’d at the Dems and Obama over the steep Medicare cuts. He thinks 2010 will be a bloodbath at the polls.

Doughboy on November 23, 2009 at 9:04 AM

WhHy yes it will. There also will be no more Thomas Edison types either becuase we can’t have anything stronger that baking soda and vinegar in our homes nor can we put a ham radio in our luggage without it disappearing. Our freedom isn’t going, its already gone.

johnnyU on November 23, 2009 at 9:04 AM

MRI was invented in Canda. The video says “developed” … weasel words”.

Free riding in canada. BULLSHIT. Look at their graphs. Canada with 1/10 the population has more than 1/10 of the innovations.

Yes the canadian health-care system needs to go but I’m tired of all the anti-canadian bullshit.

gh on November 23, 2009 at 9:04 AM

Of course, it will.

It will also force thousands of doctors to quit practicing medicine.

Where is Capt Obvious when you need him?

stenwin77 on November 23, 2009 at 9:05 AM

“It’s disgusting!” said one woman. “There should be no profits in health care!”

But these idiots have no problem with the insane profits enjoyed by Goldman Sachs, pro athletes, morons like Letterman, or the bottom feeders on shows like TMZ.

The medical industry actually contributes something positive and useful to society. Personally, I see no problem with allowing them to profit from that.

Meezles on November 23, 2009 at 9:06 AM

doriangrey on November 23, 2009 at 9:02 AM

Hopefully they are here to take all liberals off to a distant planet to f*ck it up and get them off ours. I’m all for that!

milwife88 on November 23, 2009 at 9:09 AM

10 years from now: Lifetime expectancy falls.Marxists ask why?

Haunches on November 23, 2009 at 8:53 AM

10 years from now lifetime expectancy for the peasants falls. Ruling Marxists elites rejoice because their takeover has work better then expected.

RagTag on November 23, 2009 at 9:09 AM

It HAS to fail: That’s the Democrat and Obama AGENDA: They haven’t created or accomplished ANYTHING YET that has PRODUCED anything of VALUE since they’ve had Congress, for the past three years, and the White House for a year!
The Democrat Party should be all prosecuted and sentenced as ENEMIES OF THE UNITED STATES! They’re stealing OUR MONEY on a daily basis, NOT PROSECUTING the CRIMINALS IN THEIR MIDST, and WRECKING EVERY ASPECT OF THE REPUBLIC THEY PUT THEIR HANDS ON!
The Mafia has been put out of business only to be replaced by the Democrat Party.

Cybergeezer on November 23, 2009 at 9:13 AM

doriangrey on November 23, 2009 at 9:02 AM

I’ve been telling everyone that “V” is actually a documentary, and this article proves it.

Luckily for me I have been building a Starship Troopers type of armored suit in my shop; I will be ready to repel the alien horde.

Bishop on November 23, 2009 at 9:15 AM

If America follows the lead of the rest of the world and clamps down on profits in health care, who will make tomorrow’s wonder drugs?

Perhaps that is a question to be asked of every single Democrat and independent in Congress, along with Representative Cao. They are traitors all. And, for the record, Voinovich is worse than a traitor for being too busy to vote in the Senate Saturday night. If Byrd can get wheeled in and told which button to push, the RINO from Ohio should be expected to show up- lame duck or not.

highhopes on November 23, 2009 at 9:17 AM

The Mafia has been put out of business only to be replaced by the Democrat Party.

Cybergeezer on November 23, 2009 at 9:13 AM

+1000

VaGal on November 23, 2009 at 9:20 AM

Uncle Howie Dean on MSNBC just now: “Harry and the Democrats are going to rue the day that they didn’t exercise the reconciliation process and pass this thing with a public option

Rovin on November 23, 2009 at 9:20 AM

This is what my newly purchased senator Kay Hagan (D) (I like to refer to her as Chuck Schumer whore because he paid for her win) said in a press release about Obowacare:

“It protects Medicare and expands prescription coverage for our seniors. Individuals and employers who like their health insurance and doctors will keep them. It is a fiscally responsible plan that will reduce the deficit by nearly $130 billion in the next 10 years.”

Her office staff are nasty and uninformed. I hate that woman.

SouthernGent on November 23, 2009 at 9:25 AM

I had an Obamunist tell me that “profit motive” needs to be removed form medical services. I asked “What motivation would you propose in place of it?” No answer except some vague appeal to altruism – or something.

After being diagnosed with cancer, Christensen was lucky enough to be given a then-experimental drug that probably wouldn’t have been developed or brought to market in any other country in the world.

That’s not a “probably”. Fact is, the drug wasn’t developed and wouldn’t have been developed anywhere but here.

Maybe we should call it a “static analysis” of technology. It’s the same childish assumption that libruls usually apply to tax revenue. They don’t consider that their collectivist actions would have a negative impact on tax collections or technological advances.

forest on November 23, 2009 at 9:25 AM

doriangrey on November 23, 2009 at 9:02 AM

“It’s a cookbook!!!”

Akzed on November 23, 2009 at 9:26 AM

Ed,

Sounds liked it’s time to get Nick back on TEMS!

gwelf on November 23, 2009 at 9:27 AM

That was the last point I made to both of my idiot Senators prior to their vote of YES to bring this bill to the floor.
Laparoscopic surgery, MRI, Cat Scan, miracle drugs are ALL the result of the profit motive. Kill innovation and we’re stuck with the level of tech we presently have.

These leftists are simply sadists.

pistolero on November 23, 2009 at 9:27 AM

Whoa…dude! Rasmussen today!

Just 38% of voters now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s the lowest level of support measured for the plan in nearly two dozen tracking polls conducted since June.

SouthernGent on November 23, 2009 at 9:27 AM

Obama will kill us . . . of course all the elitist politicians will have another type of insurance for themselves.

rplat on November 23, 2009 at 9:28 AM

What a bunch of half-baked bullsh*t.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:28 AM

One doesn’t travel to the UK to be treated with the latest in medication, surgery, or therapy.

Blake on November 23, 2009 at 9:30 AM

Cloward Piven. Believe it yet?

JustTruth101 on November 23, 2009 at 9:30 AM

What a bunch of half-baked bullsh*t.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:28 AM

You make a very convincing argument.

gwelf on November 23, 2009 at 9:31 AM

Whoa…dude! Rasmussen today!

Just 38% of voters now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s the lowest level of support measured for the plan in nearly two dozen tracking polls conducted since June.

SouthernGent on November 23, 2009 at 9:27 AM

Kamikaze-care

forest on November 23, 2009 at 9:31 AM

Will ObamaCare kill innovation?

Is the Pope…

Does a bear….

angryed on November 23, 2009 at 9:31 AM

What a bunch of half-baked bullsh*t.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:28 AM

You make a very convincing argument.

gwelf on November 23, 2009 at 9:31 AM

I’m glad to see Dave is coming around. The Administration’s claims are indeed “a bunch of half-baked bullsh*t.”

forest on November 23, 2009 at 9:32 AM

Whoa…dude! Rasmussen today!

Just 38% of voters now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s the lowest level of support measured for the plan in nearly two dozen tracking polls conducted since June.

SouthernGent on November 23, 2009 at 9:27 AM

Hmm, Dick Morris has been saying repeatedly that getting those in favor of the bill down to the 30′s was key to defeating it. Hopefully he’s right.

Doughboy on November 23, 2009 at 9:32 AM

Just 38% of voters now favor the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. That’s the lowest level of support measured for the plan in nearly two dozen tracking polls conducted since June.

62% of the country is racist.
– BleedsSimon343AnninFins

angryed on November 23, 2009 at 9:33 AM

I will tell you from experience–medical innovation is some of the most riskiest and forward thinking stuff that occurs in science. Scientists push the envelope to challenge old theories, and old ways of doing things as a means to help others, find new solutions and to, dare I say it, make a living. It is an extraordinary endeavor to be a scientist that helps others. It is an extraordinary endeavor to be a healthcare practitioner that slogs in the salt mines of patient care every day–to deal with the suffering, deal with ambiguity, deal with bureacracy, and to eke out a living amidst these countering forces.

I will tell you, as a healthcare provider, that simply “having coverage” does not a healthy person make. Nor does “having coverage” pave the way to a correct diagnosis or a treatment plan. Medical practitioners have limits, medical practitioners can weigh risk and reward. Medical practitioners can revert to simply “meeting the mail” when it comes to your needs when they have a stack of 15 or 20 patients waiting to see them, all with a snotty nose or case of jock itch worse than yours.

Medical practitioners are expected to hit a home run at every time they get up to bat. “Can you fix it?” “Will it heal?” “What does it mean?” “How bad will it get?” “Is it serious?” are all crystal ball questions we answer and attempt to cut through the fog of ambiguity every damn day. The only way to answer those questions for you and to keep a steady stream of better answers coming is through one route–medical innovation. Development of new hips, new medicines, new therapies, better diagnostic tests, quicker answers, only come from one source–medical innovation. Medical innovation isn’t achieved in the exam room–the exam room is the place the questions start and also the place where the answers to those questions are implemented. It is the innovators at Glaxo, Dupuy, Smith and Nephew and others that help answer those questions.

For if we continue to force medical practitioners to both see everybody for nothing, and to answer every question with nothing, what should you expect for your health outcomes?

When it all pays the same, why work harder?

Kill this bill.

ted c on November 23, 2009 at 9:33 AM

If and when this economy killing crap gets through the Congress. The next push will be to get 30 million illegal free loaders legal status in order to get free health care and to vote for those handing it out.

sheriff246 on November 23, 2009 at 9:34 AM

The sad thing is, you could talk to all of those protestors until you’re blue in the face about why profits aren’t bad for drugs companies and they wouldn’t change their minds because they have been deeply indoctrinated into the statist cause, not by reasoned thought but by emotional pleading, truly statism obtained through ignorance.

WordsMatter on November 23, 2009 at 9:35 AM

I want it to be profitable to keep me alive and in reasonable comfort.

Slowburn on November 23, 2009 at 9:36 AM

MRI was invented in Canda. The video says “developed” … weasel words”.

Free riding in canada. BULLSHIT. Look at their graphs. Canada with 1/10 the population has more than 1/10 of the innovations.

Yes the canadian health-care system needs to go but I’m tired of all the anti-canadian bullshit.

gh on November 23, 2009 at 9:04 AM

MRI is based on a physics phenomenon discovered in the 1930s, called nuclear magnetic resonance or NMR, in which magnetic fields and radio waves cause atoms to give off tiny radio signals. Felix Bloch, working at Stanford University, and Edward Purcell, from Harvard University, discovered NMR. NMR spectroscopy was then used as means to study the composition of chemical compounds.

Paul Lauterbur, a Professor of Chemistry at the State University of New York at Stony Brook wrote a paper on a new imaging technique which he termed zeugmatography (from the Greek zeugmo meaning yoke or a joining together). Lauterbur imaging experiments moved science from the single dimension of NMR spectroscopy to the second dimension of spatial orientation – the foundation of MRI.

In 1970, Raymond Damadian, a medical doctor and research scientist, discovered the basis for using magnetic resonance imaging as a tool for medical diagnosis. He found that different kinds of animal tissue emit response signals that vary in length, and that cancerous tissue emits response signals that last much longer than non cancerous tissue.

Less than two years later he filed his idea for using magnetic resonance imaging as a tool for medical diagnosis with the U.S. Patent Office, entitled “Apparatus and Method for Detecting Cancer in Tissue.” A patent was granted in 1974, it was the world’s first patent issued in the field of MRI. By 1977, Dr. Damadian completed construction of the first whole-body MRI scanner, which he dubbed the “Indomitable.”

Damadian was born in Melville, New York to an Armenian family. He earned his BS in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1956, and an M.D. degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City in 1960. He studied the violin at Juilliard for 8 years.

First MRI was in Nottingham, England…(Nobel prize went to Paul Lauterbur however)…a major controversy…but nowhere is Canada even mentioned in any real history…however I think they stayed in a Comfort Inn one night in Toronto…
We don’t hate Canadians, we laugh at how they think they are more important then they are…

right2bright on November 23, 2009 at 9:38 AM

The American People should prosecute the Democrat Party under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act; They have been engaged in activity outlined in this law.

Cybergeezer on November 23, 2009 at 9:39 AM

right2bright on November 23, 2009 at 9:38 AM

Look up inventions by country … lol.

gh on November 23, 2009 at 9:40 AM

Btw. NMR and MRI are not the same thing … check wikipedia.

gh on November 23, 2009 at 9:43 AM

10 years from now lifetime expectancy for the peasants falls. Ruling Marxists elites rejoice because their takeover has work better then expected.

RagTag on November 23, 2009 at 9:09 AM

The problem with this “plan” on the part of the elites is that even they can’t benefit from innovations that don’t happen.

I had an Obamunist tell me that “profit motive” needs to be removed form medical services. I asked “What motivation would you propose in place of it?” No answer except some vague appeal to altruism – or something.

forest on November 23, 2009 at 9:25 AM

It’s funny. The Left says that capitalists won’t do anything without the chance to make a buck off it, but they want to take away the ability to make a buck off it and they still expect us to do the same things.

If America follows the lead of the rest of the world and clamps down on profits in health care, who will make tomorrow’s wonder drugs?

It won’t be the people beating the bongo drum and chanting jejune organizing rhymes on the street.

Camille Paglia once said that if women ran the world, we’d all still be living in grass huts. I’d revise that remark to say if the Left ran the world, we’d all be living in grass huts. The only “innovation” this scum has managed is innovation in political agitation. They are completely and utterly useless from a pragmatic perspective and the entire species would be better off if not a single one of them reproduced.

venividivici on November 23, 2009 at 9:44 AM

1877 Introduction of sterilized cotton wool swabs in test tubes, which reduces contamination. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1907 First bronchoscopy performed. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1908 Installation of the first milk pasteurization plant in Canada, 30 years before it becomes mandatory. This all but eliminates diseases transmitted by unpasteurized milk like tuberculosis, salmonella, and e.coli. Pasteurization dramatically decreases infant mortality in Canada. (The Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

1912 First surgical treatment of tuberculosis. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1922 First clinical use of insulin for diabetes in human patients. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1930 Development of a new infant cereal that later becomes famous internationally as “pablum.” This fortified cereal (the first of its kind) significantly reduces death from malnutrition. (The Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

1933 First excision of the entire lung performed (pneumonectomy). (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1939 Invention of the corneal splitting knife (still standard in surgery to reduce pressure in glaucoma). (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1948 Development of the first artificial kidney machine. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)

1948 First 25 million electron-volt beta-tron to be established in any university or hospital — calibration takes nine months. The electron-volt beta-tron is used for cancer research and to improve treatment accuracy. (Saskatoon Health Region — Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)

1950 Introduction of lumpectomy for treatment of breast cancer. Lumpectomy is a surgical procedure designed to remove a discrete lump (usually a tumour, benign or otherwise) from an affected woman or man’s breast. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1950 Use of total body cooling as a method of making heart surgery safer. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1950 First neuro-surgical treatment of epilepsy performed. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1951 First use worldwide of calibrated cobalt-60 for cancer radiotherapy treatment. (Saskatoon Health Region — Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)

1951 First “cobalt bomb” in the world used to deliver radiation therapy to cancer patients. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)

1952 First use of a device that determines whether or not a patient’s thyroid is cancerous through the use of radioactive iodine. (Saskatoon Health Region — Saskatoon, Saskatchewan)

1956 Major breakthrough in virology by discovering that positive strand Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) could be infectious. (Capital Health/University of Alberta — Edmonton, Alberta)

1957 Invention of the artificial cell for application in medicine and biotechnology. It was thought that artificial cells could one day be used as a partial substitute for human cells and organs. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1958 World first surgical treatment on cerebral aneurysms. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)

1960 Implementation of genetic screening programs for hereditary metabolic diseases in newborns. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1960 First implanted mammary artery into the heart wall in order to restore functionality of the heart. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1961 Discovery of blood-forming stem cells enabling bone marrow transplants. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1963 The first widely successful surgery to correct the birth defect known as “Blue Babies” is performed. Before this procedure, this condition used to kill 9 out of 10 patients in their first year. (The Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

1965 First artificial knee joint in the world created. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1969 Discovery of a carcino-embryonic antigen, a tumour marker for cancer. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1970 Discovery that hereditary metabolic diseases could be treated with vitamins. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1971 Developed the world’s first paediatric electric prosthetic arm. (Bloorview Kids Rehab – Toronto, Ontario)

1975 Development of software used worldwide for 20 years to control radiation therapy. (University Health Network—Toronto, Ontario)

1976 Identification of P-glycoprotein as a major cause of cancer drug resistance. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1978 Developed the internationally-recognized AeroChamber, a medical device used to administer aerosolized medication for patients with asthma. This device continues to be used in practice around the world. (St. Joseph’s Healthcare – Hamilton, Ontario)

1979 Invention of a radically different ventilator (now used worldwide) that gently “shakes” oxygen into the lungs of children with severe lung disease, sparing many of them painful lung bypass procedures. (The Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

1979 Development of “Continuous Passive Motion” (CPM), a revolutionary treatment for injured or diseased joints. Before this treatment, patients with damaged cartilage had to be totally immobilized. CPM is such an improvement that it is now being used in 17,500 hospitals in more than 77 countries worldwide. (The Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

1980 Initial studies using real time ultrasounds and detailing biological factors affecting human fetal behavioral activity and breathing movements. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)

1981 World-first heart operation to correct a life-threatening heart condition known as right ventricular dysphasia. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)

1983 Successful single lung transplant. Lung transplants extend life expectancy and enhance the quality of life for end-stage pulmonary patients. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1983 The Department of Nuclear Medicine becomes first to use a special imaging agent to diagnose Parkinson’s disease. Called [18] F6-fluorodopa PET, the chemical was produced by Hamilton Health Sciences and is now used worldwide. (Hamilton Health Sciences/McMaster University – Hamilton, Ontario)

1984 Discovery and cloning of the T-Cell receptor genes, significant in the field of immunology. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1986 Discovery of the SH2 domain, which controls the ability of proteins to interact with other SH2 containing proteins and thereby direct the function of enzymes involved in transmitting cellular signals. This finding has revolutionized our understanding of how proteins form, signaling pathways inside cells. It is already informing research to control these pathways in diseased cells — the basis for novel therapies. (Mount Sinai Hospital — Toronto, Ontario)

1986 Developed first predictive testing for late onset genetic diseases (Huntington Disease). (Provincial Health Services Authority – Vancouver, British Columbia)

1987 First aortic valve replacement in the world using the Toronto Heart Valve, which is now used worldwide. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

1987 World’s first pacemaker cardioverter defibrillator is implanted. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)

1988 Researchers solve the structure of rennin, a key enzyme in the kidney that plays a role in the development of high blood pressure. (Capital Health/University of Alberta — Edmonton, Alberta)

1988 World’s first successful liver/small bowel transplant is performed. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)

1989 Researchers develop sputum induction techniques and sputum cell analysis. Research on nasal mucosa suggested ways in which the cellular response to antigen challenge might be studied in bronchial mucosa and sputum. (Firestone Institute for Respiratory at St. Joseph’s Healthcare – Hamilton, Ontario)

1989 Development of the first oral treatment for hepatitis B, resulting in the drug Lamivudine. (Capital Health/University of Alberta — Edmonton, Alberta)

1989 Discovery of the gene which, when defective, causes cystic fibrosis, the most fatal genetic disease of Canadian children today. (The Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

1990 First measure of neurotransmitter concentration in schizophrenics by Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS). MRS allows scientists and doctors to measure chemicals within the body and brain without removing tissue or blood samples and without using dangerous radioactive “tracers.” It is therefore safe and can be used repeatedly on the patient without any ill effects. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)

1991 Publication of the first paper demonstrating that treatment of obstructive sleep apnea by nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with congestive heart failure improves cardiac function and symptoms of heart failure. This discovery has major implications because it suggests that obstructive sleep apnea contributes to the development and progression of congestive heart failure. (Toronto Rehabilitation Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

1992 Discovery of the first gene responsible for Fanconi anemia. Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disease that affects children and adults from all ethnic backgrounds. FA is characterized by short stature, skeletal anomalies, increased incidence of solid tumors and leukemias, bone marrow failure (aplastic anemia), and cellular sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents such as mitomycin C. (Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

1993 Researchers demonstrate that mouse embryonic stem cells are capable of supporting the entire embryonic development and in fact creating completely cell cultured derived mice. (Mount Sinai Hospital — Toronto, Ontario)

1993 Discovery of a novel gene associated with Lou-Gehrig’s disease. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1994 World’s first three-dimensional (3-D) ultrasound-guided cryosurgery. (Lawson Health Research Institute – London, Ontario)

1994 Solved the 30-year old puzzle of why so many people suffer an allergic reaction when they receive a blood transfusion. (Hamilton Health Sciences/McMaster University – Hamilton, Ontario)

1995 First physical map of the human genome created. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1995 Discovery of the gene associated with localized muscular dystrophy. (McGill University Health Centre Research Institute — Montreal, Quebec)

1996 Identification of a human blood cell that regenerates the entire blood system. This discovery enabled the development of new treatments for blood diseases such as leukemia, thalassemia and sickle cell anemia. (Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

1996 Identification of a gene that causes colon cancer. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among Canadians. (Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

1998 Developed the first trophoblast stem cells – the precursors of cells that form the placenta. Since the placenta is critical for a successful pregnancy, this discovery will have a major impact on research to understand and ultimately prevent pregnancy complications resulting from a failure in normal placental function. (Mount Sinai Hospital — Toronto, Ontario)

1998 Discovery of the first gene that causes Lafora disease, one of the most severe forms of teenageonset epilepsy. (Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

1999 First islet transplant under the Edmonton protocol for Type I diabetes. Islet transplantation had been performed under other protocols; however, the Edmonton protocol produced unprecedented levels of success in the field of islet transplantation. (Capital Health/University of Alberta — Edmonton, Alberta)

1999 World’s first closed chest robotic-assisted beating heart coronary artery bypass graft conducted. (Lawson Health Research Institute — London, Ontario)

1999 Identification of ABCA-1 gene – key regulator of HDL concentrations in humans. (Provincial Health Services Authority/BC Children’s Hospital – Vancouver, British Columbia)

2000 Discovery of the mechanism of formation of amyloid, the basis of Alzheimer’s and other diseases, and the subsequent development of drugs to treat this. (Kingston General Hospital — Kingston, Ontario)

2001 Discovery of a clinical rule that may reduce use of unnecessary x-rays for low-risk neck injuries and could aid in reducing use of imaging tests in alert and stable patients. (Ottawa Health Research Institute — Ottawa, Ontario)

2001 Development of the first animal model for Hepatitis C in mice, using transplanted human cells, providing a convenient way to test new treatments for Hepatitis C. (Capital Health/University of Alberta — Edmonton, Alberta)

2001 Tissue factor is a cell surface membrane protein involved in the initiation of blood clotting. Overexpression or increased activation of tissue factor can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. The research group demonstrated that overexpression of GRP78 (a protein), can block the coagulant activity of tissue factor in human cells. These studies are important because they have identified a relevant cellular factor that can mediate tissue factor activity. (Hamilton Health Sciences Centre — Hamilton, Ontario)

2001 Identified the emerging role that albuminuria as an important risk factor for both kidney and heart disease. (Hamilton Health Sciences/McMaster University – Hamilton, Ontario)

2002 Introduction of revolutionary medication doses for depression and schizophrenia through positron emission tomography (PET) technology. (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health — Toronto, Ontario)

2002 Creation of a simple system to generate T-cells in a Petri dish. T-cells are a vital component of the immune system that orchestrate, regulate and coordinate the overall immune response. This discovery provided a method to create model systems to study the genetics and molecular biology of T-cell development and points to future clinical therapies for people whose immune systems have been destroyed, for example, by HIV or toxic cancer therapies. (Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

2002 Discovery that a type of self-destructing “suicide cell” activity, previously believed to only be detrimental, is in fact necessary for the proper formation of muscle tissue. (Ottawa Health Research Institute — Ottawa, Ontario)

2002 Pioneered the use of Botulinum Toxin A to reduce upper limb spasticity in children with cerebral palsy. (Bloorview Kids Rehab – Toronto, Ontario)

2003 Discovery of a molecular marker to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common type of liver cancer. HCC is usually asymptomatic at early stages, and has great propensity for invasion, making it difficult to treat. A test was developed for the early diagnosis of HCC, which could also be useful for the screening of individuals that are at high risk for developing this disease, such as people chronically infected with Hepatitis B and C. (Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

2003 Researchers discover a way to make the immune system specifically recognize infectious prions, proteins that cause brain-wasting diseases like mad cow disease and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, its human equivalent. This discovery paves the way for the development of diagnostic tools, immunotherapy and a vaccine. (Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

2003 Major international clinical trial provides first alternative treatment to taxol for preventing breast cancer recurrence in survivors five years post diagnosis. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

2003 Compilation of the complete DNA sequence of chromosome 7. Researchers decode nearly all of the genes on this medically important portion of the human genome. Chromosome 7 contains 1,455 genes, some of which, when altered, cause diseases such as cystic fibrosis, leukemia and autism. (Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

2003 Study makes it easier to identify patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), providing faster diagnosis and significant savings to the health care system. (Ottawa Health Research Institute — Ottawa, Ontario)

2003 Performed the world’s first deep brain stimulation for depression, causing depression that was previously treatment-resistant to go into remission. (University Health Network — Toronto, Ontario)

2003 Identification of a cancer stem cell responsible for brain tumors. This discovery may change how this deadly condition is studied and treated in the future. (Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

2003 Linkage of maternal folic acid intake to a decrease in neuroblastoma, a deadly childhood cancer. (Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

2003 Performed the world’s first hospital-to-hospital telerobotic assisted surgery on a patient more than 400 kilometres away. During the procedure, they completed a Nissen Fundoplication on a 66-year old patient located at North Bay General Hospital from St. Joseph’s telerobotics suite in Hamilton, Ontario. (St. Joseph’s Healthcare – Hamilton, Ontario).

2003 Developed a genetically modified vaccine that can completely prevent the recurrence of metastatic breast cancer through genetically altered cells that only destroy cancer cells. (Hamilton Health Sciences/McMaster University – Hamilton, Ontario)

2003 Developed first draft DNA sequence for coronavirus implicated as cause of SARS (Provincial Health Services Authority/BC Cancer Agency, Genome Sciences Centre – Vancouver, British Columbia)

2003 Found that the vast majority of heart attacks can be predicted by nine easily measurable factors that are the same in virtually every region and ethnic group worldwide. (Hamilton Health Sciences/McMaster University – Hamilton, Ontario)

2004 Performed the world’s first simulated underwater surgery during the NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operation (NEEMO 7). During the 10-day NEEMO 7 Mission, they successfully telementored the NEEMO7 crew through various surgical simulations from their base in the underwater Aquarius habitat located 19 metres below the surface off the coast of Key largo, Florida. (St. Joseph’s Healthcare – Hamilton, Ontario)

2004 Development of StemBase, a database of gene expression data from DNA micro array experiments on samples from human and mouse stem cells and their derivatives. This growing resource is used to find genes whose activity is related to stem cells. (Ottawa Health Research Institute — Ottawa, Ontario)

2004 Discovery of the apelin receptor and design of an analogue that can interfere with and block the actions of apelin, in order to decipher its role in the brain. (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health — Toronto, Ontario)

2004 Discovery of over 70 novel human receptor genes; many of which, together with their chemical activators, mediate unique functions in the brain and are being targeted for drug design. (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health — Toronto, Ontario)

2004 In the first large, multi-centre clinical trial of its kind, researchers provided evidence to suggest that artery grafts from the forearm should be used in place of vein grafts from the leg in heart bypass surgery because radial arteries have significantly higher graft patency over one year. Graft patency, a measure of whether the bypass remains open enough to permit efficient blood flow, is critical to success after surgery. (Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

2004 A research team finds magnetic resonance imaging detects more breast cancer tumors, earlier, compared with mammography, ultrasound or clinical examination in women with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. This finding offers hope to genetically at-risk women, and gives them an alternative to removing both breasts. (Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

2004 World’s first use of beads of palladium, a low-dose radioactive material, to treat women with breast cancer on an outpatient basis. This therapy holds the promise of eliminating anguishing side effects and considerably enhancing the women’s quality of life. (Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

2004 Demonstration of an association between pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) and the Epstein-Barr virus, indicating that exposure to the virus at a certain time in childhood may be an important environmental trigger for the development of MS. (Hospital for Sick Children — Toronto, Ontario)

2004 Developed a virtual instrument that allows children with physical disabilities to make music (both therapeutic and recreational applications of the software – which is licensed in 7 countries around the world). (Bloorview Kids Rehab – Toronto, Ontario)

2005 Developed the world’s first upper respiratory viral panel test that can accurately identify all respiratory viruses including various flu strains including H5N1 and the SARS Coronavirus. (St. Joseph’s Healthcare – Hamilton, Ontario)

2005 In the first trial of its kind in the world, researchers begin treating prostate cancer using a 3-D image-guided radiation therapy device that was developed in Canada. This non-surgical technique allows oncologists to visualize the exact position of the target and deliver precise external beam radiation therapy. (Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

2005 Key discovery in Type-1 Diabetes proves the repair process is present within the pancreas during disease development. Understanding the repair process could be the key to successful treatment. (Ottawa Health Research Institute — Ottawa, Ontario)

2005 Study determines that a specific enzyme, known as pro-protein convertase 4 (PC4) may be responsible for fetal growth restriction, the second leading cause of infant mortality in the developed world. Knowledge may lead to screening for the defective enzyme early in the pregnancy and provide the ability to monitor the pregnancy more closely. (Ottawa Health Research Institute — Ottawa, Ontario)

2005 Scientists show that early surgical removal of the spleen combined with antiangiogenic therapy, which arrests the growth of tumour-feeding blood vessels, may stop the progression of leukemia. (Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

2005 Using neuropsychological testing, researchers accurately predict which study participants will develop Alzheimer’s disease within five and 10 years. Previous studies were able to predict Alzheimer’s only for shorter periods of time; other studies showed predictions for 10 and even 15 years, but these did not indicate the predictive accuracy of the tests. (Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute — Toronto, Ontario)

2005 Identified novel mutations in the gene that causes Rett Syndrome. The discovery is now licenced as a test for the disorder and is available to the public. (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health — Toronto, Ontario)

2005 Initiation of first human clinical gene therapy trials for lipoprotein lipase deficiency. (Provincial Health Services Authority/BC Children’s Hospital – Vancouver, British Columbia)

2006 Discovery of the precise molecular chain of events that initiates the wide-scale immune destruction of “super bug” infections such as flesh-eating disease, toxic shock syndrome and severe food poisoning. (Robarts Research Institute — London, Ontario)

2006 Implantation of an antibody-coated stent into the first human patient. The invention of the antibody-coated stent reduces restenosis and prevents blood clots from occurring. (St. Michael’s Hospital — Toronto, Ontario)

2006 World’s first clinical trial to combine gene and cell therapy to treat a cardiovascular disorder. The PHACeT (Pulmonary Hypertension: Assessment of Cell Therapy) trial will assess the use of adult stem-like cells called endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) for the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. (St. Michael’s Hospital — Toronto, Ontario)

2006 First demonstration that children with cystic fibrosis have choline deficiency. Provision of choline improves redox balance and methyl transfer capacity in humans. (Provincial Health Services Authority/BC Children’s Hospital – Vancouver, British Columbia)

2006 First demonstration that dietary omega-3 fatty acid deficiency impairs neurogenesis in vivo (Provincial Health Services Authority/BC Children’s Hospital – Vancouver, British Columbia)

2006 First curative therapy for Huntington Disease in a mouse model (Provincial Health Services Authority/BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia)

You’re welcome, right2bright.

Love,
Canada

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:46 AM

Class action?

The American People should prosecute the Democrat Party under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act; They have been engaged in activity outlined in this law.

Cybergeezer on November 23, 2009 at 9:39 AM

I’m in.

tim c on November 23, 2009 at 9:47 AM

Will ObamaCare kill medical innovation?

Yes, Punish achievement, you get less achievement, punish innovation and you get less innovation.

Why is that kind of simple logic so hard for the Statists in the National Socialist Democrat Party to understand?

Fake8 on November 23, 2009 at 9:51 AM

Is there any other country we can go to while natural selection takes care of all these libtards?

Daveyardbird on November 23, 2009 at 9:51 AM

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:46 AM

Thanks … I guess the MRI propaganda I read was wrong then.

gh on November 23, 2009 at 9:53 AM

No profits in health care? Good luck finding doctors who will work for free, or anyone else in any field for that matter.

Bishop on November 23, 2009 at 8:57 AM

I expect an abbundance of new DR`s once they lower the bar and curve the exams. I`m pretty sure anyone who can pass the handwashing exam and lineage reguirements will get degree. Paid for with your tax dollars.

LSUMama on November 23, 2009 at 9:54 AM

that was requirements. Sorry

LSUMama on November 23, 2009 at 9:55 AM

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:46 AM

Medical leigh.turner@mcgill.ca Other Sections▼
Advocates of medical tourism
Critical perspectives
Conclusion
References Delays for medical interventions such as hip and knee replacements, spinal surgery, and ophthalmologic procedures are a serious problem in Canada. Federal and provincial governments are struggling to shorten waiting lists and provide timely care. Patients often wait months to obtain appointments with specialists, undergo diagnostic tests, and receive treatment. Lack of access to family physicians can make obtaining care particularly difficult.Recognizing that many Canadians are unable to obtain prompt treatment, medical tourism companies promote travel to medical facilities in other countries.1 Customers of these companies can purchase anything from cosmetic procedures and diagnostic examinations to kidney transplants, in vitro fertilization, cancer therapies, and orthopedic procedures. The cost of medical tourism packages varies greatly. Prices depend on the procedures clients select, where they travel, how long they intend to stay, and whether they choose postoperative accommodations in budget hotels or luxury resorts.At least 15 medical tourism companies operate in Canada. One such company is located in Alberta, 1 is located in Manitoba, 7 are located in British Columbia, 3 in Ontario, and 3 in Quebec. This list does not include more traditional travel agencies advertising medical tourism packages: a Vancouver-based travel agency arranges trips to Bumrungrad International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand; a Quebec travel agency markets travel to hospitals and clinics in India.Canadian medical tourism companies send their clients to such countries as Argentina, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, France, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. Some companies send their clients to a single medical facility in a particular country, while others advertise a choice of destinations.The health care travel packages typically include air and ground transportation, travel visas, hotel accommodations, assistance from a local company representative in the destination country, transfer of medical records to treating physicians, and negotiated rates for whatever medical procedures clients decide to purchase.

Dave, I’m sure you have an explanation for this. Despite all the neat sh!t Canada develops, apparently their having difficulty getting it out to the peeps. So the peeps are packing their canuck suitcases and jetting off to a spot where they can get it.

ted c on November 23, 2009 at 9:55 AM

Is there any other country we can go to while natural selection takes care of all these libtards?

Daveyardbird on November 23, 2009 at 9:51 AM

We need to split the country into two completely separate legal spheres. One for libtards and another for non-libtards. The only other alternative is to be the enforcer of natural selection, which is a messy business.

venividivici on November 23, 2009 at 9:56 AM

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:46 AM

So over 130 years, Canada has come up with about 20 medical innovations? Color me impressed.

Now post the United States’ list.

misterpeasea on November 23, 2009 at 9:58 AM

All the medical innovations in the history of Canada in one blog comment. Awesome.

Let’s go ahead an collectivize and see how it works out.

forest on November 23, 2009 at 9:58 AM

One way to lower costs here is to require drug and device companies to offer US patients the same prices they give to other countries. The only reason socialized healthcare systems even work badly is the American consumer is subsidizing them. We can no longer afford to subsidize them. Such an evening out of prices, would lower them here and raise them in countries like Sweden, Switzerland, England, France, etc. Are you telling me they can’t afford it? I used to be in the surgery center business. A particular laser we used cost $575k here, $250K in the UK and $150k in China. Why? It was the same laser. It is because companies think we are chumps.Make the rest of the world pay its own freight.

flyoverland on November 23, 2009 at 9:59 AM

Spot on.

WisCon on November 23, 2009 at 9:59 AM

Look up inventions by country … lol.

gh on November 23, 2009 at 9:40 AM

Just look up MRI yourself…no mention of Canada. It may at some time patented in Canada…but the first was in the U.S.
Interestingly it was first actually performed in England.

right2bright on November 23, 2009 at 10:00 AM

Dave, I’m sure you have an explanation for this. Despite all the neat sh!t Canada develops, apparently their having difficulty getting it out to the peeps. So the peeps are packing their canuck suitcases and jetting off to a spot where they can get it.

ted c on November 23, 2009 at 9:55 AM
——
Oh our system ain’t perfect by a long shot. But I believe healthcare is a fundamental human right. So if it takes years and years to correct the glaring errors in my country’s system then so be it. I guess I value human life more than you and you value profits more than me.

So, how come my country, with all these burdens and government meddling and this and that STILL creates a volume medical innovation that is way out of proportion to our population? According to you clowns, we shouldn’t have any because the industry should be dead.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:02 AM

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:46 AM

So over 130 years, Canada has come up with about 20 medical innovations? Color me impressed.

Now post the United States’ list.

misterpeasea on November 23, 2009 at 9:58 AM
—-
OMG OMG GO SEE A DOCTOR BECAUSE YOU’RE BLIND

Or a teacher because you’re illiterate.

Again, you’re welcome for the innovations we’ve come up with.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:03 AM

Is there any other country we can go to while natural selection takes care of all these libtards?

Daveyardbird on November 23, 2009 at 9:51 AM

I’ve been asking around the ‘net about foreign nations with decent job prospects and living conditions…and the answers I’ve been getting are not encouraging in the slightest.

Dark-Star on November 23, 2009 at 10:04 AM

Will ObamaCare kill medical innovation?

Isn’t the whole point of progressivism to have a small group ruling over the masses … stealing their money, controlling the population and killing off the sick and old?

Sounds like killing medical innovation isn’t a consequence, but a goal.

darwin on November 23, 2009 at 10:08 AM

All the medical innovations in the history of Canada in one blog comment. Awesome.

Let’s go ahead an collectivize and see how it works out.

forest on November 23, 2009 at 9:58 AM
—–
Maybe someday our researchers will come up with a drug for obnoxious Americanitis that makes them less likely to blow off a century of truly important medical innovation. Hopefully it will have the side effect of expanding the subjects’ teeny tiny worldview. But of course, this is such a long shot.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:09 AM

Oh our system ain’t perfect by a long shot. But I believe healthcare is a fundamental human right. So if it takes years and years to correct the glaring errors in my country’s system then so be it. I guess I value human life more than you and you value profits more than me.

So, how come my country, with all these burdens and government meddling and this and that STILL creates a volume medical innovation that is way out of proportion to our population? According to you clowns, we shouldn’t have any because the industry should be dead.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:02 AM

DR–nice strawmanning there boy. Despite the volume of medical innovation the canucks develop, apparently they’ve failed to develop the key link–a way to deliver those innovations to the people that need them. That’s the key piece there homeboy, delivery. You can have all that cool stuff sitting on the shelves up there in canucksville, and it doesn’t do you jack nor squat except further the innovation of one thing—medical tourism OUT of CANADA.

pwned.

ted c on November 23, 2009 at 10:09 AM

Oh our system ain’t perfect by a long shot. But I believe healthcare is a fundamental human right.

Let’s take that statement down to its bare essence.

You claim that health care is a fundamental human right. Now let’s assume that you’re sick and I’m the only available doctor to treat you. Since you believe that you have a fundamental human right to health care, do you:

1. Have a right to my services, whether or I want to provide them to you or not? Yes or No?

2. If I decide to provide you with my services but at a rate you cannot afford, do you have a right to impose price controls on my services? Yes or No?

3. If I decide not to provide you my services at the cost that you decide upon, do you have a right to punish me with fines or prison to coerce me to provide my services? Yes or No?

4. If I resist your fines and your legal sentences, do you have the right to physically attack me to force me to provide my services to you? Yes or No?

Remember, YOU’RE the one who is claiming that you have a fundamental human right to health care. Now back it up. Answer those questions. But I suspect you’ll punt.

PackerBronco on November 23, 2009 at 10:09 AM

Will ObamaCare kill medical innovation?

Isn’t the whole point of progressivism to have a small group ruling over the masses … stealing their money, controlling the population and killing off the sick and old?

Sounds like killing medical innovation isn’t a consequence, but a goal.

darwin on November 23, 2009 at 10:08 AM
—–
Yeah for sure that’s it. They want to destroy the industry. Yes. It’s written down somewhere in a brief. You should call CNN with this.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:10 AM

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:46 AM

Dude, if you weren’t living on the US border and feeding off our economy, you’d be pi$$ing in a hole in the dirt and walking to the village well for your water.

bloviator on November 23, 2009 at 10:10 AM

If America follows the lead of the rest of the world and clamps down on profits in health care, who will make tomorrow’s wonder drugs?
It won’t be the people beating the bongo drum and chanting jejune organizing rhymes on the street.

Yet, they will be the loudest at whining because things got worse, rather than better!

capejasmine on November 23, 2009 at 10:11 AM

Maybe someday our researchers will come up with a drug for obnoxious Americanitis that makes them less likely to blow off a century of truly important medical innovation. Hopefully it will have the side effect of expanding the subjects’ teeny tiny worldview. But of course, this is such a long shot.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:09 AM

I thought you valued human life there DR, apparently only the life that agrees with your slanted, uneducated and utopian positions on everything between rainbows and unicorns.

ted c on November 23, 2009 at 10:11 AM

PackerBronco on November 23, 2009 at 10:09 AM

I’ll second that challenge to the resident synaptically challenged individual whose name happens to sound like something used to hang pictures from…..

ted c on November 23, 2009 at 10:13 AM

Oh our system ain’t perfect by a long shot. But I believe healthcare is a fundamental human right.

Let’s take that statement down to its bare essence.

You claim that health care is a fundamental human right. Now let’s assume that you’re sick and I’m the only available doctor to treat you. Since you believe that you have a fundamental human right to health care, do you:

1. Have a right to my services, whether or I want to provide them to you or not? Yes or No?

2. If I decide to provide you with my services but at a rate you cannot afford, do you have a right to impose price controls on my services? Yes or No?

3. If I decide not to provide you my services at the cost that you decide upon, do you have a right to punish me with fines or prison to coerce me to provide my services? Yes or No?

4. If I resist your fines and your legal sentences, do you have the right to physically attack me to force me to provide my services to you? Yes or No?

Remember, YOU’RE the one who is claiming that you have a fundamental human right to health care. Now back it up. Answer those questions. But I suspect you’ll punt.

PackerBronco on November 23, 2009 at 10:09 AM
——–
1 There is no want or not want in providing services
2 There are no rates
3 Again there are no rates
4 Dumb

punt punt punt

bye bye

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:13 AM

Oh our system ain’t perfect by a long shot. But I believe healthcare is a fundamental human right. So if it takes years and years to correct the glaring errors in my country’s system then so be it. I guess I value human life more than you and you value profits more than me.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:02 AM

I see – so why isn’t food, shelter and a job a fundamental human right?

So if it takes years and years to correct the glaring errors in my country’s system then so be it. I guess I value human life more than you and you value profits more than me.
Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:02 AM

You’re such a douche. I suppose I could rephrase this as me valuing human liberty more than you. You also entirely miss the point about the profit motive so I’ll try to explain it for you:
(1) Profit drives innovation which improves the lives of everyone.
(2) Profit allows companies to hire/employ people.

gwelf on November 23, 2009 at 10:13 AM

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:46 AM

Dude, if you weren’t living on the US border and feeding off our economy, you’d be pi$$ing in a hole in the dirt and walking to the village well for your water.

bloviator on November 23, 2009 at 10:10 AM
——
USA USA USA

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:14 AM

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:13 AM

I figured as much. Once you were forced to think outside of your cute little slogan your poor miniscule brain shut down. Go back to your sandbox little man.

PackerBronco on November 23, 2009 at 10:15 AM

I see – so why isn’t food, shelter and a job a fundamental human right?
gwelf on November 23, 2009 at 10:13 AM
——–
Water should be.
Food, shelter and a job are not.
You’re one of those slippery slope clowns, aren’t you.

(1) Profit drives innovation which improves the lives of everyone.
(2) Profit allows companies to hire/employ people.
gwelf on November 23, 2009 at 10:13 AM
——–
Thanks for the amazing news bulletin. Now explain why Canada even has a medical innovation/research industry, since we’re so f*cked up here.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:17 AM

Yeah for sure that’s it. They want to destroy the industry. Yes. It’s written down somewhere in a brief. You should call CNN with this.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:10 AM

I’m way past giving a f*ck what the Left’s “intentions” are.

The results are in. Democratic socialism equals slow death and Communism equals fast death.

Oh our system ain’t perfect by a long shot. But I believe healthcare is a fundamental human right.

I don’t believe healthcare is a fundamental human right. It’s a service for which I can enter a transaction governed by contract law.

One can find evidence that one of the most important determinations of health, especially psychological health, is the quality of the relationship one has with one’s parents. Does that mean having your mother and father love you is a fundamental human right?

Softheaded thinking is a luxury the West can no longer afford.

venividivici on November 23, 2009 at 10:17 AM

So, who’s up for having quiet discussions with their family doctor about under-the-table arrangements when this debacle becomes law?

Dark-Star on November 23, 2009 at 10:18 AM

Yeah for sure that’s it. They want to destroy the industry. Yes. It’s written down somewhere in a brief. You should call CNN with this.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:10 AM

How you can be so naive as to think this is all being done for some altruistic purpose shows your ignorance of history and the American progressive party.

Relish your ignorance for it grants you bliss.

darwin on November 23, 2009 at 10:20 AM

You’re welcome, right2bright.

Love,
Canada

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 9:46 AM

And you are welcome…everyone of those “inventions” were extensions of research started in the U.S.
Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute (the wealthy hospital it is known as), actually works closely with Stanford University. All of Sunnybrooks scientist hold academic posts at the University of Toronto.
They both have extensive cancer research, and share that information.
As you may or may not know, throughout the world, certain Universities were chosen as centers of research.
Stanford is Hodgkin (along with other diseases), Sunnybrooks is trauma, Harvard, Hopkins, etc. all have their specialties.
All universities (in the world) share information with that “point man”, so nothing gets lost.
Stanford alone would have more of a list of medical breakthroughs then all of Canada, then include Harvard, USC, John Hopkins, etc. and it would overwhelm you.
But for the past 40 years it would be almost impossible to point to an individual state or University (in the world), since they all share so much…and specialists then move to that that University of specialty.
I am surprised you had none of the great work that Sunnybrook has done in trauma care…truly a great facility.

right2bright on November 23, 2009 at 10:21 AM

I don’t believe healthcare is a fundamental human right. It’s a service for which I can enter a transaction governed by contract law.
venividivici on November 23, 2009 at 10:17 AM
————-
Ah, so get rid of Medicaid, right? If people can’t pay, then f*ck ‘em.

So you believe that a poor person with no health insurance who gets in a car accident should be left to die at the side of the road. I mean, they should pay for the service, and if they cannot pay, they should not get the service.

Hey how about a child with a heart defect who requires heart surgery immediately after birth? Oh wait – her parents have no insurance. Leave her to die on the table. Nice system you’ve got there.
————-

One can find evidence that one of the most important determinations of health, especially psychological health, is the quality of the relationship one has with one’s parents. Does that mean having your mother and father love you is a fundamental human right?
venividivici on November 23, 2009 at 10:17 AM
————–
This is dumb.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:26 AM

Thanks for the amazing news bulletin. Now explain why Canada even has a medical innovation/research industry, since we’re so f*cked up here.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:17 AM

Thanks for not answering my question and dodging the whole issue.

I’m not a Canada hater – Canada does create some medical innovation. But only a small fraction of it and Canada would produce MORE if it had a profit driven system.

Americans think it’s unacceptable to be treated like a Canadian in regards to healthcare. We don’t want to wait for 2-3 years to get ‘assigned’ a general practitioner or use a lottery to get one. We don’t want to wait months to see a specialist who then has to wait months to get us in for an important diagnostic test (we can debate about who invented the MRI but you actually get to use one in a timely manner in America) to find out you have cancer and that if had been caught several months ago and it wouldn’t take several more months to get treatment you might have had a chance to survive it.

gwelf on November 23, 2009 at 10:26 AM

And you are welcome…everyone of those “inventions” were extensions of research started in the U.S.
Sunnybrook & Women’s Research Institute (the wealthy hospital it is known as), actually works closely with Stanford University. All of Sunnybrooks scientist hold academic posts at the University of Toronto.
They both have extensive cancer research, and share that information.
As you may or may not know, throughout the world, certain Universities were chosen as centers of research.
Stanford is Hodgkin (along with other diseases), Sunnybrooks is trauma, Harvard, Hopkins, etc. all have their specialties.
All universities (in the world) share information with that “point man”, so nothing gets lost.
Stanford alone would have more of a list of medical breakthroughs then all of Canada, then include Harvard, USC, John Hopkins, etc. and it would overwhelm you.
But for the past 40 years it would be almost impossible to point to an individual state or University (in the world), since they all share so much…and specialists then move to that that University of specialty.
I am surprised you had none of the great work that Sunnybrook has done in trauma care…truly a great facility.

right2bright on November 23, 2009 at 10:21 AM
—–
Yes, yes, yes, for chrissakes the entire field collaborates and shares information and trade desks and scalpels. Obviously. But that works both ways – you can’t chant USA USA USA so loudly if you acknowledge that the world is to thank for innovations that keep us all alive. It’s so obnoxious to claim that all innovation originated in the US.

My point is: Canada innovates more than it should given its size and given its alleged f*cked upness that you all claim the field has from government meddling.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:31 AM

Maybe someday our researchers will come up with a drug for obnoxious Americanitis that makes them less likely to blow off a century of truly important medical innovation. Hopefully it will have the side effect of expanding the subjects’ teeny tiny worldview. But of course, this is such a long shot.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:09 AM
That was uncalled for. We are not enemys and I don`t for one minute believe anyone is trying to take away Canada`s glory. It does speak volumes that so many Canadian Drs and nurses come here to work. They will tell you how bad it is up there and they come here to get paid. You may not like profit but it is how one pays bills.

LSUMama on November 23, 2009 at 10:31 AM

One of the signs in the clip said 45 million (presumably uninsured). Last night, 60 Minutes had a segment on end-of-life care that cut in at least 10 different directions but in it some whining doctor mentioned 40+ million uninsured.

At a minimum, Obama told us we have 30 million uninsured. I believe that’s a bogus number to begin with. But why can’t Dems get even that straight? They’ve been dishonest about this debate all along.

BuckeyeSam on November 23, 2009 at 10:33 AM

Just like when individuals believe we are such an evil capitalist country; however, they want to stay in the states….I’ll never understand.

deidre on November 23, 2009 at 9:03 AM

Sure you do. Even as we take this sudden veer to the left, do you really want to leave your home, or do you want to fight to haul the steering wheel over to the right? Our opponents think likewise, and they, unfortunately, are in power at the moment.

As my mom once said, rare is the child who does not have to burn their fingers on the stove to understand that the stove really is as hot as mommy says.

unclesmrgol on November 23, 2009 at 10:36 AM

So you believe that a poor person with no health insurance who gets in a car accident should be left to die at the side of the road. I mean, they should pay for the service, and if they cannot pay, they should not get the service.

Hey how about a child with a heart defect who requires heart surgery immediately after birth? Oh wait – her parents have no insurance. Leave her to die on the table. Nice system you’ve got there.
Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:26 AM

This doesn’t happen in America – and the benevolence of government didn’t make it so.

Also, I’d rather a free market system create ‘rationing’ based on ability to pay/get insurance which also drives down the costs of healthcare than have government system which drives up the cost of care and has a bureaucrat tell me or a loved one I can’t have a procedure.

gwelf on November 23, 2009 at 10:37 AM

My point is: Canada innovates more than it should given its size and given its alleged f*cked upness that you all claim the field has from government meddling.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:31 AM

Canada innovates because it’s big neighbor to the south is a great customer. That will vanish under the new medical device and pharmaceutical taxes.

In the end, Dave, it’s capitalism.

unclesmrgol on November 23, 2009 at 10:38 AM

Oops. Its, not it’s.

unclesmrgol on November 23, 2009 at 10:38 AM

The hypocrisy of people like Dave Rywall is stunning. They claim to care for everyone and want to help in every way they can … yet I doubt he contributes to any charities, or volunteers to help the poor, or lives frugally so he can give his money to the needy.

No, his sole contribution to the needy and poor is supporting corrupt politicians that craft policies that literally steal from hard working people and force Rywall’s ideology down their throats.

In the process, the money they take from people … the same people by the way who contribute generously to charity … means less and less money is available for these people to give to charity.

Rywall is nothing but a fascist drone, as are all liberal followers.

darwin on November 23, 2009 at 10:38 AM

It’s disgusting!” said one woman. “There should be no profits in health care!”

There should be no profits in the movie industry either! It’s disgusting how much profits studios, producers, actors make. It just isn’t fair that so many Americans can’t afford to go to a movie..congress should demand a public option – FREE MOVIES and FREE POPCORN for all!

TN Mom on November 23, 2009 at 10:39 AM

This is dumb.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:26 AM

We already have a system which takes care of people who cannot pay. What we are now doing is trashing the portion of the healthcare system which works excellently for those who do pay. You are right — this is dumb. Cadillac taxes are dumb. Medical device taxes are dumb. Limitations on CEO compensation is dumb. Pharmaceutical taxes are dumb.

And, reducing Medicare by $500M so that the State of Louisiana can get $300M in port is dumb too, don’t you think? [Of course you do -- Medicare was the first line of your screed.]

unclesmrgol on November 23, 2009 at 10:43 AM

Ouch. pork, not port. I doubt Louisiana could drink that much port.

unclesmrgol on November 23, 2009 at 10:43 AM

Ah, so get rid of Medicaid, right? If people can’t pay, then f*ck ‘em.

So you believe that a poor person with no health insurance who gets in a car accident should be left to die at the side of the road. I mean, they should pay for the service, and if they cannot pay, they should not get the service.

Hey how about a child with a heart defect who requires heart surgery immediately after birth? Oh wait – her parents have no insurance. Leave her to die on the table. Nice system you’ve got there.

If doctors and nurses and other medical practitioners want to donate some of their time to treating those who can’t pay, fine. I am not responsible for others’ medical costs. Society has deemed that there are certain segments of the population who can get a subsidy for their care. Although I don’t agree with this, it’s not like I have a choice in the practical sense. I can only point out that it’s contrary to sound economic thinking, because it takes money from potentially more productive uses and funnels it to potentially less-productive uses. What if that person in the car crash is a drug addict who, after being patched up by the doctors, then goes out and robs a liquor store and kills the owner? What if that kid with the heart defect got it because his mother is a crackhead and he then grows up to be a violent sex offender because of his home environment?

This is dumb.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:26 AM

You like to assert sh*t without backing it up. How, exactly, is it dumb? If healthcare is a fundamental right, doesn’t that, by incorporation of the components of healthcare into one category, including psychological health, mean that psychological health is also a fundamental right? Clearly, you haven’t thought this through, as is typical of the mush that passes for “logic” on the Left. You just mouth BS slogans, feel smug and then wash your hands of the unintended consequences. No wonder so many people who don’t have the luxury of washing their hands of your filth are growing to hate you more and more. I know I am.

As I said, softheaded thinking was a luxury the West thought it could afford in the post-WWII period. That period is over and with it the era of indulging stupidity.

venividivici on November 23, 2009 at 10:44 AM

Yes, yes, yes, for chrissakes the entire field collaborates and shares information and trade desks and scalpels. Obviously. But that works both ways – you can’t chant USA USA USA so loudly if you acknowledge that the world is to thank for innovations that keep us all alive. It’s so obnoxious to claim that all innovation originated in the US.

My point is: Canada innovates more than it should given its size and given its alleged f*cked upness that you all claim the field has from government meddling.

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:31 AM

You said, it was obnoxious for the claim to be made, that the U.S. originated all innovation. You gleaned from the article, what you wanted to glean, in order to support your argument, and obvious hate for the U.S. What the article actually said was…. ” America has generated vastly more medical innovations than other nations.”

Sometimes, the nuance in the way something is written, can be taken out of context. Which is why, when compulsion to comment takes over, be careful you’re quoting fact, and not simply what, and how you interpreted it.

capejasmine on November 23, 2009 at 10:44 AM

The hypocrisy of people like Dave Rywall is stunning. They claim to care for everyone and want to help in every way they can … yet I doubt he contributes to any charities, or volunteers to help the poor, or lives frugally so he can give his money to the needy.

No, his sole contribution to the needy and poor is supporting corrupt politicians that craft policies that literally steal from hard working people and force Rywall’s ideology down their throats.

In the process, the money they take from people … the same people by the way who contribute generously to charity … means less and less money is available for these people to give to charity.

Rywall is nothing but a fascist drone, as are all liberal followers.

darwin on November 23, 2009 at 10:38 AM
——
Ut, ut – you forgot the part where I spit on old people and microwave kittens.

Why do you support Medicaid?

Dave Rywall on November 23, 2009 at 10:45 AM

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