Roupen Odabashian, Hematology/Oncology Fellow at the Karmanos Cancer Institute, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“I’m interviewing in Canada right now for jobs. In every interview, the same question comes up. ‘What’s different about the U.S. healthcare system?’
I tell them about the patients who fell through the cracks. No insurance. Make too much for Medicaid. Not old enough for Medicare.
Treatable cancers. Clear treatment plans. Just no way to pay for them. These are the unluckiest people in healthcare. The interviewers always pause when I share these stories. Some ask follow-up questions. Some just shake their heads. I’m not naive, Canada’s system has serious problems. Wait times are brutal. Resources are stretched thin. It’s far from perfect. But here’s what you got right: When someone has cancer, they get treated. Period.
No one checks their bank account first. No one asks if they have insurance. No one tells them they’re ‘borderline’ in the system so they’re on their own. Healthcare systems will always have trade-offs. But access to cancer treatment shouldn’t be one of them. This is Cancer, it’s not just the flu!”
More posts featuring Roupen Odabashian on OncoDaily.