Dr. Ami Siems, family practitioner, appears in this new ad, from Americans for Prosperity and JoinPatientsFirst.com:
JOIN THE OVER 282,026 AMERICANS WHO HAVE ALREADY SIGNED THE PETITION!
Dr. Ami Siems, family practitioner, appears in this new ad, from Americans for Prosperity and JoinPatientsFirst.com:
Patients First is a project of Americans for ProsperityTM, focused on real health care reform that will lead to more choices for
patients and affordable healthcare options for all. Patients First is not affiliated in any way with Patient First Neighborhood Medical Centers.
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Excellent ad! It got me to your website and I wrote to my NY legislators.
Thank you for promoting this.
As a Canadian I take issue with your claim that the Canadian system is not functioning well. It works fine at half the cost of the American broken system. Your system kills people by denying coverage at critical times, you already have death panels called insurance companies complete with bureaucrats to deny coverage. don’t listen to these lies on this ad. The majority of Canadians are very happy with our health care, it is not perfect but wayyyy better then your broken plan.
Again at less per person, high life spans, everyone covered. dont listen to these lies. No denied claims, no uninsured, no ruined life from massive debit.
Imagine my dismay when I turned on my tv to hear this so called experienced doctor Siems bashing systems in Canada and England….I live in Los Angeles and have many friends and family living in Canada and England. As far as I have ever heard…nobody has ever died in Canada because of “long waiting time.” Many elective surgeries have wait lists but emergencies are treated IMMEDIATELY at absolutely no cost to the patient!! I do not think that the United States Government wants to “take over” the health system. All the government wants to do is create an opportunity for people who have been mistreated and turned away in the past by the private health insurance companies who at this time dominate and dictate who gets treatment and who does not.(DEATH PANELS)..inlcuding, who can afford the coverage if they are accepted.That causes death. Get real already. In this wonderful land of opportunity we have options and the right to choose if we want to get public help or pay the extra for private just like we have that option within the school systems, and secondary education. Not everyone goes to public school and trust me the private universities are doing just fine. Get off your high horse Dr. Siems and tell the truth. I am a breast cancer survivor and I am locked into an outrageously hich premium which is like an additional mortgage and continutes to increase. If I can’t get the money together each month to pay my health insurance premiums, I am out of luck. That can cause death… I would far rather have the public option than have nothing. I have yet to meet a Canadian, British, Israeli, citizen who thinks their system is bad. They would NEVER trade their system for ours the way it is at this time…and if US citizens can get coverage at a reasonable price through a public plan then bring it on….And oh by the way, if you want to stay with your present insurance company then that will be your right to do.
I sincerely hope that you get the backlash from this video clip that you so deserve.
The ad was so steeped in the typical rhetoric that we’ve all heard ad nauseum in the outbursts and fiction created by the likes of Americans for Prosperity, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, etc, that have been shown by independent fact-checking sources (which are founded in rational thought, instead of these fear-mongering tactics) to be false, that it fails to find any purchase—like a tree falling in the forest, with no one around. All this in the face of the clear evidence that only 27% of doctors are in favor of private-only solutions (which this ad promotes), whereas 63% are in favor of some form of public option. (http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=1790)
THANK GOD! FOR YOUR AD! I just saw it and was so thankful it wasn’t more push by Obama using taxpayer dollars to promote a government run health insurance. Obamas get free ads (expense to taxpayers) as he goes around using his position to get power over citizens’ lives. I also have friends from Canada and they are very unhappy with their system and have told me the US should never go there, as it will be irreversible and too costly to our country. Fact is that someone did DIE in Britain over their stupid cutoff times; there should never be lines drawn like that; more stupid bureacrats who don’t care. MORE ADS !!
Is this Dr Siems really a doctor or and actor? Being a Canadian I too take exception to the rubbish that she obviuosly has no knowledge of either the Canadian or British, health care system, notice I say British and not English as she states, there is a difference, believe it or not in England and Britain, did she know this? Or is she so ill informed in her Geography lessons as she most certainly is about health care in Canada or BRITAIN! Has this doctor ever lived or worked in either of these countries, if not where did she get her vast knowledge from? She would be better off listening and watching her fellow American Michael Moore’s documentary on the state of your health care system, at least he took to the time out to go to these countries to find out at least some of the way these health care systems worked, did you, Dr? Siems?
You wrote: “…emergencies are treated IMMEDIATELY at absolutely no cost to the patient…!! Hello? At no cost? What do you call taxes??? What an incredibly stupid and uninformed comment. The very people who accuse the health insurance companies of being greedy, are greedy themselves, they want “free” health care and they don’t want to pay for it. I call that greed, what do you call it?
Bureaucrats already tell us what to do…. If you’re gonna say that the Canadian and English system don’t work, then you can’t possibly say that ours work. Some not all may wait up to a year for surgery, but in the U.S. the insurance agencies will just drop you. You and every Right wing Medical Insurance Operatives knows this… Although you have convinced many idiots to not change the system. Every Republican that is against health care reform are either followers of the Politician that are Lining their pockets or they are lining their pockets themselves. The Problem in America is that the people that Don’t Want Healthcare reform are a very very very Vocal Minority, and those that do want change are not as vocal…. or are too busy earning a real living to pay for insurance.
First, thank you Mike, Irene, and Bill for pointing out Dr. Seims’ and this organization’s lies about British and Canadian patient care. It’s nothing but fear-mongering. She talks of the dangers of bureaucrats running our healthcare system as if it isn’t already. Insurance companies denying treatment or cutting off treatment because they are no longer profiting off of a citizen’s illness is one of the most shameful examples in this country of bureaucracy destroying the lives of Americans, and DR. SIEMS clearly supports that system. She also mentions Medicare as an example of how government healthcare doesn’t work. The public option (which is completely different than the Medicare system) would not be functioning under the same government subsidies as Medicare does, and therefore can’t even be compared to Medicare. This organization uses the catch phrase “Patients First”. I’m sure Dr. Siems has never denied a patient care because they couldn’t pay their bill, and I’m sure she accepts all patients in need of care who walk through her office door. Right. And I’m sure there’s no way she’s gotten rich off of insurance and prescription company bureaucracy. Fact is, if the government doesn’t intervene in this broken health care system with a public option, PATIENTS will continue to lose their ability to pay for their health care as premiums continue to go up even with higher unemployment rates and wages that can’t keep up with the spiking premiums. Groups like this claim they can solve the health care crisis without a public option, but I’ve never heard how they would do this. So stop playing off citizens’ fears and paying greedy doctors to go on television to spout off scare tactics and lies, and try coming up with a solution. If you can.
Screw Your Commercial, and Your Agenda.
Here is the Doctors Patient Rating.
http://www.vitals.com/doctor/profile/1255348306
Ami You suck lol.
Let’s see, who exactly is promoting the government getting between you and your doctor? NO ONE! What do we have now – insurance companies getting between you and your doctor! You are nothing but unwitting (I hope) tools of the insurance industry. Their only purpose is to make money – 15 to 30% of the money paid for insurance (above Medicare admin levels) goes to pay salaries, bonuses and stockholders. That’s money that is not paying for health care, just for insurers. Medicare is going broke because it has to provide for the sickest, most expensive portion of our population – expand to all Americans and it is sustainable. We have denials and delays from the insurance industry that kill people now (http://makingakilling.org/contents.html) – at least with a government option we can complain to and get response from elected officials, insurance industry just takes your $$ and complaints are ignored.
Why can’t you at least be truthful – if government health care is bad, get rid of medicare and medicaid, and just let those less worthy people (those that can’t afford it) die. Amazing that these same folks that demonize evolution and Darwin are so supportive of “survival of the fittest” – if you’re not fit to provide for your own health care, then just die – economic eugenics.
I still hold out hope that we do care about our fellow citizens and will see that a single payer system is the only way to have a cost effective and fair system, unless we want to continue to allow the economic DEATH PANELS we have in our current system.
I am a canadian and US resident for 30 years, and your information about the canadian health system is so bogus, it lets me know how much you’ve probably fabricated your facts for your own point of view.
The voices of profit are pushing toward not beginning to fix the health care system here, which will become increasingly more expensive to fix each year we put it off, and will also continue to negatively impact the finances of many americans and contribute to a slower economic recovery.
We can’t afford to not change the health care system here. Washington knows the future without these changes is an economic disaster waiting to happen.
My family has never had to wait for vital health care, and they have a better quality of life without worrying about medical bills or hesitating to take care of themselves for fear of the cost.
I am a canadian and US resident for 30 years, and your information about the canadian health system is so bogus, it lets me know how much you’ve probably fabricated your facts for your own point of view.
The voices of profit are pushing toward not beginning to fix the health care system here, which will become increasingly more expensive to fix each year we put it off, and will also continue to negatively impact the finances of many americans and contribute to a slower economic recovery.
We can’t afford to not change the health care system here. Washington knows the future without these changes is an economic disaster waiting to happen.
My family IN CANADA has never had to wait for vital health care, and they have a better quality of life without worrying about medical bills or hesitating to take care of themselves for fear of the cost.
Universal Health Care System for all is better than Capitalist Health Market for few… It will make us more competitive around the world!
I take offence at the comments about our Canadian system. In the US, your healthcare is run by a DICTATORSHIP! Decisions regarding your health care are DICTATED by your (fat) insurance companies! I much prefer to have the decisions regarding my medical treatments made by people who were voted into power, rather than a group of greedy CEO’s who’s only real concern is the bottom line. At least we, in Canada, get the option to lobby these ’socialists’ running our health care, which, incidentally, is pretty damn good!
Do you have that democratic right with your insurance companies? Thought not. Get real, America!
As a Canadian, I am deeply offended by absurd lies in your ad which is designed to create even more fear in the American public than already exists. Americans fear loss of health care if they lose their jobs, denial of service when they are ill, bankruptcy due to medical costs or the inability to pay exhorbatent premiums. No Canadian or Brit goes to bed at night with these fears. The Canadian Health Care System is NOT government run. It is a single payer, universal system that covers all, including my ex-pat friends from the US who are Landed Immigrants. No one, including the undocumented, is turned away. My doctor determines the best treatment for me when I am ill. She does not need permission nor does she consider cost. Like every other doctor her job is to provide the best treatment for her patients.
Health Care is about caring for one another by ensuring that everyone including family, friends, neighbours, strangers and even enemies are treated equitably. We may have to wait for some elective surgeries but thjose with the gratest need are treated first and we do NOT have thousands of people lined up on wet pavement waiting for treatment at free clinics. Nor do thousands of Canadians die every year for lack of life saving treatment.
Americans should be absolutely terrified by the greed of the Insurance Companies that take their money when they are well and deny them service when they are sick and the over paid lobbists who spead their money from health care insurance premiums around to their elected representatives to protect Insurance Companies vested in terests. . Americans need to ask from where do such groups as Americans for Propsperity who own this Web Site get their money and why are they so afraid of real reform that would give Americans truly universal health care, with the freedom of choice and freedom from worry that all the residents of Canada have! “Patients First” – what a crock………………..!
As a practicing internist, I can tell you I AM EMBARRASSED by the ad your “Dr. Siems” participated in. She is ACTIVELY assisting to maintain a system that kills 45,000 Americans every year. Do I want a Washington bureaucrat deciding my health care decisions? What about a CEO of a company who earns $25 million a year of my patients’ policy dollars making those same decisions? At least we can impeach the bureaucrat. With the CEO, he gets more money the more care he refuses to cover. With America at a solid #37 in the WHO rankings, the average American would be better off getting the type of care people in Canada and the UK get. Heck, the American taxpayers are funding a single payer system in Iraq RIGHT NOW. Why not the same for Americans????
As for you “Dr. Siems”, she should review her Hippocratic Oath. We are supposed to do no harm. Supporting this currently fiscally unsustainable system is not abiding by that oath. As for Medicare funding, there is a simple thing we can do to ensure the program’s good health. Eliminate the tax break people making over $106K get on their FICA taxes!
“I much prefer to have the decisions regarding my medical treatments made by people who were voted into power, rather than a group of greedy CEO’s who’s only real concern is the bottom line.” I want my medical decisions to stay between MY DOCTOR AND MYSELF – not made by some government bureaucrat. In the US, if you and your doctor decide a procedure is necessary, no one can stop you from having that procedure. If your insurance doesn’t cover it, you can pay for it out of pocket. You can’t do that in Europe or Canada unless you leave the country – USUALLY TO THE USA! If the libs have there way, that will be ILLEGAL in the US (unless we go to some FREE country). That’s not freedom, it’s TOTALITARIANISM! Some may not be able to pay for care out of their pocket – THAT’S THE REAL PROBLEM – the cost of care not the cost of insurance. Insurance costs what it does cuz of the cost of the care. The care costs what it does cuz there are no more market forces at work in the health care market. That and the cost of the doctors’ liability insurance for outrageous malpractice court awards. Tort reform is definitely needed in the US. There has to be better ways to fix the problems other than a government takeover of the health care system! A vast majority of the people here are happy with the health care they receive.
Misleading, full of scare tactics and outright lies! shame on you!
“Dr” Siems- You should be ashamed of yourself. Your data is flawed and unstudied. Our health care system is wounded. I have been a health care professional for over 30 years and am well versed in options in other developed countries. Of course, with the aging of the world population, all countries are facing challenges. And, of course, only US citizens with comprehensive coverage (such as mine!) are opposed to real health care reform. Are we Socialists? That is absurd. We are smart, compassionate citizens who recognize that a society in ill-health with the poorest health outcomes in the civilized world need to find meaninfgul ways to address health status. I am a Nurse Practitioner in a setting where comprehensive, community-based solutions to health care (not medical care) are apparent and robust. Dr.Siems, please do some further self-study. A single-payer system may not suit you, but neither does our present system as you will be increasingly unhappy with an over-regulated, technology-induced system that produces very poor health outcomes and bankruptcy. PLEASE view the on-line videos, “Sick in America,” “Sick Around the World,” and “Unnatural Causes.” I think you will be better informed
Dr. Siems what would jesus say?
Dr Siems = Dr. Mengele Both have or had agendas that are in the patients worst interest. Southern Nazarene University should fire her for lying. “Patients First” what a joke.
Please make your own decisions. Most of the world knows the USA is run by a minority of very rich people that find it beneficial to keep the American people in ignorance. I love how patriotic Americans are but I am fearful that the partisan media in the US exploit this for sensatialism. Most people have opinions ( wrong or right ) but they are their own opinions.
Americans are in danger of not having an opinion on anything unless fox tells them to.
My point is In Britain we love our NHS it is not perfecr but we are constantly making changes to improve it, we look to other systems worldwide to seek these improvments not to critisise.
Give people the overall facts and not isolated cases and let them make the desision
hey you are smart……NOT!!!!!! go canada ;) dont get me wrong the us is good But obmba is great so dont hate him :)
Excellent ad! BUT TO LIE ON TV!!!! :( GO CANADA!!!! <3 <3 <3
Those last two posts were from my ten year old son
love that boy
[...] conservative group Americans for Prosperity has released a new 60-second ad through its Patients First project. The ad, which features a family doctor, Dr. [...]
You are so full of it. You lie so much and do not expose the fact that you are basically a subsidiary of the insurance industry. QUIT LYING about Health Care Reform.
I’m tired of hearing the hypocritical arguments made by these anti-American Christ Haters!
The Insurance companies have warped the public consciousness into these BS arguments when as an American and a Christian I believe that the US Health Care system should be overhauled into a single-payer, universal system.
Did Jesus ask for the Lepers info before curing them? How about the blind? or even Lazarus? NO. He just healed them b/c they needed care.
The argument of the fears of the gov’t “rationing” health care have no basis on reality in any way shape or form. Does the Police Department or FBI “ration” law enforcement? Do Fire Fighters decide which fires to stop according to some gov’t mandate? These services have long been publicly funded with out a single issue.
The “higher tax” is one aspect that might hold true, but in the broader economic picture, having a public health plan would STRENGTHEN the economy. Between 2000 and 08 (the Bush Admin), the cost for companies to keep each employee DOUBLED… but wages nor taxes did not raise… Why you might ask? Health Care costs sky-rocketed during this time. The companies were paying twice as much in insurance per employee. Just imagine how many jobs could have been saved during the down-turn if this wasn’t the case?
I’m tired of these idiots who have no logic or intelligence in their arguments having the loudest voice… any who want to support the only good thing to do for America and embrace an over-haul of the health care system into something that will strengthen America economically, spiritually, and physically, feel free to contact me at modok77@hotmail.com
Well you got a hell of a backlash for that so called doctor .I am from Canada.Do what you do best.Kill innocent people with your bombs instead of having the guts to fight man to man.Come on up for a visit.Bring a few of your crazy right wing friends,you will get your ass kicked.IDIOTS.LOL
Hello from Canada!
We in Canada have a front row seat to this health care reform that is transpiering in the US. I would like to tell you that the ads this organization is running about Canada and our health care are completely false and are scare tactics. Scare tactics from people that stand to loose billions. These people would like nothing more than to turn people against each other. This will once again bring the proposed policies to falure. Your neighbours from the north strongly agree with President Obama’s new health care policys.
Our universal helathcare has been in place for more than 40 years. It has been recognized globaly as one of the finest systems in the world. Equal and unlimited health care for all citizens. No one here has ever been turned down care for any condition what ever the case or cause is! The nonsense about having to wait for care or surgery is nothing short of lies!
I would not trade the care i recieve for any other system in the world. I am so proud to know that I am covered no matter what medical treatment I may need.
You fear the unknown, you need to trust the intelligence of your leaders. Its time for change and to bring everyone the care they so desperatly need!
Signed: One proud canadian!
Yesterday I visited a friend who is recovering from surgery. His operation had been delayed two days because the OR was needed for transplant surgery. He commented that he was very happy to wait because his surgery wasn’t critical but that a life saving transplant is an emergency.and that this emergency could have been him or someone in his family. Because this happened in Canada, triage is based on urgency not on ability to pay or social status.
By the way, my friend is not some “socialist” Canadian but an American who loves his country but is damn glad he lives in Canada.
Ya know, I believe the government SHOULD step in where our healthcare is concerned! The provider of our health care (PEBTF) Pennsylvania Employees Benefit Trust Fund, took services away from the employees and retirees of the state of PA while increasing our co-pays, deductibles, etc… Services that can improve an individuals life, are NOT obtainable. The healthcare system in our country is a joke! I see people doing everything they can to get the FREEBIES from the welfare system because they do NOT want to work…where you have those who have worked their entire lives who have to scrimp and make choices between buying food or medications because they have to PAY for premiums for medicare, deductibes, co-pays, etc…
Those receiving the FREEBIES form the welfare sytem has FREE medical and do NOT have to make the choice between buying food or buying medications. They have NO premiums, no co-pays, no deductibles, etc… and have 100% access to ALL medical procedures!! I need a medical procedure done, that PEBTF took off the list of covered benefits.. but some one sitting lazy on welfare can get the same medical procedure paid for BY THE GOVERNMENT… I do NOT go to the doctors office or ER because I cannot afford the co-pays.
I believe we should all have the SAME health coverage. I believe there should be a cap on mal-practice suits!!! You might disagree with me, but this is my opinion!!
This Dr is a joke ….and so is her opinion, Check out her patient rating on Vitals.com. What some people won’t do for FREE advertising.
Wow! I hope Dr. Siems is just ignorant about the facts, and not lying purposefully to promote the agenda of Americans for Prosperity.
I don’t believe that physicians can lie to the public about matters of health without consequences, as part of a physician’s sworn responsibility is to public health and above all, the creed: “do no harm”.
I have lived in many countries and try to understand what knowledge she has from other systems. Has she been out of her State Yet? She just mumbles what they told her to mumble. About all industrialized countries perform better in cost/quality.
The WHO places the US 37 in overall quality at the highest cost in the world and that is a record not to be proud of. Sorry, but she does not know what she is talking about.
I am not the greatest supporter of the Canadian or British single system, however they still do a much better job. France, Italy, ***an, Germany, Switzerland, Taiwan, Sweden, Norway, Denmark the Netherlands and many others do a better job. The core is that many governments keep cost under control, by controlling cost for each procedure, have profit free insurers and hospitals. They also buy medicine in bulk.
In my country I paid $143 a year with $750/year deductible. After the $750 the insurer
pays everything whether it is by-pass or hip replacement. No co-pays.
Malpractise insurance runs about $1400 a year.
The US is falling behind and that is because “the greed game is always on”. Congress is fighting rather than getting something done and shows ultimate direspect for the American people.
I have not lived in a country where they pulled the plug on grandma or where the government stood between doctor and patient. And I am not planning to move to Zimbabwe or Somalia to find out.
Dr Siems should go there to help the people instead of doing her tv gig.
It is great that we live in a country where everyone is entitled to openly voice their opinions, especially when it comes to their political beliefs. However, I am disappointed at how partisan health insurance reform has become. Many folks, accept what they hear or see on the media, without reading the facts for themselves.
I also don’t understand why so many of the folks that say they love their country, and claim to be patriotic are wanting our President to fail without reading the specifics of what he is trying to accomplish. I understand religion plays a big role in people’s lives and perhaps we might not agree with our president’s religious stance; however, it doesn’t mean we should object to everything he is trying to do to put our country as a leading world power once again.
From health insurance reform, financial reform, stimulus plan, green jobs, education reform, climate reform, immigration reform — people are being so narrow-minded and opposed to everything he does. I think people need to stop paying so much attention to the media and read the specific policies for themselves before making their conclusions about something, or someone.
We might not all agree to every policy the President pursues, but at the end of the day, we are all American. We all love our country and we all need to ensure it continues to move forward.
Just a note on this clearly partisan website, the non-partisan site http://www.factcheck.org/ has verified this ad is false.
If you are Canadian and Brits., what is it to you what the US of A is doing on healthcare? A Brit. friend of mine has told me that the Brit. System is overrun with the Euros ( other than Brits) coming into the system. Is that not true? Can you Brits. answer that? Many of us correct ah..I mean right wingers think it would be best if we got a chance to read the proposed legislation. Is that not a fair request? This is not about Obama, it is about bad government rushing to control things they have proven they can not control. It is a bit fishy, just like all these busy working class libs trying to make us think there is a big outcry against this site and our ideals. You Brits know what fishy is ..right…ah..correct?
Some of the comments isn’t about the what Brits or Canadians think about your medical system, it is about an ill informed Doctor? making statements on what she obviously knows nothing about, and that is those two systems. The rest of the world couldn’t care less about your health care system or who runs it. About the Brits being fishy, ask your so-called Brit friend.
This ad is ridiculous. We pay the most, but our results are poor, as already been stated. Anyone that believes this dribble isn’t doing their homework. Dr. (if she really is) Amy Siems should be ashamed of herself.
Oh I forgot to mention. In all honesty we are number one in one area: Insurance Company profits. Sorry for that omission. So if you invest in insurance companies, you’ll have a wonderful, if not shorter, retirement.
Dear Dr.Siems: I usualy do not spend much of mine time with ignorant people, but I would like to ask you to take your convoluted ads out of TV/ media. I am a proud Canadian, proud of our health care system even if it is not perfect. I can tell you I speak for at least of 80% Canadian, further more you also criticise the English health care system, which is one of the best among industrial countries. As I said our system might not be perfect, but let me tell you, our hospitals do not use the back alleys to throw out drugged sick people, with IVs in their arms, not knowing where they are. That is called “Sick society” and you call yourself a doctor? What kind of doctor are you? So please stop those misleading advertisements and let real American doctors to do their work, so they can help those suffering people. The doctors that feel with their patients,doctors that see the horrors in your health care system. I believe that, we all see you, for what you really are, immoral human being that thrives on people misfortunes. And that is not how all the dictionaries in the world define word “doctor” Thank you.
I agree with Maria Mackovic regarding your remarks on health care in the states. We need affordable health care now!
Dr. ignorant does not know that no government stands between you and the doctor in Canada the UK Germany ***an etc. etc.
In the US however there is a big stand between you and the doctor. Yes it is the insurance industry.
The above article was well done. I have been searching for just this sort of site.Thank you for this information.