Posted on 06/19/2005 12:12:07 PM PDT by wagglebee
Canada is not a communist country. Really, it's not — except when it comes to medical care.
While some Americans argue that our health care system should be copying Canada's single-payer national (read: government-controlled) health care system, a recent ruling by Canada's Supreme Court ought to cause some serious reconsideration. Deadly serious reconsideration.
Canada is the only industrialized country that actually prohibits citizens from privately contracting for medical care. In other words, no matter how much money Canadians can afford to pay, they're stuck in the public's health care system waiting and waiting and waiting for care.
Or, when they can afford it, giving up on waiting and traveling to the U.S. to get it.
How long are the waits?
In a case brought by Jacques Chaoulli, a Montreal family doctor, and George Zeliotis, a patient forced to wait a year to have his hip replaced, Canada's Supreme Court found that the evidence "shows that delays in the public health care system are widespread, and that, in some serious cases, patients die as a result of waiting lists for public health care."
The court thus concluded that Canada's invasive, idiotic and totalitarian prohibition of private health insurance and medical care — of almost anything outside the government-run system — is unconstitutional. The long waiting periods in the government system violated the "life and personal security, inviolability and freedom" of patients under Quebec's charter of human rights and freedoms. So ruled the court.
Yet, the court actually split — three to three — as to whether the killer waits of the nationalized health care system also violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. So, at least for now, the ruling only applies in the province of Quebec.
Still, most experts seem to think this ruling will likely be expanded through lawsuits in the other provinces. Lorne Sossin, dean of the University of Toronto law school argues, "The language of the ruling will encourage more and more lawsuits and those suits have a greater likelihood of success in light of this ruling."
Leaders of the various provinces have long sought to allow health care alternatives, but they've found themselves with all the freedoms of a cat writhing in a sack. As The New York Times reported, "The federal government has threatened to hold back financial aid to provinces that press ahead with private health care. . . ."
But since Quebec, by court order, cannot prevent private medicine, the cat is now out of the bag. As Dr. Chaoulli pointedly asked, "How could you imagine that Quebeckers may live and the English Canadian has to die?"
Chaoulli, according the The Times, "has long been viewed as a gadfly in political and medical circles." In 1997, he went on a hunger strike after authorities forced him to abandon a private emergency house call service. (Wouldn't you like to find a family doctor with some of this gadfly stuff in him?) It seems that Canada's nationalized medical establishment has fought a long life-and-death battle against individual initiative in health care.
Enter Prime Minister Paul Martin. He sees the ruling, as well as the necessary response, quite differently. He's trying to re-bag that cat. Pooh-poohing the idea that Canada must permit private health care, Martin said, "What today's decision does do, however, is accentuate just how important it is to act immediately, how urgent this situation is."
Yet, what is his new urgency? To save lives? Or to save the system? After all, the unhealthy waits have been around for quite some time. It's not a secret. The only thing new is the court decision allowing private medicine.
The prime minister adds, "What we want to do is strengthen the public health care system."
But what about the sick? We can be sure that Mr. Martin doesn't want sick people to suffer or die. He is all for saving lives. It's just that his commitment to the national health care system comes first.
In this way, he sounds strikingly like so many American educrats, who, when shown for the umpteenth time that American schools are failing, still refuse even to consider allowing the children an alternative for their education. Instead, the educrats demand ever more money to make the public schools work, somehow, no matter how many children are failed in the process.
Granted, America's education system isn't totally parallel to the Canadian medical system. Thankfully, Americans can still spend their own money to purchase the education unavailable in the public system. But similar indeed is the attitude that puts the system before the people it is supposed to serve.
In emphatic arrogance, Martin asserted, "We are not going to have a two-tier health care system in this country. Nobody wants that."
Well, nobody except the people dying for lack of care . . . or almost any Canadian with a lick of sense.
Socialists just want to make sure that everyone is miserable, instead of a small few.
Liberals mourn that this news has leaked out.
There is already a two-tier health care system in Canada.
I know several wealthy Canadians who routinely come to the US for medical care, they are simply unwilling to take their chances. The other problem is that lack of free enterprise has resulted in many top-notch Canadian doctors leaving Canada to earn more money.
I know a couple of Canadians who speak reverently of their healthcare system. They like it because it's something uniquely theirs, not a reflection of the US.
Goodie for them.
I know a couple of Canadians who speak reverently of their healthcare system. They like it because it's something uniquely theirs, not a reflection of the US.
You're both right. I'm a Canadian who despises our healthcare system. However, it has been around so long that the masses have not learned how to think for themselves as far as considering the validity of other possibilities. They are like 35 year old children still living at home because mom and dad didn't bring them up to learn how to think objectively and to grow up with a spirit of independence. These are the ones who probably will say they love the healthcare system... it's been around so long they don't know anything else and all they've every heard in their life is 'any alternative will bankrupt you if God help you you ever get sick. This crowd has never been weaned off pablum. For every bump in the road, this group will be the first to say 'the guvmint outta do somethin' 'bout dat. The members of a nanny state panic when the suggestion is raised that the nanny many go on a holiday. This is a first class example of socialism once it has come to fruition. Lots of reasons how it grew to this state but right now, this is mostly due to the incredibly leftist media which so many rank and file Canadians have swallowed hook, line and sinker.
They'll change their minds the minute they're diagnosed with anything even remotely resembling a serious disease.
Medicaid/Medicare running close to 500 billion a year (but that's not socialism?) and American businesses going bankrupt due to health care costs.
In a massive Ipsos/Reid survey released yesterday 57% of Canadians want the government to use the "Nonwithstanding Clause" of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to stop two-tier health care. (Yes, Canada has a Supreme Court Override clause in its constitution)
The funny thing about the survey though says that 70% of Canadians would use two-tier health care. Hmmm, the numbers truly do tell the story.
As a Canadian (Windsor,ON home of the Minutemen North) I call thell you that medicare is based on socialistic "equality" beliefs. Dubious at best.
The two-tier restrictions though are based upon ENVY as the numbers show above. The basic belief being that if "I can't get good care, you can't either."
Its second class equal care for all, by law, enforced by the socialist governement.
Remember, Canadians are a "simple" people. Most are working class. Having "Daddy Warbucks" buy good care while the proles have public second rate care stirs up negative envious feelings within the majority of the population.
A great article, I wonder what that new Freeper 'CanadianGirl' might have to say about that?
Oh wait, that troll only had a two-day life span before being banned from FR. LOL! (6-15-05 / 6-17-05)
That must be what it's like to be waiting for life saving surgery in the Peoples Republic, eh?
"Two days, tops!"
CG, I *KNOW* you are reading this. And you still suck.
Have A Nice Week!
Exactly.. The myth America is not a socialist system NOW has been SWALLOWED by most RINOs.. Between America, Canada and URP it is just HOW socialist are you, its not IF you are socialists.. Democrats ALREADY know we are.. they just want more of it..
Must be WHY the word socialist is the most rarely used word in the halls of congress..
THEY ALL know it, but some are in denial others want the secret kept..
http://www.neoperspectives.com/canadahealthcare.htm
articles and commentary (more examples of canda killing it's citizens)
thanks for posting that.
My uncle used to talk that way. Canada's health care was wonderful, the US was terrible because of the greedy doctors.
Then he needed bypass surgery, which at that time was not available in Canada at all. Reason being it " did not show increased longevity, although it did provide an increased quality of life". So I get a call from my uncle asking me how he could get a CABG in the US. By the way he still hates the US, although he no longer worships Canada's medical system.
"did not show increased longevity, although it did provide an increased quality of life"
Is this "THE" measuring stick used for who gets care?
Guess the Congressmen are thinking ahead...
No. Canadians get bypass surgery everyday. In Canada .
You're correct, but not addressing the point which drives the left.
It's better that everyone suffer and some die, than a single Democrat ever be held responsible to pay for his/her own medical needs.
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