Take It from a Canadian: You Don’t Want the Public Option [MUST READ]

The New Majority ^ | August 20, 2009 | Peter Worthington

[2ndDivisionVet]

As President Barack Obama scours the U.S. to drum up support for reforming healthcare, the Washington Post (among others) says the White House may be willing to dump its government-run insurance plan.

If so, this will have the duel effect of encouraging opponents of Obama’s goal to create a cheaper, non-profit, government-sponsored health plan for the 40 to 50 million Americans presently with no health insurance, while alienating liberal-left Democrats who seek to emulate a Canadian health system.

Looked at from the outside, it’s hard to see Obama succeeding.

Americans have been so conditioned for so long against anything resembling socialized medicine, that hackles rise at creating another government bureaucracy to manage health.

A couple of things stand out about universal healthcare.

A case can be made (from Canada’s experience) that you cannot maintain a healthcare system like Canada’s and at the same time maintain the world’s largest, best equipped, all-purpose military whose existence imposes caution on rogue elements of the world. A country that has the one, can’t easily have the other without a prohibitive tax increase.

America’s military is more important than universal healthcare.

Canada’s costly healthcare necessitates that its military be small, over-strained and under-financed. Competent but perpetually frustrated.

Another thing: Obama insists that if his health reform plan is passed, people can keep their current insurance plans. Wanna bet? (The bill is supposed to be ready by Sept. 15, but probably won’t be.)

If the government-run insurance plan were adopted whereby non-insured people would be insured, how long would private companies continue to contribute to the health insurance of their employees? Would they not start cutting health plans and force the government to pay? You know the answer as well as I do.

While Canada is cited by fans of universal health as an example to aspire to, opponents of socialized medicine see Canada as a disaster.

Apart from high costs necessitating a high tax rate, a huge downside is catastrophically long wait times for operations. This results in unknown numbers of deaths of patients waiting.

Emergency or critical cases are dealt with quickly and competently in Canada, but waiting to be diagnosed can be a death sentence. Access to healthcare in Canada is a continuing problem.

It is scandalous that getting an MRI in Canada can take weeks or months, and then done in the middle of the night. Often it’s who you know, what clout you have, your importance in the community that dictates if you go to the head of the queue. In the U.S., if you have money (a great equalizer) you get service. Period.

In the U.S., Obama must overcome prejudice against government-run health. While he stresses it’s reform he seeks, not control, critics fear “reforming” healthcare means “rationing” healthcare.

By instinct, Americans prefer less government to more government.

Judging from opinion polls and raucous town hall meetings, and from the unease of many elected Democrats, Americans are skeptical of Obamacare by a 2-1 margin.

And with a health reform bill that is 1,000 pages long, and wants the government rather than physicians deciding on end-of-life healthcare for the aged, few have a clue what reform would really mean.

Obama has staked his first year in office on healthcare reform – and so far he seems to have badly misjudged what Americans want or will accept.

[2ndDivisionVet]

The money quote: "A case can be made (from Canada’s experience) that you cannot maintain a healthcare system like Canada’s and at the same time maintain the world’s largest, best equipped, all-purpose military whose existence imposes caution on rogue elements of the world. A country that has the one, can’t easily have the other without a prohibitive tax increase.

America’s military is more important than universal healthcare."

[RobertoinAL]

BOR just had on a Dr. Day, former head of the Canadian health care system, and he said prices have sky-rocketed, that there over 1,000,000 people waiting for sugery, and that where he’s from (British Columbia) that 42% of their budget goes to pay for health care. I believe I’ll pass on that, thank you.

[Ouderkirk]

Didn’t Barney Fag start into a diatribe about how much was spent in Iraq and Afghanistan at his Town Hall the other night.

The money quote as you rightly point out is the Fag and Pelousy, and Dingy Harry, and Obummer don’t want an effective military.

[Pajamajan]

BOOKMARK

[2ndDivisionVet]

That's their agenda: Emasculate the country via the military and public education. Why do you think they press so much for Heather Has Two Mommies and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" followed by full acceptance in the near future? Many of the "straight" twenty and thirty-something men I see in public these days would've passed for homosexual not that long ago. I've had homosexual and lesbian coworkers and neighbors, and as long as their sexuality isn't rubbed in my face, I couldn't care less, but government going out of it's way to promote homosexuality is another matter altogether!!

[Iron Munro]

[Springman]

Ask fanfan about medical treatment in Canada. Maybe she’ll get her knee worked on next year.

Springman and Mrs. Springman sends “Hugs” back ping.

Hope Mr. fanfan is taking good of you, sure his is.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

The duel effect. En garde!

[alice_in_bubbaland]

I think this Canadian has nailed it. It’s about power and neutering the greatest military in the world.

[668 - Neighbor of the Beast]

Americans have been so conditioned for so long against anything resembling socialized medicine

That does it, I'm not reading this. In this country we "condition" fabrics and frizzy hair.

[OrangeHoof]

Speaking of health care vs. the military, how many of you have ever dealt with the VA for medical care? It’s a nightmare. And I feel that all Americans will be stuck in that nightmare if the Dems have their way. If the VA is the best we can do for our soldiers, why would the government do any better for the rest of us*? (* - excluding themselves)

[2ndDivisionVet]

I use the Veteran's Affairs Medical system about half the time. It is what it is: One step above a charity/county hospital in some cases, with almost first class care at certain hospitals. The prescriptions for my service-connected disabilities are 100% free, while the Rx for other conditions are nearly so. All my treatment, outpatient or inpatient is 100% covered, but quality varies. Almost all the physicians and many of the physician's assistants are foreigners, with nurses and other staff being about 50-50. Being at the top of the food chain in priority, I never have to wait much more than a month or two for an appointment, but the E.R. can sometimes be a nightmare unless you're bleeding, having chest pains or unconscious.

[vlad335]

Imagine VA quality of care but with an exponential explosion of patient load. Times 1000, times 10,000 I don't know what it would be but one thing I do know, that millions upon millions of people will flock to doctor's offices and ER’s with every tiny ailment imaginable. the system will be brought to it's knees and bankrupted way faster than Cash for Clunkers showed us. The government couldn't estimate that demand and have no clue whats in store when health care is suddenly “free.”

I work in a small local hospital and see it everyday. There is a contingent of welfare recipients that come to the ER constantly. One lady actually had more visits to the ER in a year than days of that year! An ambulance picks them up and when after testing their complaints are found to be bogus, takes them home and it's all free of charge.

As a full time hospital employee, I have a $100 co-pay to visit the ER. If I show up at the Emergency room, I have a real medical complaint I assure you. However, this privileged class has absolutely no compunction about tieing up ambulance crews and even demanding meals to be served during their visits! Our ER is small and there are dozens of these patients pouring in with most not having a single thing wrong with them.

What scares me is their numbers will only explode with the passage of health care reform and we can't handle them now! Why is it that Democrats cannot take into account or even understand simple human nature?

[fanfan]

Thanks!, and he is, thanks for asking. :-)

[fanfan]

Thanks for the ping, Springman.