On 2009-09-17 18:02:55 -0400, Lazarus Cooke
said:

If I were to move back to the US, how much should I budget for to get a
better standard of service?

Nothing!

When I had prostate cancer at the ripe old age of 59, I had the same
Gleason Score as Bill Bixby (from the TV series Hulk). Bixby died just
before I was diagnosed and I was somewhat familiar with his case,
including his Gleason Score. Our cases were very similar. My tumor
was classified as lethally aggressive - i.e, if it wasn't treated very
quickly and aggressivly, I would die. I mean, TREATMENT NOW, THIS
MINUTE, NOT TOMORROW/NEXTWEEK/NEXTMONTH.

Between the time on that dreadful Friday afternoon when I was told I
had cancer and the following Monday morning, Joanne and I researched
prostate cancer in every book/article in the library/internet we could
get our hands on. When we met with the doctors on Monday morning, we
were fairly well informed. We had also searched out the best medical
team in the Boston area dealing with prostate cancer, and even
considered going to Baltimore and John Hopkins which was THE leader in
the entire world on prostate cancer and radical prostatectomy. We had
at our disposal whomever we selected. Our team in Concord
Massachusetts was considered one of the best and we went with them.

Long story short, I was cured. My doctors shrunk the tumor (remember,
"lethally aggresive"), removed it along with the organ itself in a four
hour operation, sewed me up, put in a catheter (removed a couple of
weeks later), and I have been peein' straight and sex is great ever
since. Total cost: $10 co-payment the first time I saw my urologist.
Nowhere in the world could I have received better treatment. NOWHERE!

Because I considered myself so very fortunate, I participated in a
prostate cancer survivors newsgroup for some months afterwards. I read
some horrible experiences of men with similar tumors who were nowhere
near as fortunate as I. They lived in Canada, UK, Germany, and some in
the States. My insurance paid all the expenses of that and other close
calls with death since then at a cost of about $1000/year, plus $10
co-pay each visit. My medications are paid for except for a small
co-payment per subscription.

Now that I am into my 70s and Joanne has retired, I am on medi-care,
which, so far, has treated me well. I'll take what I have now and what
I had those many years ago before I take anything Canada or GB can
offer me. I selected my own doctors, my own treatment; it was done MY
way, not the government's way, and I am alive and fairly healthy all
these many years afterward because of the decisions *I* made.

Hope you are well.

Dave
(and, yes, I am sure there are many success stories out of Canada/GB,
and many not so successful out of the USofA, but I'll keep what I have,
thankyouverymuchmrobama! Leave my health care the **** alone!!!!!)