Posted on 12/11/2009 12:24:21 PM PST by Ed Hudgins
As the U.S. Senate argues about how best to take over the American health care industry, it is worth taking a look at how government health insurance works here in Canada, where I live. Judging from popular opinion, one would think Canadian health care was great. My fellow Canadians by and large love their single-payer, universal coverage, according to a recent Nanos Research poll. Fully 80 percent of the 1,005 Canadians interviewed support universal health care, with another ten percent supporting it somewhat. A mere five percent were opposed or somewhat opposed, with the remaining five percent unsure.
Yet these poll results are frankly surprising, because universal coverage in Canada comes at a high cost: long waiting lists. The free-market Fraser Institute’s latest annual report on waiting lists was released on October 29, 2009. The study found that “waiting time between referral from a general practitioner and treatment, averaged across all 12 specialties and 10 provinces surveyed” was about 16 weeks this past year. While improved slightly from around 17 weeks the year before, this is still an awfully long time to wait, whether for cancer treatment (5 weeks), “elective” heart surgery (8 weeks), or brain surgery (33 weeks!). Patients also waited over 4 weeks for a CT scan and almost 9 weeks for an MRI.
To be fair, roughly one third of respondents in the Nanos poll mentioned above identified “waiting times for treatment / lack of accessibility” as our system’s key weakness. Another 14 percent thought the fact that there are “not enough doctors, nurses and/or personnel” was its number one failing. Still, in spite of these defects, most Canadians support our system. Why aren’t more Canadians more upset about having to wait for health care?
Please Remain Standing—the Doctor Won’t See You Shortly!
There are …
Because they can curl while waiting?
But then the Canadians don’t really need a big bloated military since they will come running to the Americans if they are ever invaded. So naturally all those taxes have to go *somewhere*.
All in all I’d say health care in Ontario is run on par with how the U.S. govt runs the Post Office.
Because most people don’t have cancer and have to wait while their life passes before their eyes. For the every day ills, the system isn’t horrible.
they come to America for the medical care. Maybe they get it free too.
What are the individual tax rates in Canada that pays for this “free” health care?
Didn’t the Canadian Supreme Court just this summer declare part of this Healthcare statute unconstitutional? I think it was mandatory single payer and no private companies issuing healthcare insurance policies.
Similar question:
“Why would Canadians want to stop global warming?”
They don’t know any better. Have a few treatments on this side of the border, and then ask them how they like it. My guess is the poll numbers would be significantly different!
They do come to the U.S. for treatment in large numbers. Specialists in northern tier states cater to Canadian patients and do quite well financially as a result. Canadians seeking treatment in the U.S. pay their bills ... unlike the free loaders we get pouring over our southern border.
Because they are afraid if the government didn’t provide health care, there would be no health care. Once you train people to be dependent, it can very very hard to teach them to be self-sufficient.
Exactly right.
Sure. 80% of the population are healthy. They have no complaints with the system. 80% healthy doesn't seem unusual?
yitbos
I was being a little facetious. I am familiar with the Canadian view as my wife is Canadian. I was reflecting on recent comments among Canadian officials regarding the possibility of allowing some fee for service. The response was that was impossible, because then the system wouldn’t treat everybody the same!
Part of the problem is that Canadians are simply used to the waits, few if any could remember a time when there weren’t long waits for health care...same with the Brits. In the US health care consumers want treatment now and are generally getting it. They will be very dissatisfied when they suddenly have to wait weeks or months go through a massive bureaucracy to see a specialist or get advanced services.
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