This is what happens when the government controls the health care of the nation. Not only do they treat special needs children as a burden on society and as second class citizens but they make mind blowingly dumb decisions like denying permanent residence to the "only specialist physician" in one of their small towns:
THE Rudd Government is under pressure from all fronts, even Labor colleagues, to overturn a decision denying German doctor Bernhard Moeller permanent residency in Australia because his son Lukas has Down syndrome.Which is the number one problem with nationalizing health care. If America were to nationalize our health care, that would make the world wide doctor shortage even worse.The Immigration Department this week rejected Dr Moeller's application for permanent residency, saying the potential cost to the taxpayer of 13-year-old Lukas's condition was too great.
Politicians, disability groups and the small Victorian town of Horsham, where Dr Moeller is the only specialist physician, were outraged by the decision and have called on Immigration Minister Chris Evans to intervene on the family's behalf.
[...]
Health Minister Nicola Roxon said she would discuss the case with Senator Evans, citing the difficulty in attracting quality medical professionals to the regions.
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I wonder...if this doctor came to the US and applied for insurance, would the carriers reject him because his child had a "pre-existing condition?"
Or if he were already in the program when he had this child, would the insurance company drop him?
It's amazing how conservatives worry about children being covered by insurance when news articles like this come out. Of course, the hundreds of children without healthcare insurance in our nation currently don't mean a whit to them.
Michelle, your outrage is appropriate, but the idea that this occurred only because Australia has national health care isn't.
We don't have national health care, and we aren't going to adopt anything like the Australia plan if we ever do. But what of an would-be American immigrant with a Down's syndrome child? Even in the USA today, a child or adult with Down's syndrome or any other developmental disability would only be admitted with a medical waiver that indicates that this person would be able to understand the oath of allegiance he or she would make to the United States.
It may be about the cost of health care in Australia, but that same child would not necessarily be admitted to the USA as it stands now, either. Complain for the right reason.
I'm feeling very gullible today ... thank God for your commenters or you would have convinced me.
ZZ, read more, everyone is calling her names.
this person would be able to understand the oath of allegiance he or she would make to the United States.
Wow.
Yeah, I don't see private insurance behaving any better on this matter. The twist that makes this story interesting is that the parent/guardian is an in-demand specialist in his own right.
Even in the USA today, a child or adult with Down's syndrome or any other developmental disability would only be admitted with a medical waiver that indicates that this person would be able to understand the oath of allegiance he or she would make to the United States.
Ummm, yes. Wow.
Especially since I work with a group of mentally impaired people - in the three years I have worked on campus, I've worked with three students - from West Africa, Serbia, and Russia. All immigrants, all here with their families and none of them would be able to explain the meaning of the oath of allegiance. One of them - maybe - if very well coached ahead of time (he is a person with autism and can memorize pretty much anything.)
You will be pleased to know the Australian government has backflipped and allowed this family to stay here. Which is great news.
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