Watters’ World: The Canadian health care edition
Jesse Watters asks Canadians what they think about their national healthcare program
This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," December 2, 2013. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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O'REILLY: "Watters World" segment tonight according to a Gallup poll taken in 2007, 57 percent of Canadians are satisfied with their national health care program. The system is financed through tax revenues that can reach as high as 50 percent on income.
And over the years many Canadians have come here to the USA for things like surgery, because wait times are long north of the border. With all that in mind, Jesse Watters ventured out to talk with some Canadians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WATTERS: Socialized Canadian Health Care. What exactly is that?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think our health care situation right now is pretty ridiculous.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We pay a lot of tax. But we also get a lot for the tax that we pay.
WATTERS: What's the highest tax bracket here in Canada?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably 50 percent.
WATTERS: 50?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WATTERS: Sounds confiscatory.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Coming from a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) homeless person who gets no access to any (EXPLETIVE DELETED) health care, I think it's a joke.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're not crazy about it, are you?
WATTERS: What has your experience been like interacting with the Canadian health care system?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excellent.
WATTERS: Obama is trying to emulate the socialized health care system here in Canada.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a socialized health care?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Use your brains a little bit.
WATTERS: What are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm on the way to being Tammy. I used to be Tom.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, for making excellent progress.
WATTERS: And does the Canadian health care system pay for that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Under certain circumstances, they will.
WATTERS: See, Obama is trying to emulate you guys. And now it's a train wreck. So I think it's your fault.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody blames Canada, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Blame Canada, blame Canada --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In this emergency department here we have homeless people, we have bank presidents. They're side by side.
WATTERS: Have you heard of Obamacare?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Obamacare?
WATTERS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is that a violent thing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounded like a damn monster movie.
WATTERS: Are you satisfied with your health care here in Canada?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. We don't enjoy waiting like months for an appointment. So it's not the most effective way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you, a doctor or something?
WATTERS: Did you have to wait any line?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, about eight hours.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anywhere between four to six hours.
WATTERS: If the Canadian health care system is so good, why do 40,000 Canadians go to the United States each year to get treatment?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because they're impatient and they got money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You need a special appointment. Specialists take months to get. And when people are ill, they don't have money.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm in the hospital. I take the things in my arms and I run.
WATTERS: So you dine and ditch.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was blowing off a little steam. So what? So what?
WATTERS: You're a holistic healer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
WATTERS: How would you suggest I go about curing my ailment?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yoga cures everything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Awkward.
WATTERS: So when are you due?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was due yesterday.
WATTERS: So this could happen any moment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right.
WATTERS: Ok I'm not equipped to handle that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's the matter, are you afraid?
WATTERS: What size cup are you now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So those are natural after a year and a half?
WATTERS: Those are real breasts?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Real yes. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like the way you're put together.
WATTERS: Do you think there is a doctor shortage here in Canada?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are shortages in certain specialty areas.
WATTERS: You're not a socialist doctor, are you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't -- I don't -- I don't -- I'm not sure if I would use that word.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was going pretty good there for a while.
WATTERS: Do you ever watch Bill O'Reilly on Fox News?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't watch TV.
WATTERS: How do you know what is going on?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't.
WATTERS: Do you ever watch THE O'REILLY FACTOR?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do, I do. Bill O'Reilly. Wow.
WATTERS: Name the child Jesse. It's a great name.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Jesse. Are you straight or gay?
WATTERS: I'm straight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't think I don't appreciate the gesture.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's all I want to know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So what's the pink tie for?
WATTERS: Real men wear pink.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'REILLY: So here's Watters why do 57 percent according to the poll like their health care system in Canada?
WATTERS: Well, it's free for one thing. One guy --
O'REILLY: When you say it's free, there are no co-pays, no deductibles, nothing. You have a card and you just walk in, they treat you and you walk out.
WATTERS: A guy said he got free knee surgery. Only waited for about four months but the knee surgery was free. I guy had aids that I spoke to for 20 years. He's been getting all the expensive medications and he has been kept alive so people do like it.
O'REILLY: That's a good deal for them.
WATTERS: That is a great deal.
O'REILLY: And the guy that is going from Tom to Tammy, is that what it was?
WATTERS: Yes.
O'REILLY: Ok so he said part of it was being paid for.
WATTERS: Right.
O'REILLY: Did you get to how much of it will be paid?
WATTERS: Well he hasn't gone all the way, if you know what I mean. He has breasts.
O'REILLY: Ok.
WATTERS: Right.
O'REILLY: But he's on the way. Are they picking up the whole tab?
WATTERS: They're picking up a large percentage. I think he said 75 percent to 80 percent.
O'REILLY: That's obviously an elective thing.
WATTERS: Well no, he's not. He is a man trapped -- a woman trapped in a man's body.
O'REILLY: Ok and what?
WATTERS: And that's very psychologically damaging to him.
O'REILLY: We're not going to make fun of that.
WATTERS: I'm not making fun of this. But he says it's very disheartening.
O'REILLY: Right. Transgendered people certainly have their reasons for what they do. And that's legitimate.
WATTERS: Right.
O'REILLY: But it's not a life threatening you got to get it fixed or you're going to die.
WATTERS: No.
O'REILLY: It's -- it's you know this would make my life better. So therefore it's an optional.
WATTERS: Right so the taxpayers are picking up part of that tab.
O'REILLY: But not the whole thing.
WATTERS: Not the whole thing.
O'REILLY: But if you have cancer or something.
WATTERS: Right.
O'REILLY: As you said had AIDS they've got the whole boot.
WATTERS: But the problem with cancer, though if you're diagnosed and you want the chemo right away, they'll put you in line for a few months.
O'REILLY: So you have you to wait.
WATTERS: And a lot of people don't think it's acceptable to wait for chemo.
O'REILLY: Right. And as you pointed out a lot of thousands come here.
WATTERS: Right.
O'REILLY: Yes if you got cancer, you want it treated right away.
WATTERS: If you have cash you can go to the United States.
O'REILLY: So even with cancer, you got to wait.
WATTERS: You do.
O'REILLY: All right, Jesse Watters, everybody.
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