Travel Health Insurance is a Tax Deductible Expense, and more
Posted date : Nov 13, 2017.
Dear Bird Talk,
As usual, I read CSANews from cover to cover for its valuable information and advice concerning travel and medical insurance during our annual stay in Florida for the winter months. The current issue, however, contains two items of personal opinion, which I feel deserve a response.
In your editorial, I was naturally pleased to learn that CSA’s executive director Mike MacKenzie had won a point for our side by convincing treasury officials in Canada to allow “the portion of a travel insurance policy premium relating to medical benefits to be fully deductible.” On the other hand, in view of the appalling record of government in terminating the long-gun registry, discontinuing the use of the long form in census-taking, and limiting parliamentary democracy on the dreadful omnibus bill, I could hardly agree with your words, “What a pleasure it is to deal with this government!”
Again, on the OPINION page, while Michael Coren critically commented on “the false paradise of Tommy Douglas medicine,” he is surely aware that a poll conducted a few years ago voted Douglas the greatest Canadian ever, most likely due to his introduction of publicly funded health care in Saskatchewan ‒ followed by its extension to all of Canada under P.M. Lester B. Pearson. Its popularity is still so unquestioned that journalist L. Ian MacDonald in theMontreal Gazette (July 4) stated that “no politician or political party…with any thought of being elected would propose to dismantle publicly funded health care… “.
On the practical side, please note that as Medipac clients for the past 12 years, my wife and I are grateful for enabling us to make our annual sojourns to Florida, with financial protection from the American system in the event of serious illness.
Samuel L.
Côte Saint-Luc, QC
Response:
Ed: The other side of any opinion is always valuable information. This government, though, has been very helpful to our members in many areas of concern and they strongly support us as we try to get the provinces to obey the Canada Health Act. Better access to our health-care system would also be of help to many Canadians, many of whom cannot even find a doctor. I can get a full, very expert medical screening in the United States on a bus parked in a mall parking lot. The cost ‒ $149. They found that I had an aneurysm which could have killed me. I should be able to do that in Canada, shouldn’t I? I highly recommend that everyone see a bus at your earliest opportunity.
