Don't Use Canada for Health-Care Model

RealClearPolitics ^ | February 27, 2007 | Froma Harrop

[Lancey Howard]

If you want to sell Americans on universal health coverage, it's not helpful to use a model that makes patients wait five weeks to see a cancer doctor. That's Canada.

There is much to admire in the Canadian system. It covers everyone, while spending only 10 percent of the country's gross domestic product on health care. (The United States spends 16 percent.) It is simple and doesn't burden employers with the job of insuring workers and their kin.

The flaws, however, are unacceptable.

Many of my left-leaning friends nonetheless worship at the altar of "Canadian-style single-payer." (I once belonged to the cult.) That's too bad because there are better universal-access systems to parade through a PowerPoint presentation. A health-care system that tolerates an average 10-week wait to use an MRI machine is not to be copied.

(snip)

Canada's medical free-ride leads to overuse of services. And that may add to the long waiting times -- for which Canada is the worst, except for Britain's dismal National Health Service.

[Lancey Howard]

Hospital Hell (Dan Aykroyd on Socialized Medicine)

Posted by Lancey Howard
On News/Activism 11/20/2003 3:15:45 AM EST · 4 replies · 334+ views

The New York Post ^ | 11-19-2003 | Richard Johnson
November 19, 2003 -- DAN Aykroyd is no fan of the bureaucratic bungling and cut-rate care of socialized medicine. "One place you don't want to get sick is Quebec," the Canadian actor advised us after a screening of Denys Arcand's "The Barbarian Invasions." "It's all socialized. Believe me, you don't want to go to a hospital there."

[Eska]

Social demographics are not the same. I live 4 miles from the border. I actually ride snowmachine & boat up into Canada all the time; completely unimpeded.

I'll be the first to say there are many things Canadians do better. Parks, Indians, resource development, on and on; but health care isn't one of them.

Taxes in America would change quick. There's a reason why so many Canadian professionals and skilled employees become Americans.

[chuckles]

I've been waiting for a fair and balanced piece from Fox to actually go to one of these countries,( or several), to show what we are headed for. It would be easy to compare American medicine to socialized medicine. I've heard 100 horror stories from Canada and England, but we have ours also. A factual comparison would be an eye opener to most Democrats.

I have no doubts that Americans would NOT tolerate the bureaucratic hell these countries put up with. About 10 years ago I heard Canada had only 2 MRI machines in the country. In Houston, we have more than 1 in almost every hospital of any size. It raises the cost, but we don't have to travel 1000 miles and wait 2 weeks to get something checked. God forbid you have cancer or something serious in Canada. You would die before they ever got the test results back.

I also hear many Canadians carry separate insurance to go to America to get worked on. Anybody know for sure if thats true?

[Nathan Zachary]

" it's not helpful to use a model that makes patients wait five weeks to see a cancer doctor."

Where is such speedy service found in Canada? Try 2 years or more. 5 years to get a extremely painfull crushed disc fixed. I shake my head every time I hear the "we want universal health care' cries from the retards on the left. I know a lot of canadians, many relatives who have suffered long waiting for their "free" (or not so free if you pay Canadian taxes and make decent money) health care. They come to the Mayo clinic to get fixed, rather than wait.

[Pontiac]

I shake my head every time I hear the "we want universal health care' cries from the retards on the left.

We have Universal Health Care.

First off; anyone with the money to pay of health care can buy health care (over the counter or insurance).

Second; federal law states that no one can be turned away from an emergency care facility for lack of ability to pay.

It may not be their idea of a perfect Universal Health Care system but it covers everybody (even illegal aliens).

[mikeybaby]

There was a post some time ago comparing the American and Canadian Health care systems.
The author stated it took approx. 10 weeks for an MRI in Canada, but it (eventually) was free.
In comparison, she was able to schedule an MRI in the states in 24 hours-for her dog.

[UlmoLordOfWaters]

 
"Free"

Not really when you consider their tax burden. The US "Tax Freedom Day" is in April. In Canada it's the end of June. No thanks.

One family horror story regarding Canadian health care: my aunt was having eye troubles. It would've taken two years to finally get her surgery—one year for the referral and another for the surgery. In order to save her sight, she paid thousands out of pocket to have her surgery out of country.

[from occupied ga]

There is much to admire in the Canadian system.

Is the dingbat who wrote this nuts? There is NOTHING to admire in the Canadian system. Oh I forgot unless you are a Marxist, then it should fit in your world view.

[from occupied ga]

One family horror story regarding Canadian health care: my aunt was having eye troubles. It would've taken two years to finally get her surgery—one year for the referral and another for the surgery. In order to save her sight, she paid thousands out of pocket to have her surgery out of country.

I'm trying to understand the horror portion. Was it that she had to pay out of pocket? Or was it that the health care system just didn't work in her case?

[from occupied ga]

It may not be their idea of a perfect Universal Health Care system but it covers everybody (even illegal aliens).

ESPECIALLY illegal aliens. They're breaking the system Medical facilities/doctors, etc. collect $.40 of every dollar billed because of insurance discounts and no-pays. Guess who pays for the Mexican's health care when they fall into the $.60 no-pay part?

[goldstategop]

In New Zealand, France and Germany, there is public insurance but a great deal of the health care system remains privately owned. I would not want the government running the entire health care system. A monopoly has no incentive to deliver better service and it has all the worst shortcomings of the present system in which people have no idea about how their health care dollars are being spent because a third party is doing the spending for them. In single payer, the government would simply take over the role of the insurance companies. But you're not solving the problem of universal access. That's why we should look for an approach different from that of the one in Canada.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[Nevernever]

Here's a horror story for you:

About three years ago, I thought I had kidney stones. I didn't have a doctor, so my mother-in-law made a few calls (she knows EVERYBODY). The GP actually called me to set up an appointment and two days later I saw him. He did not hink it was kidney stones, so he referred me to a urologist. A few days later (it was after the weekend), I had an appointment, had both an MRI and a cystoscopy done and two days after that I was recovering from day-surgery for bladder cancer (Trans-urethral resection - funfunfun). All I had to pay for was the dispensing fee for some Tylenol 3s - about $2.50.

You can write off my experiences as "anecdotal evidence" if you wish, but it would be intellectually dishonest.

My mother-in-law broke her hip last year and waited a total of three days for surgery (again, only because it was over the weekend). While she waited, she had the "full barrage" of tests (MRI included) and she had her hip replaced and is pretty much "good as new," except her doctor advised her not to play tennis. It hasn't stopped her so far, though.

Don't believe everything you hear about the evils of socialized medicine - sometimes these writers calculate an AVERAGE wait time, which is actually not a particularly relevant measure...If you live in Tuktoyaktuk, it's going to take longer than if you live in Edmonton, or Toronto. If you average the three wait times out, it's still going to be very long, just because of the distance from Tuk-Tuk to any hospital...

I have had a lifetime of broken bones and minor medical issues, as well as cancer (operated on 3 times, now). I can't remember the last time I waited over a day for ANY medical treatment.

[Ditter]

Our Canadian friends say the health care system is just fine......... just as long as you don't get sick. Then you have to go to the US.

[from occupied ga]

All I had to pay for was the dispensing fee for some Tylenol 3s - about $2.50.

So do you think that this is all it cost?